The furthest I can go back on this property is 1922 when this property was bought by Jack & his wife. Married in 1908 the couple lived six miles south of Medora where they raised four children. In 1922 they moved to this property but I cannot confirm whether or not they built this house or if it was there when they bought the land.
Jack was born in Shropshire, England on February 5, 1879. He came to Canada in April, 1906 and met and fell in love with his wife. She was born in Montgomershire, Wales and also immigrated to Canada in 1906. Jack passed away in 1962 and his wife in 1965. Their only son took over this land.
Born in January 1913, C.S. received all of his school in the area. Fond of sports, he was active in hockey, curling and baseball. He farmed his parents land until he sold same in the Spring of 1969 when his nephew took it over.
A few years later, C.S’s nephew’s Grandson took over the land and I believe he still owns it today.
After a day of wood ticks, this stop was a blessing. The ride in was easy and the grass all around the house was cut. It was a nice change for the day. The dreary, cloudless, grey sky we had shot all day wrapped up with this beautiful sunset. This house had been on my to-do list for a long time and I’m happy that I finally got to it.
G.M., born in 1858 in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. He was one of 18 children. His family was considered to be a family of upper middle class. George’s father worked for the Bank of England and his family had a number of servants. George’s siblings became doctors, lawyers and nurses but George decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and worked for the bank but later left it to work in the stock exchange. George was a long distance runner who won medals for winning 25 mile races. He was known to run everywhere he went. When economic hardship hit the family many immigrated all over the world to Australia, Africa, Argentina, United States and Canada. George was the only one to choose Canada. In 1880 himself a friend arrived in Manitoba. The family was not certain if George and Arthur were friends in England or if they met on their voyage to Canada. In fact, upon their arrival to Manitoba George and Arthur acquired land on the same section and having them also become neighbors for the rest of their lives. Upon his arrival in Manitoba George purchased 320 acres, 80 of which were under cultivation. His land was accessed to valued at $1,280.00. He was listed as having 7 horses, 5 cows, 1 pig and he was Protestant.
GM and his wife raised 6 children on this land including their son Thomas .
Thomas was born on this farm and lived there his whole life. Thomas was George’s eldest son.
The families first house was lost to fire in 1886. Thomas remembers that his mother, alone with his sister at the house, threw the bedclothes and other essential items out of the upstairs window while his sister dragged the items from the ground to safety. Thomas was upset that she didn’t throw the right items from the burning home including his new moccasins, from the burning home. After the fire the family lived with Mrs.’ parents until a new home was built. When Thomas was 13, his father, George passed away. Thomas quit school in grade 4 to help his mother run the farm. At that time, neighbor and good friend, Arthur moved to the farm and helped the family.
In 1913 Thomas took over the farm when his mother and all of his siblings, except 1, moved to Saskatchewan. Cousin Jack came from England to help but quickly realized the farm life wasn’t for him and returned to England.
In 1916 Thomas married Eva and together they raised their 4 children there.
They built their own home in 1929 and turned his parents home into a granery.
At the time Thomas planted the impressive shelter belt that surrounds the property today. Thomas and Eva, who was a teacher now farmed on what was referred to as a mixed farm with grain, cattle, horses and poultry. In 1950 Thomas acquired a couple hives but gave it up after Eva found him passed out after being stung. He gave up beekeeping at that time.
Thomas and Eva were active in their community, much like their son Art would later be.
In 1952 at the young age of 60, Eva became ill with an undiagnosed illness and passed away. Thomas remained on the farm with Art. Thomas passed away in 1977 at the age of 90.
Arthur who was born in 1921 acquired the farm from his father. Art married Jessie in November, 1954. He was very active in his community including the seed club, 4H, the local ball team. He served as a Director for the Co-Op for 16 years, a seed agent with the pool elevator for 20 years and helped start the local credit union, serving on the supervising committee. He held positions on the school board, community hall committee, cemetery committee and was a Director for the local lodge.
Art and Jesse retired from active farming in 1980 after Art suffered a series of heart attacks. They rented the land but remained to on the farm. In 1986 Art suffered a series of strokes which left him paralyzed and required around the clock care. Jesse remained at the farm until 1991 but was forced to stop driving due to her deteriorating eyesight.
This is a beautiful piece of land. It is nicely treed and the current tenants typically stayed to themselves when I arrived. You could hear them buzzing around but they didn’t bother me and I did my best to take my photos quickly and get out of there. I find it funny that after Thomas’ incident with the bees and his short lived job as a beekeeper, the bees are back on his land.
