abandoned photography – Page 8

October 18, 2018

THE LONG HAUL

I am told that this home was hauled 40 km to its resting place by a 40 horse team wherein 3 ravines had to be crossed. While I did not get this confirmed in writing, I will say that the information comes from a reliable source and a fellow abandoned home seeker in the area.

The home has been designated a heritage site by the RM that it is in and is now home to several bee hives.

The family of this homesteader originated from Ireland and settled in Ontario. The homesteader, Mr. B was born in 1899 on a nearby farm. He was the eldest of 11 children. He was the first baby baptist in the nearby church. At a young age he left school to help his sickly father farm and his sisters fondly remember him taking care of them and ensuring they had skates and knew how to skate, took them to dances and traveled back and forth with them to and from their boarding schools to ensure they came home on the weekends.

In 1918 he tried to enlist in the Army, under-aged. His mother sent his birth certificate to headquarters before he could be sent overseas. He trained as a barber for the military.

In 1942 after farming with his father, working in Alberta and farming with his new wife’s brothers he purchased the land that this home stands on. At the same time he purchased his very first shorthorn heifer and this began a long career of breeding and showing them. He was described as a good herdsman who loved his animals. He was a hard working man who did many things to earn money.

Mr. & Mrs. B also had sheep, chicken’s, turkey’s, ducks and geese. They also had a bountiful garden and many berry bushes which they sold to others. They were active in their community.

They were well loved in their community and fondly remembered by their children.

I have passed this home many times over the years and appreciate it a whole lot more given the knowledge of its history.

I was also told that the home was vandalized, virtually over night, many years ago, leaving a large hole on the exterior. What a shame that someone would/could do this to something that 1. doesn’t belong to them and 2. that holds many memories to many.

October 8, 2018October 9, 2018

SHORT WALK TO SCHOOL

Mr. W was born in Cornwall, England in 1854. He came to Canada and settled in Ontario. He found love and married his missus. In 1881 they came to Manitoba and settled on this property. The first home built there was a log home and then in 1896 this home was built.

In 1883 a school was built on the SW corner of his property. It was moved in 1902, 2 miles North. Mr. W also owned the local Canadian Elevator in 1913 but it burnt down in 1917. It was valued at $7,000 but he did not carry insurance.

His youngest son A, born in 1896 loved having the school close to home and at 5 years of age he would go to the school at 3:00 p.m. and sit with the teachers until school was dismissed.

A married M in 1921 and lived on the farm. M raised 50 ducks, geese and chickens every year. She kept them in the coop during the day in incubators and at night time she moved them into the house until the warmer weather arrived. There was evidence of one or two buildings that could have been chicken coops.

The raised 3 children on this farm, too.

A & M’s only son, E born in 1938, started to farm with his Dad in 1953. He married W and they had two children of their own. They purchased the farm from E’s parents in 1966.

We found so many outbuildings and different machinery on this land. I especially loved this old wheel the the tree it was resting upon which claimed it.

E & W had one son whom still farms the land but lives nearby. It was K & H that granted me permission to photograph the property and have asked me for copies of the photos that I take for her Mother-in-law as a keepsake. I hope that the photos I have taken can do justice to the memories they must have of this farm.

October 7, 2018October 8, 2018

1900 CENTURY FARM

The H family came to Manitoba in the Spring of 1890. The family settled in the area, his wife and 6 children. In 1900 one of his young sons married, during a double wedding ceremony, with his sister and both settled on different sections of this land. The siblings lived out their lives farming as neighbors on this section of land in the heart of Boissevain-Morton.

The son played a role in the organizing of the East Lynne School District in 1904. They belonged to the Ninga Methodist Church where Mrs. played the organ.

Water was always an issue on the farm. Water was hauled in barrels from another section of land.

In fact, one year on a hot July day Mr. had been working hard for days breaking sod and took a drink from the nearby slough. He ended up with typhoid fever and was bedridden for weeks. Luckily his sister-in-law was a newly trained as a nurse and nursed him back to health.

In 1938 the government paid for a 120 foot long by 60 feet wide and 14 feet deep well. The farm never saw a dry day after that.

They were kind and generous people who in 1931 adopted a six year old boy. The boy was only to stay with them for a couple days. He became an integral part of their family. He joined the World War II and returned home in 1945. He unlike his siblings moved to the Virden area while the rest stayed in the area.

Mr. suffered a major heart attack in 1941 and was not able to work again. He passed away in 1952. Mrs. passed away in 1968 at 91 years of age.

Two of his children then took over the farm until 1971 when they passed on the farm to their Grandson.

