Tag: abandoned farmstead

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HALLGRIM THE ONE-HANDED

The Great-Great Grandfather of this land owner was known as the “Hallgrim the one-handed” and was lost at sea in 1873.

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My eagle-eyed husband spotted this house from the highway on our way to photograph another home in Cypress.  Fortunately, I had my maps and was able to locate the landowner and was granted permission to have a look around and photograph.

Originating from Vik, Flateyardal in Northern Ireland, “one-handed”‘s son immigrated to Canada in 1873.  Born in 1844 and passing on in 1936, he travelled to Halifax with his wife whom died giving birth to their first child.  He remarried and lived in Ontario and North Dakota.  He lost his second wife and when he re-married they settled in the RM of Argyle in 1919.

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His Grandson, AO was born in 1917 in Edmonton.  AO with his parents, JA and GK, they settled in Winnipeg.  JA, like his father, shared a love of music and while living in Winnipeg, played at the Rialto Theatre.  The family then moved to Los Angeles, California for a short time where JA pursued his love of music.   JA passed away in 1923 and shortly thereafter AO and his mother and sibling moved back to Manitoba.

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If you look off into the trees, you will see a small body of water.  I imagine that in its prime, this was a beautiful piece of property and a glorious place to raise a family.  Off in the fields and towards the water were a couple pieces of old farming equipment.

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During our visit to this property, we were in the prime of deer hunting season and the land owner warned us to please be careful as there were people that were given permission to hunt in and around the property.  I had my bright pink winter coat on and Cade & Makenna both had orange vests along.

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The home still had curtains and personal effects inside.  There was a large hole chewed in the basement door so I decided not to go inside to look around.

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AO enlisted in WWII in Winnipeg and trained in Brandon.  He served in Italy, England, France and Holland.  After the war he came back to Manitoba and purchased this quarter section of land.

In 1955 he married.  They resided on the property until 1978 with their 3 children.

I very much enjoyed this old car.  I could not believe that most of the glass was still intact.  While there was nothing left of the seats, I’m sure it kept many a mouse warm in the years that it has been parked by this tree.

 

 

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SNOWFLAKE, MANITOBA

Being on holidays and with the beautiful weather we’ve had, I had to get out and get some of my must see buildings off my to-do list.  I thought I’d venture out to the abandonded town of Snowflake, Manitoba.

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As I got closer and closer, it got foggier and foggier and I one point, or two, I contemplated turning around.  When I realized it was further than I thought and there was about 16 kms of gravel to travel, I thought about it again.

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I pushed through and while I’m not happy with the photos, its done.  There really is nothing left in the town even though I’m sure there are 3 families living within the town, two just on the outskirts.

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There was even a lit , neon open sign in an old shop in a business close to this one.

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When the railway line into Snowflake was abandoned, the writing was on the wall for this small town in south-central Manitoba.

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Border Branch No. 207 of the Royal Canadian Legion, originally founded at Snowflake in 1947, surrendered its charter in 1986 and its war memorial, built in 1961, was moved to La Riviere in 2006.

The Snowflake School was closed in 1992 and while I didn’t see it on my drive through the town, I did find this.

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The United Church closed in 1994.  Snowflake’s unmaintained roads and buildings bear testament to the gradual decline of this once-thriving farming community.

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What I gather was once a busy town, enterwined with town folks and farms just along its outskirts, there was no evidence of anyone there today.

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One home I drove by looked new and another, which I initially thought was also abandonded, was not.

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This barn was the first building I came across as I entered the town off the highway.  The main road was snow covered and shale covered.

A fellow abandonded photographer advised me to be sure I drove a little further, so that I didn’t miss the beauitful old mansion.

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As I did not have permission to enter any of these properties, today’s trip was all road side photography.

Maybe most exciting for the town at the time was that this is the home town of NHL’er, Justin Falk.  Drafted 110th overall in 2007, he was born October 11, 1988.  I’m sure the sign on the highway once proudly displayed his name.  It is faded and unreadable now.

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THE BOAR HOUSE

This house has been on my list for some time.  There’s a good chance you’ve seen it before.  I will tell you that as of yesterday, November 23rd, the owner called me to make sure I had been out there as he was burning it down!  Cade and I are heading to Winnipeg this week and it’ll be different not seeing it there.

