Walter was born at Feir's Mill and was the seventh out of ten children. Like the other children he spent his early years helping with the mill and farm operations, but being one of the younger children meant he would not likely take over the operation of the family business. He was therefore looking around for an opportunity at which he could make a living and support his family. About this time one of his younger brothers, Rev. Harry Feir, moved to Basswood, Man. and wrote back that there was lots of good land in the area.

Walter moved out to Manitoba in 1899, bringing with him the lumber to build a house for his family. The lumber was cut at Feir's Mill and shipped out via rail. The house, which still stands to-day, was finished and Walter's wife, Mary and their three children, Harry, Hazel and Elmer, came out in 1900 to join him. Two further childred were born in Manitoba, Madge and Florence. The older children attended Fairmount School. Hazel remembered her father plowing a furrow from home to the School to guide their pathway as they walked across the prairie to school. The three younger children later attended Minnedosa school.

Walter farmed until 1920, then spent several years living in Minnedosa, later retiring to a cottage he built back on the south quarter of the farm. He and his wife Mary loved to garden and some of the shelter-belt plantings still remain at the cottage site. The family remembers his extremely productive milk cow and his frisky driving horse "Tiny" who bunked together in the little red barn. Walter and Mary celebrated their diamond wedding in 1948. Walter died in 1949 and Mary at age ninety in 1957.

Madge, now Mrs. Thomas Burkholder and Florence, now Mrs. Clarence Hayes were both school teachers. Madge and Tom had three children. Madge retired from teaching and currently lives in Edmonton. Florence and Clarence have a family of four and are retired in Calgary. Elmer Feir taught school before joining the Army in World War I. On his return from overseas, he studied law and after several years of practice was appointed judge in the lethbridge area. Elmer and his wife Anne had two boys. Hazel Feir, another daughter, married Fred Proven in 1914 and resided in Fairmout until 1952. They raised six children.

Harry the oldest son married his first cousin Stella and they farmed the home farm until 1960 when they retired to Minnedosa. Harry was an enthusiastic fisherman. There were seven children in Harry and Stella's family and they all attended Basswood School. Jimmy the eldest died as a teenager. Walter went overseas with the Canadian Army and was killed in action in 1944. Bert is married and working in maintenance and operation of a grain elevator in Edmonton. He and his wife, Esther, have three children. Mary the only daughter, took her nursing training at St Boniface School of Nursing. She and her husband Bill Wilson of Saskatoon had two girls. Jack and Mack Feir both died of muscular dystrophy when they were young men. Bob, the youngest boy, became a machinery mechanic and is employed and living in Minnedosa. Mrs. Stella Feir died after a lengthy illness in 1967 and Harry passed away in 1972.

The above information is courtesy of Bob Feir and Helen and Margaret Ross.