I had first know Jerry Iverson as a teenager. He was my own age and lived north of North Battleford. We met again when I was at Fort Battleford and he was still living in the area. Jerry had become owner of a very small aircraft that would carry two if they weren’t too big. Neither he nor I were and Jerry invited me to come with him sometime to have a flight. I, of course, was always wanting to make the best use of any opportunity so I readily accepted. We didn’t set a date then but I suggested that we fly out along the river shore going north to see if we might identify any evidence of the fur trade post that was there some 150 years ago. From the air you can sometimes see evidence, like bare patches or depressions, of building sites you miss from the ground.

Some time later and somewhat to my wonder, Jerry came walking in to my office at Fort Battleford. He had landed in the grassy field across from the gate to the Fort site, and was ready to go for our planned flight. Walking across that field of unbroken prairie I couldn’t see how he had landed with the light landing gear on his small plane. Making it out to his plane, we worked our way into the narrow seats and away we went. It was a sunny, hot and very calm summer day and the ride had a lot of dead air pockets. It was very rough. Once Jerry exclaimed, “Oops, we lost 200 feet that time.” I must have looked pretty green by the time he turned around to head back. Flying back across the grassy field, Jerry hung his head over the side of the plane examining the land for gopher holes and mounds. He made a circle and returned to make a safe landing. Whether it was the rough flight or there just wasn’t anything there, I never saw anything to help locate the old trading post. It was an interesting adventure but having almost lost my lunch in an air pocket, I was not too anxious to do it again.