James, born in 1841 in Mitchell, Ontario migrated to Manitoba on June 8th, 1881. When leaving Ontario, he sold 50 acres of land. He had 9 children with his wife Jane. When they arrived in Portage la Prairie, he purchased a team of oxen and a Red River cart. He left his family in Portage.
Upon his arrival at Palmer’s Landing he was given a list of homesteads. Because he was out of food he went back to the crossing with some other people and they advised him of homesteads of where his land is still farmed to this day. Upon his arrival he needed to walk to Deloraine to make entry for the land. His hired man stayed behind to break the land.
They homesteaded on this piece of land that I found while wandering. James passed in 1937 and his wife Jane in 1932. Their son Samuel took over the farm until 1945 when him and his wife retired to Brandon.
I thought the red barn and blue skies looked sharp together along this field of corn that seemed to go on forever so I stopped for a couple roadside shots. Digging around for a little more history, I was thrilled to find some information on the barn.
In the winter of 1884 three of his children and his wife had diptheria when they lost one little girl.
Samuel’s nephew took over the farm in 1946 and his son now farms the land.
When Jack & Jane moved to Manitoba, they first lived in a tent and then a soddy. The original home is no longer on the property. What remains is the barn, built in 1898 consisting of a 8 foot high field stone foundation. The logs were dragged to the farm from the Turtle Mountains.
The family hauled their firewood from the Souris River, 8 or 9 miles away.
While the photography is therapeutic for me, I can’t tell you how much I love being able to come home and find a history on something that caught my attention. Imagining his trek to this piece of land and breaking this land by hand to earn a living to feed his family. Love the history.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 