At 13, John ran away from Ireland to England. From there he stowed away on a cattle boat to Canada. When he was discovered, he worked to earn his passage until he arrived in Ontario. He soon found work with a stone mason and continued to work in this trade. He married his Mrs. in 1874 and had 4 children. One of their son’s passed away and the tender age of 7. In 1885 the family moved to Peotone, Illinois but came back to Canada in 1887.
John chose this piece of land to settle on and immediately began to build a home using wood hauled from the Turtle Mountains.
While John made money doing masonry work in the area, his son and wife broke 14 acres of land with an ox, horse and walking plow.
In 1897 a prairie wild fire threatened the homestead but Mrs. & her daughter were able to safe the home by dumping water on the grass all around the house. They did lose the barn, a bull, pigs and some chickens. John then built a stone barn with a sod roof.
In 1913 John was killed when he was ran over by a pony on the streets in Waskada, MB. The family moved away from the farm for a couple years while William learned the ins and outs of farming from his uncle. William, his mother and sister, Annie moved back in 1916. In 1935 Mrs. and her daughter Annie moved back to town. There Mrs. spent hours quilting for her grandchildren as well as carding wool and spinning it into yarn to make mitts for her family & friends. Mrs. passed away in 1941 at the young age of 81 years. At that time Annie moved back in with her brother but passed away 13 years later.
The family has said that this was a place where many memories were made. At one time there were 27 people on the farm for a whole week where they slept on the floor and even in the barn loft.
Cade spotted this farmstead on our tour of the far Southwest corner of the province last April. The sky was amazing, the weather was beautiful. These photos were taken from the road and were not on our to see list.
Last year at this time, on a beautiful winter day, I headed out to this house. Of course I had numerous stops on my journey and by the time I got there my feet were soaked and it was windy as all get out. I couldn’t work up enough nerve to get close enough as there was a slew around the house and I wasn’t brave enough to try the driveway. I took some long exposure shots but I left knowing I had to have a better look. So I waited until I could take Cade with me.
There isn’t much there but it is an interesting design.
Built up on a hill with a long drive ride up to the side of the home, I would imagine it was a pretty good location as it is close to a major highway.
When I called back in the Summer to get permission to go back, the landowner told me that her Granddaughters used to love playing in the old house and would camp out in it.
The grass around the house is very long but Cade took the lead and walked around the whole house for us to pack down a trail (I’m scared of wells). I sure am happy that I went back for a closer look and some better photos.
Mr. & Mrs. K migrated to this area in 1882. Born in 1852 and 1860, under the direction of her brother, arrived in Virden, Manitoba. Here they met Mr. Drysdale who brought them to their land. In 1887 Mrs. bought a neighboring section of land in 1887 from an early homesteader.
The couple raised two boys on this land. Their oldest boy was said to be an avid baseball player in 1903 and 1904 and the family would travel by horse and buggy.
The family farmed for a living and it is said that Mr. drew his first wheat to Souris. This was a 4 day round trip.
The home was well-known as a stop over place for travelers. These travelers were said to put their horses in the barn and knew which room was available to retire in. So even when the family was away, these travelers would make their way inside and retire before they countined on their journey. The family would find out who their visitors were when they came down for breakfast the next morning.
The eldest son of Mr. & Mrs. K was Charles married Nellie who immigrated from Scotland. Two son’s were born of this union. Charles continued to farm his fathers land while his brother married and bought his own land. The brothers continued to work together. Charles sat on the board of directors for the Dalny Pool Elevator. Charles was also the first person in the area to own an automobile which they purchased in 1909. Charlie & Nellie eventually moved to Winnipeg where Charlie became a mechanic. They eventually retired to Vancouver. Charlie passed in 1968 and Nellie in 1982. One of their son’s joined the R.C.A.F as a mechanic and their youngest son moved to California and became a real estate agent.
The next family to own this land doesn’t have any recorded information about their time on this farm.
We visited this house back at the start of Covid. The weather was amazing for mid-April (my sister’s birthday to be exact.) This was another day when we were trying to get somewhere and kept spotting more and more roofs as we went. From the clouds you will likely be able to figure which houses were also shot on this beautiful Spring day.
