Tag: abandoned junkies

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EMPIRE LOYALISTS

TJB was born in 1872 to Empire Loyalist parents in DeCewsville, Ontario. TJB moved to Canada in 1892 in what was referred to as a “harvest excursion”.

What is an Empire Loyalist? Due to the American Revolution, approximately 8,000 Brits came to Canada and migrated to an area in Southern Ontario. Those people were among the first white settlers of the province and were instrumental to creating the Province of Upper Canada 1791.

Christian and I were on our way home for the day after an almost 11 hour day hunt and shoot. We had just finished up and the well groomed yard when he remembered this place which had some old cars which he knows I also enjoy photographing. It was getting pretty dark so we weren’t sure what we were going to get. Again, I wasn’t sure what I was going to get in this lighting and I also underestimate what I can do. That am I’m not much of a risk taker because don’t want to miss a shot.

In 1894 TJB married Emma in Deloraine. Emma was the first woman to live in Medora. The first home they built was where the Medora Service parking lot is now and they lived there until 1903.

TJB played for the local baseball team and was a goalie for a football team. He was the secretary for the Sunday School and the Literary Society. As well, he was a member of the Orange Lodge. The Orange Lodge is a group of Protestants who were committed to the protection of the principals of the Protestant Reformation and the Glorious Revolution of 1698 which enshrined civil and religious liberty for all. The Orange Lodge has existed in Canada since at least 1812.

Emma was a very involved in working with the church and was a life-member of the Women’s Institute. Emma was also a well known dress-maker.

From what I have read or found about this property, I can’t tell you anything about these old trucks nor can I link them to this family.

During my old car photo shoot, Christian was wandering around the house so I thought I had better get over there and take some photos before it was way too dark.

Here is where I get a confused by what history I have found. It says that TJB built the house in 1903 which is now owned by another farmer in the area. “This old house was moved to the farm.” So is this the house that was built on the service lot in Medora and moved here or was the house built on the service lot sold to the other farmer and he moved it to his own farm? Regardless, she is a big old beauty.

TJB and Emma raised 5 children on the homestead. Their oldest son George who was born in 1897 later left this property to his only son when he retired and moved to Medora in 1974.

TJB passed away on June 8, 1930 and Emma passed away on August 14, 1962.

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JACK & DIANE – WELL, NOT QUITE

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.

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RED BARN

Located just off the road heading into Deloraine, MB, I have passed this barn many times over the years while going to hockey.

On this particular day, the kids and I were headed there for baseball and I was itching to take a photograph of anything. And this is what I did.

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HOMESTEAD #3136

Referred to as Homestead #3136, A.J.W was born on September 28, 1840 near Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario. A.J.W graduated from a military school and later became a Captain of the 16th Battalion during the Fenian Raids. When he wasn’t serving he was a woodworker who specialized in making cases for organs and pianos.

It is said that A.J.W married his wife in Ontario in 1863 or 1864.

A.J.W and his wife raised four sons in Ontario and then decided to move to Manitoba through Emerson. They settled first in Rapid City.

In 1885 after snowshoeing to the area, he found this property. A.J.W moved his family to the land and there, they wintered, in a tent, on the property. The following summer, this house was built.

A.J.W passed away in 1909. His wife died in 1933.

While we were able to get right up to this home, I didn’t go inside or even look inside.

This house for me will always be known as the Coyote House. While making our trek down the road, along the field line, there was a dead coyote.

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TUCKED AWAY

My fellow abandoned seeking friend Lee found this house a while back, very close to two that I had previously photograghed. I finally got out there this summer.

The property is very grown over and getting a good shot with all the foliage was really hard given all the broken trees and branches around the front of the house. The landowner wanted to be out there with me when I took the photos and it had been some time since she had been here herself. The home had never been lived in by her family and was purchased for farm land. She wasn’t able to tell me much about its history and a search of the property and original owners didn’t tell me anything.

While walking around we scared up an owl. She also told me that she would be willing to attend with me to some of her other properties that also have abandoned houses on them. We talked about doing that in the fall after the crops were off but that didn’t happen. We will shoot for Spring.

