When it comes to the government, that old adage “the more things change the more they stay the same”, seems to have a ring of truth to it.
We have all, at one point or another, become frustrated waiting for the government to get something done. This was the case for the people of Bentley in 1926. The Bentley correspondent sent this to the Review March 4, 1926.

Bentley Briefs
Finally becoming tired of awaiting the installation of the government phones in the municipality, the residents have decided to install their own and use barbed wire.
Messrs. Crego, Haggin, Gottschalk and others are installing the barbed wire system, and so far it has proved very satisfactory. Last week it was necessary to get in touch with Councillor Baldwin and Reeve Crego started to get busy.
He performed the feat by barb wire to Tillotson at Hanna, Hanna to Youngstown, then to Reist and on the barb wire again to Baldwin’s.
When I first read this I thought it would be a temporary arrangement; but six years later in 1932 I read that Spondin post office finally got a phone and it was hooked into the barbed wire line.
Can anyone tell me how long this barbed wire line was actually in use?
Here is a post script:
The mystery of who Tanner of the Tanner house mystery is has been cleared up. Ruth Bakken of Innisfail, granddaughter of Elmus Ryan, was kind enough to write me a lovely letter full of information.
Apparently the house was built by the Lutheran Church for Pastor Chris Tanner. Ruth tells me this info can be found in a book called “From Wildflowers and Buffalo Bones” by Ethel (Cochrane) Nelson.
According to Ruth six tractors were hired to move the house, and that was done in 1932. Her grandparents, Elmus and Ruth Ryan retired from the farm in 1948.
Thank you very much Ruth.
Ruth also told me about a little treasure that has been handed down in her family.
“The day Coronation became a town the ladies were each given a memento. A small green porcelain basket, on the front side is a circle of blue, purple and white flowers. In the center written in gold lettering it says ‘a present from Coronation Alta.’ This was given to my Grandmother Ruth Ryan, she gave it to my mother Rennie (Ryan) Knutson, and she gave it to me Ruth (Knutson) Bakken. It is a treasure in my china cabinet.”
A treasure indeed. Does anyone else have this wonderful memento??

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