John arrived in Oak Lake, Manitoba from Dunboyne, Ontario in 1881 while working with C.P.R. From there he went in search of land to farm. He purchased a section of land and took up homestead where he built a small house and planted a few trees with seeds he brought with him from Ontario. He brought three oxen and a 3 year old colt which was the horsepower behind his homesteading duties. While plowing his land, the oxen required frequent rest breaks and would lie down. While this is not common practice for horses, the young colt would watch his teammates go down and would end up laying down with them. When the local school was moved John donated a piece of land for the new school yard.
In 1882 when John’s sister and husband arrived in Manitoba, he purchased another piece of adjoining land. Here he set up his permanent residence, planted a shelter belt and built a hipped roof barn. The farm was dubbed “Glenview”. It was a beautiful sight on the bare prairies with its large garden, fruit trees and bushes.
In 1907, after falling in love with his farm hand’s sister, Lilly, they married and spent their married life at Glenview.
The couple never had children of their own but it is said that the home was always full of friends and children. And visitors leaving the home would leave with fresh veggies and berries from the couple’s garden.
John would often send his niece and her friend to school on his small driving horse, Skip. Once Skip delivered the girls to school, the girls would turn her around and she would go home on her own. John and Lilly were fondly remembered by their niece.
John was often sought after for advice. He was known to be quiet, unassuming and deeply respected. Himself and Lilly supported every good cause in their community.
In 1917 Lilly passed away. Now living alone, John encouraged his sister and her family who lived in Saskatchewan to come to Glenview. John lived with them until he passed in 1935. In 1942 his sister sold the farm and it was then sold again in 1954 to the family that still owns the land.
Colton and I came across this property on our way home from Wilcox in August. The barn no longer stands and the little cottage that was built for John after the death of his wife was later moved to a neighboring town.
Situated in the same small town that is home to the oldest elevator in Manitoba and possibly Canada, this little house and its land was now owned by our neighbor. We were in the early stages of the COVID-19 lock down back in April and we were all happy to get out and to do something.
I didn’t have to hunt for this cute little house, it was a freebie. And once in a while its nice to not have to search. I had no idea what we were going to find when we got here but it was worth it. To top it off, we were given permission to enter the little home but was advised the stairs were sketchy.
Given it was Spring and nothing was really growing yet, the yard was easy to navigate. It was then I realized that summer exploring can sometimes be a pain in the ass. My goal is to get out as much as I can next Spring and Fall, which I think are the perfect time for searching and shooting abandoned properties.
When I came upon this back door to enter, the stench of skunk decided for me, that I would not be venturing inside. There is no way I was risking being sprayed this far away from home. What a ride home that would have been! I think I need to start carrying a garbage bag and a change of clothes with me cause being sprayed by a skunk is very possible with this hobby.
As you can see, the skies were absolutely amazing that day.
This is what I can tell you. The original owner of this land purchased same from the railroad in 1893. He attempted to sell the land in 1901 but the sale fell through. The land was then purchased by Mr. M in 1910 by “quit claim deed” and same was farmed by him and then his sons. Mr. M farmed the land and worked at the local post office until 1906 when his son Finlay took over this half section of land while his other son took over the other half. It is said that this house was built shortly after Mr. M acquired the land. At one time there was also a barn but that is no longer there.
Our trip to this small town to see this little house was certainly worth it. Thanks neighbor.
I visited this house a few years ago but while cleaning and sorting through my abandoned stuff I found more information which I had to add.
Established in 1881 this house was built by the son whose Father was known as the Father of Boissevain. George Morton was a very successful man and was considered a “prime mover” in the development of the town of Boissevain. In fact, the RM was named in his honor.
His son Lewis built this beautiful home with “Turtle Mountain” lumber in 1881 in an effort to provide a sturdy shelter for his wife and family. He built the house himself using poplar lumber, some of which was milled at his Father’s sawmill at Lake Max. The inside was plastered throughout with a durable mix of sand, lime and horsehair, a covering that gave considerable resistance with the home was renovated in the 40’s. The cedar shingles which are still intact were shipped from Ontario.
To keep the place clean, the walls were papered frequently, often using newspapers. The walls were also wrapped in burlap. This house was the first in the area to have a bathtub and sink installed.
Lewis and his wife raised 17 children in this home. The house was often filled with friends and family where their loved of music was shared.
I just knew I had to go back to this house for another look. When I visited the first time the grass was really high and it was really hot and the sky was crap!
