I have been waiting all summer to get into this house. I found it online on an abandoned home site and was lucky enough to be told its location by a local lady in town who lived there as a young bride. I then discovered that Reg knows the family and he was able to get us permission to enter the home and photograph it.
Set up high overlooking their land, this home still is as stunning as I imagine it was in its time.
I won’t post a lot of photos of the home at the request of the land owner but I can give you little bit of history about it.
The original homesteader came from Owen Sound, Ontario. His family originated in England and were mainly bankers. Mr. R choose sea life. Becoming bored with his profession he immigrated to Canada in 1868 where he married his wife J. Their first born son was born in Portage la Prairie, MB and at 6 weeks old they traveled to the area and settled into this homestead.
I am told that the home was purchased through the Eaton’s Company. You can find a list of the home plans here.
From comparing photos I took inside and outside of the home I would say that this would be the original listing of the home for purchase through Eaton’s.
There were many mail order home companies back in the early 1900’s but the most famous was the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. The business was centered at its Winnipeg branch. Eaton houses were made for Western Canada and most of the houses are found on farms.
They had dozens of different models but the most popular was the Earlsfield — a 1-½ storey house with a double gambrel roof. The barn-like roof made for very efficient use of lumber to provide a lot of living space.
The materials cost for the Earlsfield in Fall and Winter 1917-18 was listed at $1,193 (that’s $16,482 in 2015 dollars). Inflation was rampant in the teens so they quit posting prices in 1919. Lumber was shipped by rail from mills in BC and millwork from Winnipeg.
Also on the property is what is left a an old stone barn.
This was certainly worth the wait. Of course I took way more pictures but you can only post so many.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 