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Note: His father and family built a lumber mill in Pilot Mound in 1879 ___________
Started farming in Carnduff Sask with WS Barker, his brother James Barker, Robert Atkinson, William Rowen, John W. Preston (Uncle of James Balmer Preson), cousin Andy (son of Christopher Preston), and cousin Dan (son of John Preston).
Living in Carnduff, Sask in 1901 Census ------------------------------------- SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE; 1924; Volume II:
"TROUBLE UPON TROUBLE.. But the principal interest of the numerous and worthy Prestons centres in the well-known J. B. Preston, the pioneer merchant of Carnduff, who died a few years ago full of years and honor. There are few finer instances of misfortune courageously faced and overcome. It was on the first of August, 1904, that Mr. Preston celebrated his eighteenth anniversary as a Carnduff merchant. On that day the writer met him and was told a story of struggle which showed Mr. Preston to be a man whom nothing could daunt. Mr. Preston, like so many people of strong character, was quiet and non~aggressive in manner and speech. As a lad he went with his parents to North Carolina, where they resided ten years. From there in 1879 he came to Pilot Mound in Manitoba. There with two relatives he embarked in the sawmill business. Settlers with money were coming in and the lumber was eagerly bought up. Next year a grist mill was added. Then came a disastrous fire. Both mills were destroyed, but quite a pile of logs remained, and the engine and boiler were capable of being renovated. This was a lesson to J. B. and he concluded he would get some land, land which couldn't be burned up. He came west with a party in 1881. West of Sourisford there was not a settler. Seven of them selected land near the site of old Carnduff on the Antler. Seven half sections were picked out and then they drew for choice of lots.tb Others quickly followed, including John Carnduff and Andy Preston, a cousin of J. B.'s. J. B. Preston put up a sod house, stable, and hay. He returned to Pilot Mound to realize on the logs spared from the fire; made a dicker with a man who had a sawmill attachment; turned in and converted the logs into lumber. But misfortune was awaiting him in a worse form than ever. His left arm was cut off clean by the saw. A doctor came from a distance and condescended for a hundred dollars cash to dress the stump. Mr. Preston had lost a great deal of blood and for six months it was doubtful if he would pull through. Getting fairly strong he made up his mind to start for old Carnduff again. He had a yoke of oxen, but just before the time for starting one of the oxen got mixed up in a wire fence and was killed. He replaced the ox and found himself after this fresh instance of bad fortune practically penniless again. Minus an arm and unable to work he again landed at old Carnduff only to find his house, stable and hay destroyed by a prairie fire. He and his cousin Andy bached, Andy working the two places, and J. B. doing the home work, and what he could with his one arm. Meanwhile settlers and land hunters were coming in. There was no store nearer than Moosomin, and it occurred to him that if he had a stock of staples he could make a little money. There were some outstanding lumber accounts at Pilot Mound and he started down there again to collect it if possible and get a small stock of groceries. He succeeded in getting $110. This he invested in goods which he hauled to Carnduff with a cart and a white-faced pony. This pony was known all over, and money couldn't buy him. With this stock on the 1st August, 1884, Mr. Preston opened out in a shack at old Carnduff. To replenish his stock he made many lonely trips with the white-faced pony, sleeping at nights under the cart. Practically, however, the hard luck turned with the first load of goods, and Mr. Preston's career since has been one uninterrupted success as a merchant and farmer. He enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the whole community. THE PIONEER PONY. Allusion has been made to J. B. Preston's pony. His name was Shockey, and his career and death met with the following written appreciation at the time: "Many a man and woman will read with a sense of loss that Shockey, Mr. J. B. Preston's old white-faced pony, is no more. He was identified with the whole history of the south country, being one of its four-footed pioneers. His age is not definitely known, but he came into the possession of Mr. Preston as a full grown horse in 1882, 50 that he must have at least been 24 or 25 years of age." "Many interesting incidents and adventures cluster around the remembrance of this faithful animal; and his owner gives him the credit of helping to make his start in this new country, for when they both struck this district, in the early eighties, 'Shockey' could haul all his master's earthly possessions on a cart. In the early days of Carnduff vicinity, the pioneer merchant freighted his goods with this pony from the main line of the C. P. R., a distance of seventy-five to eighty miles. Settlers were few and far between and when night overtook him he camped, often 20 or 30 miles from any human habitation, with no friend near, except the ever-faithful Shockey. With these surroundings, has our townsman rolled himself up in his blanket under the cart and been lulled to sleep by the hideous howling of the prairie wolves, which were ever kept a safe distance away by the snorting and pawing of the excited Shockey." "Shockey was one of the last remaining ponies that have chased the buffalo, which he did in the early spring of '82 in the Wood Mountain district with Mr. Preston's brother on his back." "This remarkable pony was classed among the swift in his young days, and won for his owner several valuable prizes. His record was a half mile dash in 52 seconds at Rock Lake races in 1883." "With this pony was turned the first sod on the Carnduff townsite in the fall of 1891." "Many other instances could be related in connection with Shockey- who was named after Shockey in the Hoosier Schoolmaster-but enough has been said to show that the news of his death will be received with interest by many of the early settlers, to whom he was a familiar figure, both in Manitoba and the Northwest in the pioneer days." Mr. Preston gave the writer the following particulars, which are of interest. He said: "The first missionary was Mr. Hay, who was a Presbyterian student. The first service in the Carnduff district was held at Mr. J. C. Pack's. Mr. Pack's house was a log building, and service was held in the kitchen. The Methodists came in '87. Mr. Chas. Cross was the preacher, and he preached at my house. In the early days people often came ten miles to church. After church they would perhaps want to buy a plug of tobacco from me. Cross saw something going on and he suspected that I was selling tobacco. When he found out that I did he gave me a calling down for breaking the Sabbath
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