I called the landowners and Mr. was happy to let me head back out for a couple free photos. He was more worried about me wandering around during hunting season so I was sure to put on my colorful snowmobile jacket so I wouldn’t be mistaken for a deer.
The sky wasn’t ideal again but I figure, this is a short drive from home and maybe over the Christmas holiday I’ll catch it with a beautiful sunset.
This is a beautiful home, no matter why the weather or the sky. The landowner protects this home well and I really don’t blame him.
Also on the land is a neat old barn. I wandered over there again because it was hard to shoot the last time I was there for the grass and the leaves. Its so over grown that you really can’t get a good shot of it.
This must have been quite a home in its prime. I know, I say that a lot.
This old farm house is over 100 years old. I didn’t actually find it myself, a gentleman whom owns the land and some abandoned properties around this one told me about it. When I checked it out the first time 3 or so years ago, it was still too perfect.
The yard site is beautifully maintained but there really isn’t anything left. There is a 3 car garage which is also maintained and still used by the land owner. They clearly have worked hard to preserve this home. Of course, someone always has to do something ridiculous and the front window has been smashed out since the last time I was here. I hope someone didn’t do it purposely.
I cannot tell you which early settler built the home but I can tell you that every family that settled here has been successful. A blacksmith, a breeder of Percheron horses plus endless crops.
I should have gotten closer to this old barn but, I was fighting the sunlight and there was house a mile away that I wanted to see before I had no light left.
Unfortunately my main draw to this property is what I thought was a car way out on the outskirts of the yard, going to the field. When I got back to the land after seeking permission, there was nothing where I thought the vehicle was! That’s what you get for procrastinating.
A couple weeks ago, no more like a month ago, Makenna and I took the side by side down the highway to a little spot where I spotted some cars and stuff.
We found some trucks and cars and cars and lots and lots of lady slippers. Lady slippers make me think of my Grandpa.
We found this beauty and texted Grandpa to see if he could fix this up for Makenna. We figured 4 years notice would be lots of time for him to get it going. He said it was a stretch.
Anyways, here is a collection of some of the photos I took that day. You many not notice but the clouds were glorious that day!
I actually find myself looking for roofs and vehicles now.
I can’t tell you anything about this house. I would love to know more but I cannot find anything. Seems to be the story of my life with my current outings.
This home is over 100 years old and the current owner told me they moved out of it because it was very hard to heat in the winter and was always cold.
The home was purchased by the Brander Family in 1958 and has had some upgrades to windows. The first time I stopped for a roadside shot in the winter time, the pigeons took off very quickly and hovered around.
This big old barn is currently occupied by a family of turkey vultures who were very unhappy about my visit. I swear one thought about swooping me. I didn’t get to close to the barn because the closer I got, the more active the vultures became. Typically my experience with them is that they fly away and watch. These ones hoovered above the barn and driveway the entire time I was at the house.
There are some white pillars around the front and side of the house where I’ll assume walkways led to the home. In the yard we found an area that I will assume was once a large flower bed. The only thing left in the tall grass were some white and pink peony’s.
I’ve known about this house for many years. I’ve shot it from the highway a couple of times. This winter I asked a hockey Dad if he had info on it and he got me in touch with the owner. I headed out there early this summer on a super hot, no cloud day! It was a trek in and Cade came with me, for added security. He also went to make sure I didn’t zap myself while dealing with the electric fence.
The current residents are of the beef variety but we didn’t see any actual cows, just patties. You can get right up to the house but there isn’t really anything to see.
The house is on a bit of a tilt althought most of the time I figure its just me. The one thing I miss on the Canon T6i is the level built into my screen. My Powershot SX60 IS has it but I rarely use that camera anymore. Like I said, it was REALLY hot out and I didn’t stay here for very long. This is really a house that should be photographed on a day with stormy skies or a stunning sunrise or sunset. For me, its just a tad to far from home for that.
There is no history on this home in any book I could get my hands on. I am going to assume that the home was purchased many, many years ago for the purpose of farming and the house has not been lived in for a very long time. The bay window on this old farm house is what always got my attention and I’m happy that I got to see it up close.
I have a friend I’ve never met. She’s on online friend, a text friend, an abandoned friend. We have the same interests and we connected through a mutual friend that was my friend when I was in kindergarten through grade 4. Then I moved schools and we didn’t see each other much after that.
