 Besides being a hospitable natured man, John was fluent in four European languages (German, English, Polish, and Ukrainian) and could speak Cree - making him popular with those who stopped by.When the Canadian Northern Railway was being built into Fort Saskatchewan, Philip Krebs’ homestead was a natural place for a stop.In 1905, a loading station was erected there, and on the siding of the building was the name “Scotford” (named after "Walter Scott" and "Alexander Rutherford", the premiers of the two provinces – Saskatchewan and Alberta - that were formed that same year).