by Lorraine Hynes
Reprinted from The Packet, January 31, 1980
Ephraim Cecil Balsom was born on December 23, 1902 at Clarenville, where he grew up and have lived all his life. His father William, who was a carpenter, was born at Fox Harbour (now Southport) and came to Clarenville when he was just a boy following the death of his father to live with his uncle. His mother was the former Sarah Strong from Clarenville. His brothers, Roland and Wallace and his sister Merdia (Mrs. Elam Critch) are living at Clarenville, while his other sister, Flora (Mrs. Leslie Duffitt) is living at Grand Falls. Four brothers and one sister are deceased.
He says he attended the old schoolhouse with a “‘junk’ of wood under his arm more than one morning. Grade Four was as much education as he was able to obtain because his father passed away and he had to work. At the age of thirteen he went to Southport to live with his Uncle John Balsom. He lived with him for two years and went fishing. Then he was off on the train to Rattling Brook to work in the lumberwoods. The next few years he did odd jobs, including three years working at the railway yard shoveling coal. His salary there was $80 a month, which he gave to his mother to help provide for his younger brothers and sisters.
Mr. Balsom also worked in Humbermouth operating a steam shovel when the water was being installed from the power plant to Deer Lake.
In 1934 he went to work with the government as a warden, later named the department of mines and resources. His first assignment was the distribution of beavers around the province, with the reserve pond being twelve miles in back of Clarenville, known as Tug Pond Game Reserve. There were five patrol cabins within a radius of approximately one hundred miles and it was there he spent sixteen years and remembers them as being very exciting.
During the summer months he travelled on foot from his home to Tug Pond, but wintertime he had a dog team made up of five dogs. As the saying goes, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. Well, the leader of the team, ‘Laddie’ turned out to be Mr. Balsom’s best friend for fifteen years. ”More than once he led the way through the snow when it was too stormy to see where I was going,” said Mr. Balsom. ”The rest of the dogs stayed in their house outside, but Laddie stayed in the cabin with me.”
“Uncle Eph”, as he is known to most people spent thirty-five years in the country in different areas of the island and he recalls his salary for the first five years was a mere $40 a month. Over the years he spent as a warden he has travelled from Port aux Basques to St. John’s, sometimes being taken there in helicopter, seaplane, boat etc. He said there were many nights when he was unable to reach his cabin by nightfall, so he made a bed of boughs and ”bunked” her down for the night. He never used a compass for directions, but followed the sun and trail marks. Usually he came home every two weeks to freshen his supply of food but sometimes he didn’t make it home for over three weeks. During his years in the country there was one particular bad winter that he recalls, “One winter I wore out two sets of fillings in my snowshoes, and had to fill them the third time.”
Of all the years he spent as a warden, the one he enjoyed most was the year they moved the moose from western Newfoundland to the Labrador. He said they caught the moose in the Cormack area, carried them to Hampden and loaded them on a boat for their new inhabitant.
In 1937 he married Blanche Bennett from Grand Falls and they had three children; Sandra (Mrs. Bob Lewis) Grand Falls, Allan at Clarenville and Terry at Kingston, Ontario. He also raised a step-daughter, Catherine (Mrs. Bill Earle), Mount Pearl, Blanche’s daughter by a previous marriage. He has twelve grandchildren and one great granddaughter Rhonda Critch living at Clarenville.
Mrs. Balsom passed away on April 14, 1968 and for the next couple of years life was very difficult for him as he spent some very lonely hours.
On January 7, 1971 he was married to Alfreda Glover from Bragg’s Island at the United Church Manse at Shoal Harbour by Rev. H. Mercer.
Since his retirement he has kept quite active. During the summer he does a lot of camping and salmon fishing around the province but he spends a lot of time at Indian Bay which is not too long a drive. Wintertime he cuts firewood and sets a few snares and still enjoys being in the country where he has spent so many days.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since the writing of Focus On Seniors, the Packet has learned of the death of Mr. Balsom’s sister, Merida (Mrs. Elam Critch). Deepest sympathy is extended to Mr. Balsom and his family.
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Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, January 2026.
These transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material.