Born in Ontario to English immigrant parents, Sadie Keay came west as a teenager and became part of the early community life that helped shape the foundations of High Prairie.
Sadie Rogers was born in Perth, Ontario in 1897 to David and Mary Rogers, who had immigrated from England. Like many families of her generation, the Rogers family gradually moved west. Sadie’s brother Guy came across Canada to Alberta in 1900, followed by her younger brother Tom in 1904, and then her sister Anna in 1913.
In 1915, seventeen-year-old Sadie travelled to High Prairie with her mother, joining siblings who had already made the region home. Her mother returned to Ontario a year later, but Sadie stayed. She worked for Charles and Christina Spaulding at the Hotel Spaulding, saving her wages to buy her own car — a remarkable sign of independence for a young woman in early High Prairie.
Private collection 2158. Courtesy of the artist and Mrs.
The surviving records of Sadie’s life reveal someone deeply connected to the community around her. Her diaries capture the rhythms of everyday life—the Women’s Institute, social gatherings, dances, dramatic society productions, local businesses, weather events, and the constant work of building a farm and a home. These seemingly ordinary observations are invaluable today, offering a firsthand glimpse into the experiences of early settlers in High Prairie.
On January 23, 1934, Sadie married Heber Keay, a widower with six children from his previous marriage. Sadie and Heber later had two sons, Roger and Harold “Bud”. The Keay family has lived in High Prairie since 1910, and four generations have farmed in the area. Sadie passed away in 1968.