Anyways, LM lives in Winnipeg but often travels out this way to find and photograph abandoned stuff. When we see something on each others Instagram we ask each other where or who. We share our finds and contacts. Last winter LM found this house that she was totally in love with. She went and went back again. Well I had forgotten about it but spotted it a couple weeks ago off the highway and of course she got me in touch with the owner.
Turns out there was a movie filmed at this house, its on Netflix and its called Devil’s Gate. Within the first 4 to 5 minutes of the movie you will see the house and likely want to turn the movie off cause you’ll see about as much as you’d like. Its gory and not my type of movie.
So last week I tried and tried and tried to reach the land owner and couldn’t. So I drove down the road on my way home anyways because if you can get a good road shot, well, you don’t need permission. So I drove down the road and came upon a truck stopped at the house. I stop behind him, get out my camera and take a couple shots. I have no idea if the person in the truck knows I’m there or not. There is nothing around this house, some bush and field. That’s all. Well I look ahead to take a photo and there’s a barrel of a gun hanging out the driver’s side window. So I tell Colton and I put the car in reverse and the truck drives away.
I take a couple shots and drive away. The next morning the land owner returns my call and proceeds to tell me that he cannot allow people to photograph the house cause he can’t be there to charge them a fee and that the house is not safe and either is the property because the movie people didn’t remove the props and the traps are still set all over the yard. I call BULLSHIT. So does LM cause she was on the property, with his permission and everything is gone. No traps. No chance of being impaled.
At this point I’m rather annoyed because one, you cannot charge people money to take photos of an old house from the road, because if I’m on a numbered road, I’m not trespassing and secondly, you’d think he had Buckingham Palace on his farm land. Goodness Mr., its a rotten old house that got a little attention from a low-budget film. I’m sure you are not going to be able to retire from the money you received for the crew to film there.
So I told Mr. that I had driven down the road the night before and I had taken a couple photos of the house from the inside of my car. I also advised him that he couldn’t stop people from doing that nor could you charge them a fee. I also told Mr. that it was highly illegal to shoot a firearm from a vehicle. He advised me it was his neighbor shooting coyotes that were getting into his chickens. There isn’t a farm within a mile, in any direction, of this abandoned property. Maybe more.
Earlier this week I went back. I did not get out of my car and unfortunately could not get a good shot of the front of the house where the young man in the movie, with the car trouble, goes and knocks on the door.
Regardless, its a pretty neat old house and that barn is very unique. The house does have a creepy vibe, even from the road. I likely shouldn’t have watched the beginning of the movie and its a good thing I didn’t finish watching it.
This is one of the first houses I photographed and one of the first houses I actually went inside of.
I love this house. So at least once a year I go back to visit it and see what’s changed. I can’t believe how much its grown over since my last visit.
When I started taking photos of the old houses, I didn’t really focus much on the barns and other out buildings so because the skies were amazing that day, I did.
This yard is still used for storage and there is a path leading out to a field. The current landowner frequents this location often.
According to my research, this yard that was known for its stunning flower gardens. On our way out, we spotted a lone pink peony growing in the tall grass. I had put all of my stuff away as we were traveling by side by side down the dirt roads so I didn’t want anything getting dusty.
My daughter was very interested in this van and what happened to it. I’ll have to do some asking around and find out for her. I wonder if she would believe me if I told her that the accident was a result of texting and driving.
And you may recall this little blue truck, from previous posts, although Mother Nature is really taking it over.
I would LOVE to see a photograph of this house when it was in its prime.
During the early stages of COVID, we were all eager for a day out of the house so we went house hunting. I have to admit that I had plans to go a lot further than we did but it was so worth it and I have all summer to get to the edge of Manitoba to see what I need to see.
Along the way we made numerous stops that were not on my to do list. My eagle-eyed husband just kept spotting things in the distance and so, we stopped I shot, we carried on.
This is one of them. I cannot find any history on it so this is all I’ve got. Honestly, I took two photos from the side of the road and carried on. I don’t think I even got out of the Jeep to take this photo.
James and his family originally immigrated to Canada to Cornwall, Ontario. The 2nd of 12 children, James came to Manitoba followed by his two brothers and two sisters. His sister married and from my understanding lived on this land with her husband. I do not know if it was them that built this house, or her great-nephew, Donald when he acquired the land upon his marriage. I can tell you that this family had five generations live and farm this land. It has been in their name since 1893 and in the family, by relative, since 1883.
