canon cameras – Page 6 – CRUMBLING MEMORIES

September 25, 2018October 7, 2018

ST. FELIX CEMETERY

This one had me stumped. Until today. So now I will edit it.

This land was owned by a bachelor who left home at 12 years old for bigger and better things. He was determined he was going to make it big. He left his large, poor family with .90 in his pocket. He worked his butt off to make ends meet and eventually bought this 1/4 section of land which he broke by hand. He raised animals and worked hard and eventually built himself a log home.

When he started to get older and the work became to much he asked his brother for help. Eventually a local minister and a small chapel was built on the land. Living quarters on the main level with a small post office in the corner and a chapel upstairs. A general store and blacksmith shop were in the works and when the railway was built the decision was made to move the chapel to Dunrae.

This small cemetery is located in the middle of a farmer’s 1/4 section, marked off by poles which holds approximately 30 graves, most of them unmarked and some of them with bare wood crosses.

I am told that this particular cemetery was marked by the local Knights of Columbus group.

A small town site was in the works for this property but the building of the railway changed all this. That is why there are two cemetery’s in the area.

This cemetery is also in a farmer’s field but its not smack dab in the middle of one and its closer to a church.

The headstones at first St. Felix Cemetery were not easy to get to. There were not as many markers there as there were names on the plaque and there were many deep holes in the uncut grass where the stones were. We were able to get closer to a couple of them.

The grass was really high which made it hard to see the stones that were lower to the ground unless you could get closer to them and move some of the tall grass away.

Some of them were the traditional stone and there were a couple made of iron.

Others were just wood crosses that may have been marked with a name but has weathered over time.

Some of these graves have been here before the 1900’s.

August 30, 2018September 8, 2018

BUTTRUM SCHOOL

This school in the RM of Prairie Lakes opened its doors in 1982 and closed permanently in June of 1972.

buttrumschool1

This is what the building looks like now in 2018.

The school is nestled on a little hill in the middle of a farmer’s field. If your looking far and wide and in the right area, you will see it.

Miss A.L. MacLachlan was the first teacher at this school was paid $35.00 a month for her term position. She was given 5 months training to become a teacher.

History surrounding the story of this school tells that the schools first concert was a huge success and in fact, so many people attended the concert that there was no room inside the building and parents and town people watched the concert through the windows from their horse carriages up against the side of the building.

Due to a drop in students registered at the school, the school closed for a period of time from Fall of 1939 to 1943.

The school held district social events, dances, card parties and concerts.

Unfortunately we were denied permission to enter this property so road shots it is. I’m sure I’ll be back as the backdrop is spectacular.

August 30, 2018September 8, 2018

SAND & GRAVEL

I am told that this old home, built of concrete and standing up to the elements was built with local sand & gravel, then mixed to make concrete and poured by hand. Here is a photo of the house taken in 1882.

This huge home, I am told, was the home of a large family whom had their help live inside with them. The family came from Ontario and Mr. moved to this property in February, 1882 and started to build the home. In August of that year Mrs. and 3 of their children joined him. The boys took over the farm after their parents died in 1920 and 1926. The farm was then sold to another family that still remains in the area.

The inside tells a very different story of its ability to hold its own against the harsh elements of the prairies. The roof is gone, the walls are coming down and the floor doesn’t exist in some places. Really, anything that is wood is gone. There was no evidence of the once wrap around porch.

The best picture I could get of the home was from the back. The one side is almost completely treed in, so much so that the trees are growing through the windows. The front was no different.

There were a lot of outbuildings and spectacular prairie views where ever you looked. On this particular day a storm was brewing in the area and off in the distance, Reg and I could hear the thunder. It was hot too!

I wish I had found this yard years ago. I wonder if there would have been more there than what is now.

Most abandoned seekers will tell you about there dislike for caragana’s. They will literally take over and provide a shield around an old abandoned home.

August 30, 2018September 4, 2018

FIELD STONE BEAUTY

Over the years, a couple of families have resided on this property but I cannot confirm from the history books who built this home. I did manage to find this photograph that was taken in 1892.

This is what the home looks like now. I can’t tell you enough how much I hate hydro poles!

With the exception of one wall, this house is strong and stable. I admired it from the outside for quite some time. I can tell you that the inside of the home did not disappoint either.

