The story of the Wagar family in Dyment begins with William Ross Wagar (born February 17, 1870, Parham, ON; died August 3, 1953, Dyment, ON) and Ellen Maria Alton (born February 26, 1871, Parham, ON; died December 9, 1963, Big Beaver, SK). They married on January 21, 1891, in Yarker, ON, and had four children: Julia Adella, Aden Clifford, Lucy Elizabeth, and Milton Ross Wagar. Both William and Ellen are buried in Dryden, Ontario.
After homesteading in Parham, the family moved to Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, following their eldest son, Aden, and daughter, Lucy. However, facing tough times farming, they decided to return to Ontario. Their journey brought them to a fateful stop in Dyment, Ontario. William Ross, impressed by the area, decided this would be their new home. They disembarked from the train, bringing their belongings and animals, and began to build a new life, settling in Dyment rather than continuing their journey back to Eastern Ontario. Aden and Lucy remained in Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, having started their own families there.
The Dyment Years: 1925-1953
William Ross and Ellen Wagar lived in Dyment from 1925 until William’s death in 1953. Their decision to settle there came about during a train stop, where William, after attending to their accompanying animals, explored the area and saw potential for a homestead. He purchased property adjacent to George & Marie Higgin’s store and near the original Dyment Hall (which later burned down, but was remembered for many dances in the early 1960s).
Notably, the land where the Dyment cemetery now stands was once owned by William Ross Wagar, who generously donated it to the community for its use. In those early days, before roads connected Dyment to Highway 17, access to medical care from Dryden was via CP railcar, a common but sometimes inconvenient mode of transport. This was the case when their grandson, Clayton, broke his leg at age 12, requiring the doctor to be telegraphed and brought in by rail.
Aden & Ruby Wagar’s Homestead
Aden Wagar, William Ross and Ellen’s son, and his wife, Ruby, also decided to move to Dyment around 1928, settling on a homestead north of the tracks from the village. Their older children, Clayton, Richard (Dick), and June, would walk to the schoolhouse (now the present-day hall) — a journey of about one and a half to two miles. They often walked with neighbors like Len Rustan and his sisters Clara and Agnes, Orvie Henderson, and the Richardson boys, Bert and Einor. Sometimes, in deep snow, they were fortunate enough to get a ride by horse and sleigh. The family resided in Dyment until 1937, when they moved to Dryden seeking better opportunities. Two more children, Marjorie (born 1937) and Betty-Lynn (born 1945), were born in Dryden.
Tragically, Richard “Dick” Wagar was killed on the job in 1943 while working on the construction of the new Dempster Alaska Highway during the war. After his burial in Dryden, William Ross Wagar, despite donating the land for the Dyment cemetery, also chose to be buried in Dryden upon his passing in 1953, alongside his grandson.
Milton Wagar’s Return
Milton Ross Wagar, the youngest son of William and Ellen, also returned to Dyment from Big Beaver. There, he met Jessie Scott, who came to teach at the Dyment school, and they married. They had three sons: Robert, Arny, and Don.
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