A month ago when we had our big snow storm, I called about getting onto this property.  I was told by the first person I spoke to that under no circumstances was I allowed onto the property as it was unsafe and wild boars lived behind the house in the bushes.  The idea of meeting up with a wild boar should have been enough to scare me off but I don’t typically like to be told no so I kept calling around.  If I couldn’t get onto the property I was going to fall back onto the good old Sigma 600mm.

A couple weeks later the owner called and said that I could go on to take whatever photos I wanted but that I was not to go into the bushes as he wasn’t sure if the well was covered and he did advise me that he has seen boars around the house but that they typically come out at night.  His biggest concern was the state of the home and the fact that the floor was caving in.  He advised me that because people continue to trespass he had decided to burn it down, soon.

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Last weekend I called him to find out that he was planning on burning it down but that the wind was to high so he would give me the weekend to get out there.

Cade and I drove out last Sunday.  I have to admit that I was afraid of every little noise and was on high alert.  I didn’t get close enough to see what was going on inside.  I was just happy that I was given the chance to take photos before it was gone.

The owner of the home purchased the land in 1982.  The house has been vacant since 1971.  He couldn’t tell me much about the home or its history and I couldn’t find anything about its history.

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As I write this post, I realize that there may be a way for me to find out more about this home.  I guess I’ll leave it as stay tuned!

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CLICKITY CLACK

Mr., born in Crewkerne, Somerset, England in 1884 came to Canada in 1902 and worked at Pilot Mound.  In 1908 he moved to Glenboro but went back to England when the war started and as enlisted in the Royal Artillery for 5 years.  While there he met and married his wife.  They returned to Canada from Liverpool with their two children on March 27, 1925 upon the S.S. Montclair.

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I can’t say for certain that they built this home but research tells me that after the sale of this property, it was mostly used as farm land and not a homstead.

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Mr. & Mrs. & their children were active in their community and were members of the local Church of England.

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The family fondly remembers Christmas Concert and picnics held by their school.

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Their son worked for different local farmers in the area but when his father was no longer able to farm the homstead, he took over the farm in 1947.

The farm is now home to a new owners and his herd of cows.

On the property, there remains a lot of the old equipment, much of it overtaken by trees and barely visable.

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Mr. died in 1984 at 100 years of age.

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THREE LITTLE PIGS

I found this house this Summer, on the way to the fallen house.

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This I stopped again for a look around.  From far away I thought the “brick” on the house was asphalt siding.  It was real, red brick.

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Oddly enough, the brick is only missing on the North and South sides of the house.  I did not have permission to enter the house but was happy with the exterior shots.

I could see from a distance, two Corel coffee mugs hanging on the side of the house.

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On the property there was also an old stone foundation but I couldn’t tell what it was.

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Again, I could not find any history on this house.  I do know that the first registered owner was George Robinson who claimed this land in 1894.  He sold the house 6 years later in 1901 to the Towns family.

 

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WE ALL FALL DOWN

Cade & I found this house in April.  I settled for a road shot, made a note of its location and started the search for its land owner.  I couldn’t wait to get closer for some better shots of this house.

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I went back a couple weeks later and the crop was already sprouting so I decided I would wait and not attempt to cross across the crop.  I would wait until the Fall.

One late Summer day the sky was fabulous and since this isn’t far from my house I went for a ride to take some more photos.  This is a completely unedited shot.  I LOVE this photo.

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This weekend, I went back and she’s gone.  All that’s left is a small pile of rubble where she used to stand.  Tonight while searching the history of this property, I didn’t find much and really can’t confirm anything except to say that the first land owner took possession of the property in 1894.  6 years later land owner number 2 took over.

I’m happy that I didn’t find anything more as not getting closer kind leaves its history as a mystery that will always keep me wondering.  I’m happy for the shots I got though.

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PETER, PAUL & MARY

Born in Jugovka, Samara, Russia, in 1905, Peter and his family moved to Siberia when he was four years old.  Fluent in both Russian & German, Peter and his family moved to Canada in 1926, settling in the Margaret area.