October 7, 2018October 8, 2018

12 YEARS OLD

The original owner of this land, born in 1846, left his large, poor, religious family in Lac Megantic, Quebec at the age of 12 years old with only .90 in his pocket and the clothes on his back. He had intentions of making big money. He took on whatever jobs he could find and for many years was part of a railway construction gang as a cook in Winnipeg.

In 1881 himself and another landowner, whose old property we have visited, headed to the land titles office in Winnipeg to purchase land in the R.M. of Prairie Lakes. They reached their farms over 100 years ago with a team of horses, a plow to break land and food supplies. Working as a cook gave him a good idea of what food supplies would best suit them. They stocked up on cured salted pork, flour, sugar, coffee and tea.

On his 30th year he arrived at his property. He started breaking land by hand and built a small house. It was hard work but he was able to break land. He also purchased a sow that had 12 little pigs. He sold the extra meat for money. He also purchased a cow and calf for milk and meat and 6 laying chickens.

He never married and when he got older and the work got to be to much he asked his brother to help him.

In 1887 a minister arrived in the area and had the idea to build a small chapel on the land. The downstairs served as the living quarters, the upstairs as a chapel and a small corner on the main level served as the post office. Eventually the church was moved to Dunrae, MB. They also started building a blacksmith shop and a general store. The building of the new railway through Dunrae stopped construction and the small church was moved. The first St. Felix Cemetery remained on the property.

He died in 1915 at the age of 69.

The property shows no signs of this history any longer, except the St. Felix Cemetery in the middle of the 1/4 section.

This is the present home on the land.

On the property was this neat little play house. You could see in the distance that someone has used it as target practice. That day I wasn’t brave enough to venture through the long grass for a closer look.

There were a couple of old buildings on the land which maybe could have been part of the original land owners.

Maybe one of these old buildings were built all those years ago.

October 6, 2018October 6, 2018

LITTLEST HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, SO FAR

This is by far the smallest house I have been in yet. In fact, it is so small that the dozen of times that I have driven by it I was sure it was just an old shed.

Tucked away in a pasture, you don’t really see much except a very small roof. The view once you get to the house is spectacular. My pictures don’t do it justice.

There wasn’t a whole lot to see here, the remnants of some old equipment and a gas tank. I was sure that the house was moved off its foundation and likely served as some sort of shelter. Regardless we were able to enter it, the roof was pretty much intact but there were no windows or doors.

It was very small and there was no floor, it was right on the bare ground. The tires on the frame of the care were still completely intact.

Heading off the property we came across this pile of wood, wires and scrap. I was then convinced that the house had in fact been moved.

October 6, 2018

BUTTRUM PART 2

A couple weekends ago I finally got myself inside this school. I don’t know what it is that keeps me going back. One thing for sure is that the sky always looks fabulous in the background. It never disappoints.

Once inside I tried to envision the very first Christmas concert with family & friends peering through the windows to get a better look.

And of course what is an abandoned exploration without me finding a shoe!

Such a neat old place with so many of the old settlers having played some sort of role as trustee, contributor or student. Love that its still here to be a part of history.

October 6, 2018October 7, 2018

EATON’S CATALOGUE ORDER?

I have been waiting all summer to get into this house. I found it online on an abandoned home site and was lucky enough to be told its location by a local lady in town who lived there as a young bride. I then discovered that Reg knows the family and he was able to get us permission to enter the home and photograph it.

Set up high overlooking their land, this home still is as stunning as I imagine it was in its time.

I won’t post a lot of photos of the home at the request of the land owner but I can give you little bit of history about it.

The original homesteader came from Owen Sound, Ontario. His family originated in England and were mainly bankers. Mr. R choose sea life. Becoming bored with his profession he immigrated to Canada in 1868 where he married his wife J. Their first born son was born in Portage la Prairie, MB and at 6 weeks old they traveled to the area and settled into this homestead.

I am told that the home was purchased through the Eaton’s Company. You can find a list of the home plans here.

From comparing photos I took inside and outside of the home I would say that this would be the original listing of the home for purchase through Eaton’s.

28.-IdealHome_Earlsfield.jpg

There were many mail order home companies back in the early 1900’s but the most famous was the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. The business was centered at its Winnipeg branch. Eaton houses were made for Western Canada and most of the houses are found on farms.

They had dozens of different models but the most popular was the Earlsfield — a 1-½ storey house with a double gambrel roof. The barn-like roof made for very efficient use of lumber to provide a lot of living space.

The materials cost for the Earlsfield in Fall and Winter 1917-18 was listed at $1,193 (that’s $16,482 in 2015 dollars). Inflation was rampant in the teens so they quit posting prices in 1919. Lumber was shipped by rail from mills in BC and millwork from Winnipeg.

Also on the property is what is left a an old stone barn.

This was certainly worth the wait. Of course I took way more pictures but you can only post so many.