CMP needs rescuing in Saskatchewan

[Ron Pier]

I have had contact with a guy in Canada who has given me the whereabouts of this truck. His directions follow. Ron

Hello Ron, if I have read the GoogleEarth map correctly, the truck should lie within an area within N51*03'5.76",
N51*02'39.84", W107*58'29.28", W107*58'3.36". (The * is degrees).
To get there or thereabouts, take # 4 Highway from Elrose SK and travel South about 11 miles. You will come to a grid road, turn left (East). Before you have turned you will see a Hutterite Colony a short bit ahead and to your right. If you have passed the Colony you have gone too far.
After you have made the correct left turn, travel 2.5 miles East. You will pass a farm on the right side of the road after about 1 mile. For reasons I will not get into at present, it would be best not to ask for information at this farm.
You will pass a granary to the left and very shortly you will be 1/2 miles South of the CMP's location, indicated by the red square on the map encompassing a small swale. You cannot drive in. It would be courteous and advisable to to locate the landowner and gain permission to do the search. If the truck is not in the red square, it will nevertheless be close by in one of the swales visible on the attached map.
If I get down to that area later this Summer or early Fall, I will drop into the RM office to view a map of the RM which shows land ownership. These don't seem to be on the Net.
Hope this information is of some use to you. If my directions are unclear, let me know.
Cheers, Dennis

[Ron Pier]

More pix. Ron

[cliff]

for a cab 11 she is in good nick!

[maple_leaf_eh]

That is outstanding habitat! I have chased mule deer south the of the South Saskatchewan River while looking for a good whitetail. Non Saskatchewan residents are prohibited from shooting mulies. But my BiL's SiL shot a mulie buck near there that got into the record book. I've also chased pronghorns on open range like that except further south.

(Back to old trucks) For a field find, that one is in really good shape. Whoever goes to recover it has to be polite and respectful to the landowner. He is probably reluctant to sell anything, for fear of being taken advantage of. He'd sooner send it to the scrap truckers than sell it to you. But, if you are honest with him, you might be surprised.

[cletrac (RIP)]

And it's only about 50 miles from me!!! Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow!
I've been down that road before but never saw it.
Model 84-20 is a C8.

[Mike Kelly]

Wow , thats a beauty ..somebody save it and quickly

[Ron Pier]

Good luck with finding it. Dennis thinks it's a 12 cab. I know nothing about them.

Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

It's a late 1940 11 Cab C8 and likely a radio truck. The box is off a civvy pickup. I know the area and I'll likely be able to drive right to the spot. I looked on Google Earth and from your directions it looks like it might be on Hutterite land.

[Ron Pier]

OK David. I hope you find it. Who or what is Hutterite? Ron

OK I just googled it. Some sort or religious cult!

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

OK David. I hope you find it. Who or what is Hutterite? Ron

OK I just googled it. Some sort or religious cult!

Ron, you must see the WW2 movie 49th Parallel

[Ron Pier]

I'm intrigued Mike. I'll look for it.


Ron

PS. I've just been informed that the land where the truck is, is not yet acquired by the Hutterite folk.

[Ron Pier]

If anyone wants to contact Dennis from Saskatchewan who sent me the pictures and location. PM me. He has probably met some of you guys who went to the war memorial in Elrose. Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

I was at that memorial in Elrose and I still haven't got my Cletrac home from the show.
I went and checked it out today (drove right to the spot too! Good directions)and the prairie winds haven't been kind to her. The roof is peeled off but the rest is still OK. I was right about the radio truck thing since it has all the grounding straps on the sheetmetal.
The box looks to be off a 50s Dodge 1 ton. The license plate on the front is from 1956 so that's likely how long it's been sitting in the coulee. (coulee even sounds better than swale)
The rear wheels and adapters are missing but a lot of the little bits like the tail light brackets and front D rings and push bar etc are still there. It has the non folding seats like my early C15 but my C8 has the folding seats. The serial # on mine is 0842002673 while this one is 0842002770.so my older one has the newer version of seats. The drive line is complete but I'd guess the motor is seized.
I found out who the owner is but he's not local so I'm still trying to get in touch with him. The field it's in is in crop so if I can get it it'll be September before I'll be able to get in to get it.

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by cletrac

I found out who the owner is but he's not local so I'm still trying to get in touch with him. The field it's in is in crop so if I can get it it'll be September before I'll be able to get in to get it.

Well done. We all hope you can negotoiate with the owner and seal the deal .