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He married Elizabeth in 1944 and for a few years they rented land in the Minto area.

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In 1948 they bought this land and lived here until 1971.

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They raised two girls on this farm and upon retirement, moved to Boissevain.

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I stumbled upon this place while driving around aimlessly in the area.  The sun was just going down and every angle gave me different lighting.

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It was a beautiful night but the skeeters were AWFUL and my family kept calling, worried that I had fallen in a well or rotten old floor.  To add to my fear, I have now been told that an old house I’ve been waiting anxiously to photograph and just got permission for, has wild boars living across the road in a wooded area. Ya, that’s not scary at all.

 

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ALONG THE WAY

If you live where I live, you’ll know this house because there is a good chance you’ve passed it on a road trip to Winnipeg.  An easy capture from the side of the highway.  And a bonus, on this particular day, it wasn’t raining.

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ROADSIDE TREASURES

I’ve passed this barn a million times.  Barns aren’t really my thing but I thought I’d stop and see what I could get.  I couldn’t get very close but thought this was a pretty decent shot nonetheless.  I think with summer coming to an end and with the limited amount of shooting I’ve done this summer, I’ve decided I have to stop at whatever I see.

red barn on highway 2 emailRegardless, I like the gold of the cut crop, the faded red of the barn and the blues in the sky and the contract they make together.

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CLOUDS

I love clouds.  In fact, last summer I would go out on any day to take photos, blaring sun, hot as heck, didn’t matter to me as long as I was taking photos and crossing off old houses before they were gone.  I’ve matured.  I wouldn’t say that its for the better though cause now I want clouds and I don’t care if there’s a little rain or lightning involved.

Here are a couple photos taken on our ride home last week from Winnipeg as we were heading into a storm.

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These were roadside shots and didn’t have permission to enter closer onto the property.  While this is a beautiful old barn it was really the clouds I wanted.

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I also found this little building as well.  At first I thought it might be an old school with all those windows but historically, schools did not look like this.  I will assume this would have been a workshop.

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TURNED AROUND

On this day of exploring, I was in new territory.  I had vistited a home on my to-do list and then attempted to get into another but didn’t want to distrub the crop in the field and decided to come back in the Fall.

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On our way home, hubby (aka Eagle eyes) took a turn of the main highway to investigate a roof in the distance.  As we carried on we came across this old place.

Driving away from what I think will be a real gem, once I get permission, I got all turned around and lost track of the road numbers.  Then we stumbled across this.

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I admit, I don’t like when I can’t find some sort of history on the property.  It feels like the job is incomplete.  Anything I can find doesn’t confirm who the actual land owner is or their life there.

 

 

 

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FAMILY OF 12

Sam came to the Ninga District with his family in 1882.  He worked for others for a small wage until he bought this property on October 23, 1893.  He married Isabel in March 14, 1894 and raised 12 children on this property.

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In 1966 the property was sold to the Peters Family, also immigrated from Russia.

There is no home visable on the land except for this truck.  The front of the property from the road is completely grown over by cariganas.  I took a walk down a field lane and was met by many birds and butterflies but the dense bush did not reveal what it was hiding.

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I do love this old truck that sits proudly outside its home.

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HILL CRESCENT FARM

Born on July 1, 1867, AM came to Manitoba at the age of 26 years of age.    He arrived in Hartney on August 13, 1895 on a harvest excursion train.  In the spring of 1897 he bought his first section of land and broke 60 acres using 3 horses and a walking plow.  Two years later, he bought this homestead.  He worked summers in the fields and winters at his camp in the Turtle Mountains.  One winter fire took out his camp.  He lost everything, including his horses.

In 1909 he built this big, beautiful brick house.

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In 1912 he purchased an E.M.F. car, one of the first in the area.  And on January 1, 1914 he married Grace, a registered nurse.  They had three children, 2 boys and a girl.

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The same year this big barn was built and has been a familiar landmark since.  In 1932 the original barn burnt but another was built on the same foundation that same year.

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He 1916 they built a large granary with horsepower installed to elevate grain.  The same year they had a 16 volt lighting plant installed in the home.   There was a building there, close to the house that I assumed was the granery.  Unfortunately I did not take a photograph of the building.  Dang.

