Full disclosure, I’m a planner.
Following Karl’s adventure around the world, my journey, over 120 years later taps directly into my planning acumen. Four years of research into this project required retrospectively plotting out Karl’s itinerary — his route, observations, quotes, encounters, and mishaps — all the details captured from countless newspaper articles, the post stamp book, and letters to Mattie. Then, and only then, could I plot out my itinerary, a mirror image (as much as possible) detailing where to go and what I need to see, with extensive notes highlighting historical facts and other significant events.
I’ve always customized my travel itineraries with rigour to mitigate my FOMO on an experience and to keep family and friends apprised of my whereabouts. Before I leave on my adventures, I share my itinerary, calling the document “Where’s Louise at in [name of destination]”, allowing those interested to follow my travels. But the real purpose of sharing is that if anything goes wrong, then the itinerary will serve as a starting point of where to look to recover my body.
Although less robust, Karl had a similar process. His route was pre-planned and the local newspapers regularly reported his whereabouts. He provided updates to the Nova Scotia newspapers and his family, documenting where he’d been and where he was going next. Karl, like me, had a tracking method in the event something went wrong.
On October 6, 1899, there was a letter posted in the Nelson Miner Newspaper:
“Mr Creelman’s trip across the prairie country has not been devoid of those incidents almost inseparable from a journey across a strange country. He has been fortunate, so far, in not having had to sleep out, but on several occasions, he lost his way and came near putting in a night on the ‘baldheaded’ prairie amid most unpleasant surroundings. Once, on leaving Chaplin, a station about 50 miles this side of MooseJaw, he took a trail that closely followed the railway track, which it crossed and recrossed at intervals. Late in the afternoon, he was riding along at top speed, expecting momentarily to catch sight of the track, when a heavy storm of thunder, hail and lightning came on. He pressed on, but there was nothing in view but prairies. At last, he met a rancher, who informed him he was twenty-five miles north of the track. By this time, it was dark, and he was glad to put up for the night with the hospitable rancher, finding his way back the next day.”
In a subsequent letter to the Halifax Herald, William Oliver, a member of the North-West Mounted Police stationed at Swift Current, N.W.T, wrote the following:
“Sir - it might be of some interest to Nova Scotia to hear of their “gritty” little wheelman, Karl Creelman, of Truro, who is making a tour of the world on his bike. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Swift Current, where he remained my guest for two days. He is looking well and hearty considering the hard ride he has had through this country, bucking against headwinds, muddy trails and rainy weather, but he will get there just the same. Karl had quite an adventure just before he arrived here. He got lost on the trail and went 60 miles out of his course. He was brought up at a ranch on the river, where he spent a day hunting and fishing. In the evening, some of the cowboys tried to induce him to ride a bronco. He told them he thought he would try and finish his trip first, which showed he is like all other Nova Scotians - “long-headed”. When he left here, I rode out on the trail 20 miles with him and wished him bon voyage”.
As every traveller knows, dear reader, best-laid plans are just that.
Karl had a sign fixed to his bicycle stating his name and intention to go around the world, which helped to provide course correction with a side adventure on the way. In Karl’s book, stamped by the postmaster, there is an entry on September 13, 1899, from the Big Spring Creek Ranch, at Vermillion Hills, Saskatchewan (north of Chaplin, between Swift Current and Moosejaw):
“The Bearer of this book was found astray on the prairie and was directed to this ranch. We, the undersigned, had the pleasure of his company in a game of Crazie Pedro.”
Bonus: Crazie Pedro
Dear reader, you know you Googled it! Crazie Pedro is a “trick-taking” card game for 4 players with a 2-card deck, and the goal is to be the first team to reach 62 points. Pedro (pronounced “peedro”) was widely played at the end of the nineteenth century in the southern USA and on the West Coast. The Pedro is the trump 5, which is worth five points.
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