It would make an ideal project . If the chassis is good , then it can be restored . Mike

[cletrac (RIP)]

I got hold of the owner and he gave it to me so I guess the price was right! It was his dad's truck and he was the last one to drive it in the mid 50s. He was hauling grain and he broke an axle so there it sits.
Thanks for the heads up, Ron! I've been down that road a number of times but you can't see it from the road. There's a prairie trail 3/4s of a mile north of it and you can just spot it from there but you need to know it's there to see it. I'd say the original spotter must have been a deer hunter to stumble onto it.
Another one to add to the lineup!

[Joe Lorenzino]

I might be interested in the box if it is indeed Dodge. Please send pictures and length/width measurements once you get it home. Thanks

[Ron Pier]

Well done David, I'm dead chuffed about this. I'll PM you Dennis's email address. It would be good if you made contact after his efforts. He is also a near neighbour of yours and quite interested in the subject. I think he said he might know for a rear body?
Strange how the owners have ploughed round it for years.........Must have French ancestry. Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

Ron, I'll get in touch with him.
Joe, here's a picture from the back. I think Dodge was the only one with that rounded bottom corner.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

We've seen items selling very quickly on MLU, but I think we have just set the world record for the quickest vehicle rescue after being spotted in the middle of nowhere, with people all across the globe being involved.

Well done gentlemen!

H.

[motto]

This area would have to be one of the few places on the planet where a vehicle could sit unmolested for almost 60 years. I don't think that could happen even in the remotest parts of Australia.

David

[Ian L]

Sat outside since the mid 50s and almost rust free ? dont you boys get any rain over there ?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Very nice. Good job on saving this one guys! Dave, good luck with it; lots of nice bits there....even the three switched next to the gauge cluster and the knob for the vent-control!

Alex

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Ian L

Sat outside since the mid 50s and almost rust free ? don't you boys get any rain over there ?

You can see there are no trees in the pictures for a reason. That is because grass is about the only thing able to stand in the wind. Some of the coulees get heavy brush because that is where the snow accumulates. Sometimes the dark back side of a windswept hill will have black brush growing like the bristles on a dog's back, because the snow isn't melted off to fast by the sun. The farmers seed where the soil will grow plants, or fence and graze the rest.

When I first moved to the Prairies the wind was the first thing I noticed. There is a famous W.O. Mitchell book calle, Who has seen the wind? After a while, you don't notice it.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by motto

This area would have to be one of the few places on the planet where a vehicle could sit unmolested for almost 60 years. I don't think that could happen even in the remotest parts of Australia.

David

Like has been posted, Prairie people have a strong respect for each other's fields. If the truck is invisible from a travelled road, there is no reason for anyone to go onto another man's land. Kids learn about field care in school, because vehicle tracks never go away in some soils. And, some people are also good shots .... It happens.

Hunters are expected to park and walk, or stay on the posted road allowance. It doesn't always happen, but those are the rules. Trespass is taken seriously; a provincial Cabinet Minister was convicted of being on posted land (during hunting season, on the complaint of a very partisan local who HATED the ruling party, and the politician was locally very unpopular).

[cletrac (RIP)]

You guys say it must be so dry around here, but in only 72 years exposed to the elements the wood at the top of the windshield rotted away and let the wind blow the roof off. And heck, we very seldom get over 100 mph winds around here!!

[rob love]

The first CMP I restored was a cab 11 Ford from the South West corner of Manitoba. Same deal, the metal was in fantastic shape, but the wood had almost completely disappeared.

[Ewen B]

Well after a catch like that you better keep us posted to how things are going with that great truck. I would rather have trees, but the long bare hills of the south-west of Sask. does have it's own beauty. Just not in winter when the wind is howling at you. There are lots of treasures like that hidden all over the place. I'm trying to track down some trucks in my area, but the wet weather here has kept me on the roads. Keep trucking!
Ewen

[Ewen B]

By the way, Hutterites immigrated from Austria, Germany, and other central European countries to escape persecution. They set up Colonies, or more or less cooperative group home settings. They mainly farm but do have other businesses (woodworking, metal fab, boiler making, trailer making etc..) They speak low German for the most part but are taught English in school. They do not pay taxes as are a religious group (not a cult). They have modernized whereas the Amish have not. They are a great source of fresh produce, if you live near them and befriend them. The Amish have kept many of the old skills, and still transport via horse and buggy. For this reason an Amish colony nearby is a great find for anybody needing a wheelright to rebuild a wagon etc, or even old vehicle wheels. I have not had much to do with the Amish, but certainly have spent a bit of time on Hutterite colonies. They make a great dandelion wine. The only thing a danelion is good for.
P.S I realized I spelled Wainwright wrong on my "Signature" and have now corrected it. Take care Ewen

[cletrac (RIP)]

I went and hauled it home today. Pictures are on my latest acquisition page.