The land, a well-wooded section of land was broken by steam engine and bush plow. Throughout the property, trails were made for travel, via wagon. In one of the wooded areas, on the way to the house, I did see what was left of an old wagon.
There is a barn on this particular section. I do know that the family built a barn that had a windmill built in the center, which supplied power to pump water. Outside the barn, at any given time, had hundreds of bags of grain from neighbors, waiting to be ground. Unfortunately, it was the same windmill that cause a fire in 1917. A second barn was rebuilt in the same location. From what I see, it makes perfect sense that the barn still standing there today, could be from the early 1900’s.
James wife died in 1895. With his young family in tow, he returned to Ontario. He was homesick for Manitoba and returned with his mother who helped him care for her grandchildren. In 1924 he drove his Model T to Victoria, BC and married his deceased brother’s wife. His son took over the farm.
James son, Angus (also known as Angie) married Alice on November 30, 1914 and purchased this piece of land, which was at one time was owned by Alice’s uncle.
Together Angie & Alice had 3 children.
They lived on the farm for 30 years and upon their move their only son, Donald, born in 1916, on this farm, took over the farm from Angie and Alice.
Donald’s son who was born in 1949, built a new house in 1974. At the time Grandpa Angie was 86 years old and helped work on it with his Grandson. The newer house and the original house shown above, remains standing on the property.
The trails and shaded areas where the family once had family picnics remain. Somewhere on this section of land there were even tennis courts.
The current owners of this property live in a third house on the property and run their own farming operation here. They have goats, sheep and cattle. It was hard for me to take photos as I did not want to invade their space. I am thankful for them allowing me to photograph parts of their farm that is their home.
One night last winter on my way home from exploring an abandoned town, I couldn’t help but notice the sunset. I was really close to a location that I thought would make a great photo. A spot that I have driven by many, many times. I wanted to get a photograph of this machinery up on the hill.
I couldn’t get a decent shot so I turned around to head home and found this!
I took a couple shots from the road and wrote down the location to investigate and find landowner information for.
A couple weeks ago I was speaking to a gentleman about another property and asked about this one and he gave me the information I needed. I thought I better get out there before the grass gets to long.
Unfortunately, I cannot confirm who lived here first (and any info I do have I cannot confirm with any written history that I have access to) nor can I confirm who built what buildings, when.
As you can see from this new photo, the caragana or peashrub have taken over and the bees were buzzing around like crazy.
Bill was born on a farm south of Cartwright on July 11, 1916. He never married but was said to be a dedicated family man who was always there for those in need.
Bill, an enthusiast with the Heritage Village in his community and served on the committee for many years.  Bill purchased this land in 1944 and proudly displayed the advertisement for the Heritage Park on his property where everyone that went by it could see it.
Bill began farming as a young boy with his father and his love for farming kept him busy until he was in his 70’s. When he wasn’t farming, Bill sang with the United Church choir and served on their committee for many years.
After a trek through the farm yard I headed out to the pasture and up the hill. I cam alone some old wagon wheels and then almost tripped on a piece of wire in the grass. I also picked up a lot of hitchhikers on my journey.
Being alone I also started to think about skunks, badgers and of course, well holes. I am a chicken shit. Not sure that exploring is really for me, lol.
I have passed by Bill’s old threshing machine (or separator) and Cockshutt tractor many, many times. I never did notice this little machine way up on the hill until I walked closer to it.
I do not know anything about tractors except that this is what they call McCormick Deering or a Cockshutt tractor. I believe this one is approximately built in 1924. At least that’s what a quick search on Google tells me.
On my way back to my car I again started to think about all the critters and as I was going through the ditch I found two lady slippers, all alone. Of course I searched for more but I couldn’t find any.
The family of Patrick & Mary is one of the first to settle into this municipality. To date, 6 generations have lived in the area. Patrick (1821) & Mary (1850) left Ireland in April, 1879 bound for Montreal on a ship called The Circassian. Upon their arrival in Montreal, they traveled by train to St. Paul (Minnesota?) in the USA and then to Winnipeg via Red River steamer. Together, Patrick and Mary had 10 children.