I have to admit that driving out to these properties, I was a little annoyed the that sky got clearer and clearer as we got closer.  Not the skies I was hoping for.  I don’t typically research the property before I photograph it with the hope that I can pick up all the key parts I sometimes find in the history with the naked eye.  Guess I missed this one.

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Mr & Mrs. passed in 1962 and 1965, in their nineties.  Their son took over the farm where he farmed the land many years with his wife J, who married in 1957.   R & J had 4 children.  J was married previously and lost her husband at a young age to diabetes.  She was a teacher in the area and remained with her two children. She took great comfort in having her in-laws living on the farm in a separate house.  She eventually met and married R and her and the children moved to this farm.  J stopped teaching to raise her two youngest children.

R & J were both active in their community playing sports, hosting 4H Rally’s and club events.   When farm work was caught up the couple enjoyed travelling.  They travelled to western USA, Hawaii, Europe, Ireland, England and across Canada.

The diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease forced R to quit farming in 1996 where him and J built a retirement home in town.

 

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SUNNY BANKS

Remember the house who was lived in by the little lady whom never married and would ocassionally get on the school bus and go to town for the day and return home on the school bus?  Well her sister married the gentleman who bought this land in 1939. Her nephew still farms the land.

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It was here that Mr. farmed cattle and hogs on the land until his death in 1977. His Mrs. lived on and passed in the home in 2001, the last time this house was occupied.

Mr.’s grandfather was born on July 13, 1883 and moved to Canada when he was in his 20’s.  Here he met and married his wife and together they raised 4 children.  They farmed in Holmfield for many years and moved to Killarney in 1961.

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When I first posted this photograph on Facebook, my post received a comment advising me that as a child, the poster played in this house with his childhood friend.

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Speaking to the new Mrs. of this land she advised me that years ago they had inquired about repairing the roof and replacing the windows in this old family home.  They were quoted an amount near $20,000.00.  I often read people’s comments “oh, what a beautiful home, why don’t they save it?”  I think we forget how much these sorts of repairs can cost. We are working hard to keep our own homes maintained, let alone a century old home that likely needs a new foundation, windows, upgrades to the heating and water systems and likely a host of other issues due to its age. I can’t imagine it’s easy to watch these old home deteriorate beyond repair, especially for the generations of family still here that have fond memories of the home.

This home has been on my to see list for some time.  This weekend I called and after some hesitation, was granted permission to take a couple photos.  I am happy I was able to find and receive some history.  Thank you Mr. & Mrs.

 

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CLIFFE

A few weeks back we were out and about as a family driving around when I realized that my husband has a talent for spotting houses, houses that I didn’t even notice.  He found two of them that day, this being one of them.

I took a roadside shot and then came home and contacted the landowner for permission for a closer look.

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I often rely on my Canon SX60 HS for those long difficult shots that the DSLR and my 300mm lens just can’t get without lens shake or some sort of distortion.  The point and shoot captured this home perfectly and honestly, I didn’t get a better shot when I returned.

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My son joined me on this adventure but didn’t get out  of the car to explore with me.

This is also another home that I couldn’t find a whole lot of history about.  Argh!

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The first recorded landowner was of Irish Decent and born in 1856 in the Township of Landsdowne, Ontario.  He had one daughter from his first marriage.  He married for the second time in 1885 and came to Manitoba in 1889 as per the individual recorded family history.  The history that I find on this property gives two dates for the purchase of this land.   The RM’s records list a date of  1912.

WHC settled into farming in Manitoba and the first land he broke was 17 acres.  Unfortunately it wasn’t until the 3rd year that the family would see a crop.  The first was frozen and the second was damaged by hail. When he wasn’t farming, WHC did carpentry work for others.

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WHC and his second wife had 3 children.  He passed away accidentally in 1911.  Mrs. passed in 1928.  One of their sons farmed the home land with his wife until 1937 when they retired to Boissevain where he did carpentry work and was an appliance repair man.

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You truly could not get a bad photo of this house.  The skies were incredible on my second visit and to be completely honest, I shot in auto mode all day and was 100% satisfied with all the shots I took.

