Horace Theker

On July 17, Du Vernet described Horace Theker, a settler who walked five miles to attend the church service in Long Sault. Theker had come to “a knowledge of the Saviour” when injured in a wood-cutting accident many years ago; his considerable effort to attend the service “meant much” to Du Vernet.

Horace Theker arrived in Rainy River in 1882, and lived in both Stratton and Fort Frances. He assisted in building the Rainy River Road, along with other major roads in the area, many of which were based on Ojibwe trails. In 1887, Theker taught in the school on the Long Sault Reserve for three teaching quarters, with 26 pupils enrolled in his class. Horace Theker and his wife Mercy (1868-1931), had a daughter, Eliza Theker, who was born August 5, 1904 in Morley Township Ontario. She lived in Fort Frances until her death in 1998. Today, there is a road named Theker Street a few miles north of Long Sault.