Cape Breton's Magazine

The Donald Rankin Family and Harness Racing Donald Rankin, Frenchvale My name is Donald Colin Rankin. I was born in Judique, Inverness County, 16th of De? cember, 1918. (What did your people do?) Farming. Big farm. Milk producer--(my fa? ther) had a herd of purebred registered Ayrshire cattle. In those days it was horses. We had two teams of horses on the farm: a small team and a fairly heavy team. The milk used to go to Hawkesbury by train, so you'd have to take the milk to the sta? tion. That was your chore before school, every day. You'd have to do the chores-- milk them, and then you'd drive them--my chore, was to take the horse and take the milk to the station. Then on the way back, stop off at school and leave the horse go, and he'd go home. Lots of work to do (on the farm). The ol? der boys, once they'd grow up, they'd go a- way. There were 9 in the family. My mother died when I was only 4. She died in 1922. And then Dad died in '33. So my brothers went away; I was on the farm for a year a- lone. My brother owned the farm, but I ran the farm and the milk route for a couple of years, while he was away. Then he came home, and I went to Ontario for a year. I worked for the Northern Tele? phone Company. So then I came back--that was in 1937. I came down here--I bought this place. (Why did you choose French? vale?) Well, the steel plant was going. It seemed to be more going on on this side of the island. I came down to work for a fellow, just for a couple of weeks. So one day he sent me over to fix up the fence. He was renting (this) farm. So here's where I came to fix the fences. So I bought the place. (Been fixing the fence ever since!) Still fixing fences! CONTINUED NEXT PAGE CAPE BRETON'S MAGAZINE, NUMBER FORTY-FIVE WRECK COVE, CAPE BRETON, NOVA SCOTIA SECOND CLASS MAIL -- REGISTRATION NUMBER--'OlA CELEBRATING OUR 15th YEAR (1)