While I cannot confirm who built this home and who lived in it when,  I do know that WHC’s son sold the property to the second recorded landowner in approximately 1945.  When he passed away his nephew bought the property and now farms the land surrounding the home, outbuildings and what is left of the barn.

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I would have loved to have seen this barn when it was standing.  I would assume with the carpentry background of father and son, it was likely well built and quite amazing.

 

 

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EDITH & ROBERT

This couple purchased this land in 1911 when they married.  I am going to assume that they bought this land from one of Mr’s relatives as the same last name is listed as the first land owner of this section of land in 1891.  This couple retired from the farm to Boissevain in 1949.

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Their only son John Robert, who was better known as Jack, farmed the property next door after he married in 1947 and moved away from his parents home farm.  Mr. was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows and acted as a trustee and chairman of the Fairburn School Division.  His wife was active in the Royal Canadian Legion Auxiliary and the Fairburn District Ladies’ Group.

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The property was then sold to KA.  I cannot confirm any history of this family living here.  I can say that the home has been vacant for some time as there is no longer much of a floor in the home and it is teetering on what is left of the foundation.

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After KA owned the land the farm was sold to the Guide Family.  Again, I cannot find anything about this family even though it is recorded that they owned this property for approximately 17 years.  There is a good possibility that the land was purchased for the sole purpose of farming it and nothing more.

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There were a lot of neat little finds around the yard, including this old ringer washer and stove.

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I did some googling but I could not confirm anything I found.

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There was a lot of old equipment there as well and I have to say that this was probably the neatest thing I found, aside from the piece of stove.

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I contemplated going back to this property on this beautifully cloudy day, after I was told about it back in the winter.  I sure am happy that I did even though I didn’t get as much history as I would have liked, I sure did find some good photo opprotunities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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JOHN & MARY-ANN and PETER & ERNA

There’s a good chance that this home may look familiar to you.  I have been here 3 times now.  The first time I stumbled upon it with Makenna just as the sun was setting and I had one camera and one lens with me.  And honestly, the house creeped me out.  Makenna wouldn’t even get out of the Jeep.  A few months ago I went back for another look and made my way through knee high snow for a closer look.  The resident skunk let  me know that he was around by giving off his pungent aroma as a warning.  I went again this past weekend when I could wander around for some better shots.

I have to admit that I am slighting disappointed on the lack of history I can find!  I love the picture taking but I love the research too.  So, I can tell you that the first family to own this property was originally from Plymouth, England.  They came to Canada in 1850 then returned to England only to return again and settle in Ontario.

In 1890 John came West and chose this land as his farm.  He worked all summer and fall repeaing crops planted by earlier settlers.  Help walked from Souris to work the land in this area and grain was taken to Brandon by oxen or horses wherein the driver walked at least one way.

John returned to Ontario and in 1891 he married Mary-Ann.  They left for Manitoba on a colonial train, bringing with them a rail car load of lumber for a home and barn.  They also brought household furnishings, two cows and some horses.

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I’d like to think that this might be one of their carts, tucked away in the trees.  There are actually two there but the other one isn’t in as good condition as this one.

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The front of this home is very over grown and a good photograph is hard to get from any angle.  Its so overgrown in the front there just isn’t a good spot to get a shot without trees or branches.

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The second owner of this property,  PA being approximatley 47 years of age,  purchased this home and property with his wife.  Four short months later he died of a heart attack at the age of 47.  It is said that he lived a full life.  Born in Grigejewka, Russia in 1920, he moved to Manitoba with his parents at the age of 6.  He was only 11 years of age when his father passed away and at the age of 16 he and his mother took over the family farm.  He married in 1941.  purchased their own land in 1949.  They had 6 children.

He served on two school boards including the Turtle Mountain Scchool Division and was a member of the Gideon Organization for many years.

The back of the home is not as exciting and of course, this is where I can get the best shots.  I must admit that the open back door was very welcoming but aside from an old metal picnic like basket, there’s nothing inside to explore as the floor is caving in and is not at all safe.

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As I mentioned, the first time I set my eyes on this house, it kind of creeped me out.  I explored it alone this past weekend and I certainly did not get that feeling.  Its actually very peaceful and beautifully treed.  The back of the house was easily assessible with a large shop and off just into the field were two more outbuildings.  I’m sure this was a truly, beautiful home in its prime.

