COOKING LAKE, Alta. – It was billed as an auction sale, but it could have been advertised as a Canadian history lesson.Up for sale at Al Oeming’s 22nd annual spring auction was an elegant Barouche carriage built for William Cornelius Van Horne, president and builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway.Also for sale was an undertaker’s carriage from Ontario, a Vis–vis carriage from Quebec, a lumber wagon from New Brunswick and a grain cart built by the John Deere Plow Co. Ltd. and sold in Regina in 1912 for use in the the booming Canadian grain trade.One of the most mysterious items was an old bridle found in a tumble- down shack southeast of Willow Bunch, Sask.Along the side of the bit is a gold heraldic crest belonging to the Order of the Garter, an order of knighthood originating in medieval England. The order’s emblem reads, “evil to him who evil think.”Oeming doesn’t know how the bridle and two rifle scabbards ended up in a log shack on the Canadian Prairies, but he speculates they could have come to Canada with remittance men sent to Canada by their families in England.“This isn’t an auction, it’s a historic event,” Oeming said before the event began May 16.Before each item was auctioned, Oeming talked about the history of the piece, who had once owned it and where it was found.“I find people are as interested in the history as anything else,” said Oeming, whose father and grandfather were also collectors.Oeming said as soon as one sale ends, he begins his search for items for the next one by visiting with seniors in coffee shops across the Prairies, chasing down tips or using his extensive network of connections.“Eight and a half times out of 10 it’s a wild west chase,” he said. “It’s the lure of the quest.”Norma Sherman got up early and drove from Rabbit Lake, Sask., to admire the buggies and wagons at the sale.“I like the designs of the carriages. I like to reminisce in my mind of what my parents and grandparents rode,” said Sherman, who also receives inspiration for her own home built wagons.Jack Pickett, a collector from Lamont, Alta., was also at the sale.“I’m busy filling up the space in my machinery shed,” he said. “I come and dream. I’m looking for a fantastic deal. I come and admire this stuff. It’s a wonderful outing.”Lorne Dushenski of Willingdon, Alta., is a John Deere collector interested in tractors and machinery manufactured before 1960.He plans to restore and display antique tractors and organize antique equipment pulls at the local county fair.“That’s a retirement project. I’m just stocking up. I like viewing this stuff and watching the incredible prices they bring.”Andy Koch of Vegreville, Alta., wasn’t looking for anything fancy. He wanted a wagon he could use.“I don’t need something to sit in my yard and look pretty.”He recently downgraded from a pair of Clydesdales to a pair of light horses and had his eye on one of the smaller, newer wagons.Russ Murphy, who helped out with the auction, used to work at Al Oeming’s Polar Park and Alberta Game Farm and has helped at previous auction sales.He said they often fed the wild animals in the game park using horse drawn wagons.The horses didn’t mind walking past the grizzly bears or the cheetahs, but they weren’t keen on the camels.“They do not mix. We had a few runaways over the years.”The game farm was closed in 1998. Oeming said 320 acres have been given to the Conservation Society. Oeming’s son, Todd, is proposing to turn part of the wildlife park into a resort and hotel facility targeted at nature lovers.“It’s the last unspoiled piece of property in the county,” Oeming said.
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