Raising families in remote areas like the hinterlands of Northern Alberta, was a challenge. The closest doctors, even today, are 60 or 70 miles away in Athabasca or Slave Lake. We just have better transportation. In the early 1930’s most homesteaders had no cars. The trip would have been made by horse and wagon. Because the uncomfortable trip may have taken longer than the labor most didn't bother.
When a lady went into labor the first order of business was to run to the neighbors so his wife would come and help. The second order of business was to find the nurse and hope she got there in time. It was not uncommon for homesteading women to have their child with the assistance of other women in the area.
If your child survived infancy there were a number of other ways for them to take their lives in their hands. Most people either worked on the farm or in one of the logging camps. As everyone was working parental supervision was perhaps a little lax. One of the activities of the children included sneaking in behind lumber trucks when they were leaving. The kids would hold onto a piece of lumber and slide behind until the truck got going to fast to hold on.
The sawdust conveyer, which carried the sawdust about 100 feet into the air by a chain with cross bars was the place of night time activity. The kids that braved it would hang onto this chain until it reached the top and then they would drop into the sawdust pile below.
It was a wonder some of them survived. The parents were probably more than happy to see them swimming, fishing and boating, which were tamer activities with the possibility of fish for supper.