When the family arrived in Winnipeg, the women were settled in to their new home while the men carried on in search of suitable land to homestead on. After purchasing a wagon, a team of oxen and the necessary provisions, they set off. After several days of travel, in and out of sloughs, the men arrived at Badger Crossing. They then made their way to Morden to file land claims. They returned to the land and built a “sod shanty” and Patrick and his sons began working the land. The first two winters in Canada (1879 and 1880), the men would travel back to Winnipeg to stay with the women. The boys would work on the new railroad being built and in the spring they would head back to farm. By 1881, a 1 1/2 story home and outbuildings were built and the entire family was reunited and began their new life on their homestead in Manitoba, Canada. Mary passed away in 1889. She served as a Justice of the Peace for many years. Patrick passed away in 1902. He was a valued member of the community serving as a warden and the President of the local agricultural fair for many years.
I must add that their oldest son Joseph served in the military in Ireland before coming to Canada with his family. Upon his arrival in Canada he was selected as an auditor for a new local school. He purchased his own land and farmed for a few year but was never married. He decided to move to Boston, Mass., and in 1917, while en route to deposit church funds, he was beaten to death.
Patrick and Mary’s son, John was a successful business man. In 1898 he purchased a section of land which was later farmed by his son and his grandson. His grandson just happens to be my neighbors Dad. When I stumbled upon this house on the way home from photographing another, I thought, I’m going to pull into this yard and see if they will let me take a couple photos so that I do not have to come back. When the young fellow came out I thought, he looks familiar. Well turns out, I had seen him before. He is the nephew of my neighbor.
This house was built in approximately 1906.
Great-Grandpa John started his own livery and feed business which he later sold. In 1902 he built the necessary building and started an implement business which he later sold in 1910. In 1915 he was appointed the Police Magistrate. He was also involved in the local agricultural society and served two terms as reeve. Great-Grandpa John was also actively involved in the church and educational affairs within the community. Great-Grandpa John and his wife Bessie had two children.
Great-Grandpa John left the farm to his son, John Jr. who married and had three children of his own. One of his children, Jack is the father of my neighbor. John Jr. and Mary raised two children of their own in this home. Jack’s son now lives in a new home on the land, where he can still see the home he grew up in. Â
There are still many outbuildings on the property but I didn’t want to stay to long and poke around to much. I could have photographed for some time on this property.
It was nice to see the windows and doors intact on this home. As you can see from the older photos, it was always well kept and at one time had a large porch. I guess this is the benefit of having someone living on the property with the old home.
The young man who answered the door asked me if I would like to go into the home but I declined as I didn’t want to be pushy and thought it was nice enough that he let me take photos as it was. My neighbor has offered to take me back to go inside if I would like. Â
Aside from making a connection to this property and knowing someone who actually lived inside the home, and my neighbor sharing the old photos with me, here is a photo of her inside the house. That’s pretty neat.
There are only two other times that I have met or have known a person who has lived inside an old house that I have photographed. One of those people is her husband. One of the very first homes I went to years ago was his home as a young boy/teen and then he lived in the home as a young man. Â
W.S.S was born in Tyner, North Dakota on December 22, 1881. He worked on various farms until 1910 when he decided to seek a “non-flooding area to farm” and moved to Canada.
He came to this area and purchased this land. He didn’t live there right away and lived in a rental or “boarded” across the road in a small village.  In 1922 he purchased a house that he purchased from the local blacksmith and moved it onto his property.
I do not know if this is the original house that was hauled onto the property but I do know from the current land owner that the house was small and as the family grew they added more and more on to it. It makes perfect sense to me that this could very well be the original house just from the layout of it.
W.S.S. eventually got married and together they raised 3 children on this farm, not to mention the grandchildren that would also be raised here. The family pasture was the site of many baseball games.
W.S.S. and his wife were community minded people and his efforts were instrumental in forming the local elevator, Co-Op and united church.
The family kept Percheron horses and they jointly owned a Case tractor and separator with another family.
In 1927 this barn was built and the family ran a dairy cow operation. The cows were milked in the morning and the children would deliver the fresh milk in little bottles to village members, by cart, on their way to school.
The boys farmed with their Dad for some years until the oldest left and moved to Oregon. Father and remaining son farmed together until Mr. & Mrs. retired and moved to town. Mr. passed away in 1968 and Mrs. in 1972. The son continued farming on the land and married and raised 4 children of his own on the family farm until he moved to town in 1990. The current landowner purchased the property in approximately 1996/97.
M & M were very active in their community, just like his parents. For many years the basement of their home was used to collect, sort and wrap gifts for the Christmas cheer. Upon moving to town Mr. was very active in establishing the recycling project.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 