While we were out and about on the property she did advise me that for the longest time there was a boat near the house which is no longer there.

She assures me that the homes on her other land are far more exciting so I’m looking forward to getting out there to see what she has.

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WE MAY NEVER KNOW

I found this one this past Spring while out searching for other locations. Close to the road, we stopped so I could take a couple shots.

More intriguing than this house, which I cannot confirm anything about, were the eagles flying around. I actually stopped taking photos of the house to get the Sigma lens but of course, they were too far away and I couldn’t get any decent shots. As much as I love photographing wildlife, I truly don’t have the patience to sit and wait. I need to work on that.

The first recorded owner of this land was recorded in 1897. While I can find some information about this family coming to the area around that time, I cannot confirm that they actually purchased this land.

The second recorded owner of this land purchased it in 1981 but again, I cannot confirm anything. There was a large quonset on the property and several bins. In front of the house were a couple of old window air conditioning units.

And I never did get a decent shot of the eagles.

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ROSEVALLEY ROAD

From the highway I could tell there was some sort of vehicle down in the field on this route that we don’t travel often. I put it on my to-do list but never seem to get to it.

I made my way there in the Spring while I was checking out some other spots but the field lane in was wet and the crop was just starting to shoot up so I decided it would be best to put this off, yet again, until the Fall.

There were no distinguishing markers on this car so we made our way through the willows to find some sort of badge or marker. It was determined it was a Dodge. The inside of this car is melted out. I’ll make the assumption that over the years this field has been burnt down in the Fall and this has led to the glass, steering wheel and the inside of this car to be melted down.

Needless to say, a decent shot was hard to achieve and because the car was really overgrown, you couldn’t get anything good except a peek-a-book sort of shot. Honestly, I can’t even tell you if the wheels were still on the car.

There was was also a piece of an old farm implement close by, a stove and this.

Of course the color of this heap of metal gives it away but it was only a small piece of a bus.

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CENTURY OLD FARM

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.

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A LITTLE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

hunter house 2

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.

 

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BLUEVALE

The Bluevale School District was established formally in July 1901.  It was replaced by a new structure and opened officially in November, 1960.

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The school closed in 1967 and the building stood empty until being sold and moved to the Lake Max area to be renovated into a private residence. A metal sign commemorates the school at its earlier site.

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The school seen many teachers over the years.  The building I photographed is likely the second school house built in the 60’s and it is not in the Lake Max area.

bluevale 1 email

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GREGORY

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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DEVIL’S GATE

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.

Baleja 1 for email

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.

Baleja 2 email

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.

Baleja 3 email

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.

Baleja 5 email

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.

 

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KEEP GOING BACK

This is one of the first houses I photographed and one of the first houses I actually went inside of.

Hardern for email

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.

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This yard is still used for storage and there is a path leading out to a field.  The current landowner frequents this location often.

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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.

hardern barn 3 email

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.

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And you may recall this little blue truck, from previous posts, although Mother Nature is really taking it over.

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I would LOVE to see a photograph of this house when it was in its prime.

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SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

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.

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MR. BEAR

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Together Angie & Alice had 3 children.

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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.

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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.

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The trails and shaded areas where the family once had family picnics remain.  Somewhere on this section of land there were even tennis courts.

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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.

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BILLY’S PLACE

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.

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I couldn’t get a decent shot so I turned around to head home and found this!

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I took a couple shots from the road and wrote down the location to investigate and find landowner information for.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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THE CIRCASSIAN

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.

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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.  

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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.

 

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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.

McKibbon house 2 email

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.  

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.  
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BROKEN DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Likely not. Or maybe. This truck and another car were parked on the edge of a field, up off ditch, in a field. Their placement was hard to take good pictures of because all around them were piles of other stuff that seemed to be pushed aside and out of the way.

This truck probably played a big part of someone’s farming operation at one time.

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THE DAILY MILK RUN

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The family kept Percheron horses and they jointly owned a Case tractor and separator with another family.

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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.

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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.