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MORTON, ET AL

The orignial owner of this land came to Canada in 1881 from Kingston, Ontario and I am assuming, built this home.  The family moved into the home in 1882 with they raised 7 kids.

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Many more families would rent this home and land and raise there families here as well.  The home continued to be resided in up until 1980, which is the last recorded date that I was able to find.

I will make the assumption that the home was lived in later than the 80’s given the PVC windows.

The yard was very soft and spongee and not knowing what I was in for – I usually ask but didn’t when I called yesterday – I did not know if there were any wells that I needed to know about.  I was also told that the home is known to be over run with masked bandits so I really wasn’t interested in taking a further look.

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What drew me to this house orignally was the brick fireplace outside.  From the road I thought the house had stone pillars.  When I pulled into the yard yesterday I found the stone stove/firepit near the driveway.

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I would have liked to explore a little more.  There were some out buildings and I would have liked to get some better photos of the front of the house but I didn’t want to bother the eagles anymore.  When we left the driveway, Dad was waiting for us high in a tree, giving us the stare down.  Oh and the noise he was making is not what I would expect out of an eagle.

 

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1916

I wish I could find more about this house but I can’t!  And its frustrating as hell!  One thing I can confirm, those are the original shingles on the house.

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I found this house back in November and of course it was FAR TOO COLD for me to really explore and I did not have permission to do more than take a road shot.

That’s another thing that pisses me off, people who continually enter onto these properties, take their photos, post them online and then when a rule playing photographer comes along and asks for permission, I get the speil about how people don’t ask, they just go in, they take stuff that doesn’t belong to them, they leave the door open, etc.  If you don’t contact the owner and ask for permission, at least have the audacity to not post your photos online!

When I spoke to the landowner back in November and was given permission the first time to take photos, post them online AND enter the home, I was told that the house was built in 1916 and the original owners lived in the home for 18 years.  At that time three of these houses were built in the area.  Mr. could not tell me if any of them were still standing but I do hope to check out the area one day.

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When the original owners moved out of the home it was always their intention to keep the home up.  During the first winter the heating system was tampered with and this caused an issue with the water and heating system and the cost for repairs was worth more than the hassel.  You can tell that when the home was left, it was always their intention to come back.  The interior of the home is solid, sturdy and truly amazing given the year the home was built in.

 

 

 

 

 

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WILL & MAUDE

Originating from Devonshire, England, William John (1891 – 1966), along with his father and siblings, followed older brother Samuel to Manitoba. Their mother and sister passed away before the family could be reunited.

After settling in Southwestern Manitoba, W.J. fell in love and married a girl from Chicago.  He bought this property in 1912 and in 1914 after he was married it was here that W.J. and Maude raised their 4 children, 3 girls and one boy. Their grandson’s would later take over the land and farm here until it was sold to its current owners.  The home was rented out but eventually became a hangout for kids in the surrounding town

Will was part of the Oddfellows Lodge and Maude was a Rebeka, a group of women who cared for the elderly in the community.  They were also a musical couple.  Will played the piano and Maude played the violin.  They formed the Sunday School Orchestra.  When I first laid my eyes on this piano last Spring it was in much better condition, even though its been sitting on this somewhat sheltered veranda for many, many years.  In the last year the cover has been removed from the keys exposing it to the harsh elements of Manitoba’s weather.

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The couple loved gardening and had a variety of shrubs, trees, fruit trees and gardens.  People were known to visit the property in the summer time to see the yard and enjoy the beauty of the families yard.  Although the property has been abandonded for many years, you can see the variety of plants and shrubs around the house as well as the beautifully treed driveway leading up to the house.  You just know that the yard was beautifully landscaped.

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I have written about this home in the past and I go back often.  I truly do love this old place and I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of it for as long as I am out and about touring the countryside looking for old places to photograph and then searching its history.  When I found out more of the history it gave me the perfect excuse to go back and shoot it again.  This time I walked up the long winding driveway, something I would have never done before because the house is well secluded and jumps out you when you see it for the first time.