The details inside the home showed the pride the owners had in this home with fine little detailing on the cupboards and in the bathroom. It was lived in for quite some time.

I can only assume from my research that the family that once owned this land immigrated to Canada in the later 1800’s and remained in the area for some time. Many of their ancestors are buried in the local cemetery. They were very involved in their community and were very successful in their farming endeavors. Some of the family endured tremendous loss, losing two sons at very young ages and a wife who became a widow very young as well. The endured and her sons took over her farm and she lived some time.

I wish I knew more.

August 29, 2018August 31, 2018

ALL IN THE FAMILY PART 2

As per my previous visit, this homestead is also part of the same family, except they were brothers and ventured off in the same countryside farming different sections of land.

In 1899 the parents of this family came to Manitoba to farm this particular section of land. Their son followed in 1892 by railway cattle car, caring for the stock he was bringing with him.

The stunning home was built in 1901 with the help of his brothers using “native stone”. They used a kiln which was erected on the property.

He married in 1902 and him and his wife raised 5 children in this home.

The property still has much of the old farming equipment there, some of it in excellent condition and well cared for over the years.

The yard and home are immaculately kept as the family still farms the land and spends much time here. In fact, many of them were there the day we came, farming. It was nice to hear the stories and get the history.

I enjoyed my visit to this farm and thanked the current owner who granted us permission the night before for his time and his history lesson.

August 10, 2018

COMING OR GOING?

So, like the old blue truck, on this particular day in a place Reg would call his picture Heaven, I found one car that I loved.

Maybe it was because until you go close, you couldn’t tell if it were coming or going.

This neat old car wasn’t rusted like many of the others we’ve seen. Just like the blue Chevy truck.

And the chrome!

What a beauty.

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018

THERE’S NEVER ANYTHING ON TV

This property has A LOT of history. I’ve done a lot of reading to wrap my head around this one and the different families. I hope I’ve got it right and if I don’t….

The original owners of this land, Mr. & Mrs. M (notice I don’t say home cause I have no clue who built the home, the first family, the second family, a family before both of those families), married in 1919 and moved into the home shortly thereafter. Mr. M’s family originated from Edinburg, Scotland.

The M family raised their children here and in 1947 sold it to the parents of current land owner Mr. & Mrs. P. The M’s moved to Winnipeg. Mr. & Mrs. M are buried in the cemetery in the closest town to the home.

I would say that this was a large home for its time with two entrances, both with covered porches, a large eat-in kitchen with a staircase leading upstairs. The kitchen, at the back entrance was also where you would go down into the basement.

There was a large living room wherein one curtain was still hanging on the rod and the other was hanging in the center of the window like a hanging, ghostly figure. A Hoover vacuum which would have been a good one in its time, stood near the center of the room.

This is also the room where a large staircase led to the second level of the home.

What I am imagining as the dining room, at the front of the home and to the left of this doorway was a floor model television. A good one.

I’m sure if there was still power to the home, if we plugged that TV in, it would have worked. And as per usual, there would be nothing on!

Both families were very active in the community they lived in.

I do know that the wife of the second family, Mr. & Mrs. P moved out of the home in 1976, a year after the death of her husband. It has been vacant ever since, sort of. I would say that there have been some inhabitants of the furry type in this house.

While I did not venture up, Reg did. He didn’t get very far as the home seems to be splitting in half. This is not visible from the outside or main level of the home.

I did also discover while trying to find the door into the home that the upstairs of the home was now the home of A LOT of wasps. While standing in the kitchen on the main level below the window that the wasps were going in and out of I could hear them. I am assuming that they are living in the walls and floors of that second floor room. There was no further investigation for me as I have no intentions of walking into a wasps nest ever again.

The home is nicely treed and secure from the elements. Also on the property was an old barn, some bins, an open cow shelter, a shed and the remnants of something else but only the concrete slab remains.

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018

LONG TIME HOMESTEADERS

This farm has been in the family for many generations and continues to be owned and farmed by this family.

The father of the current land owner was born in this home. When he was married and started farming on his own. He owned the original homestead of this family for 18 of the 100 plus years its been in the family.

The original descendants of this family George and Maragret immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1845.

Their son James came to Manitoba from Ontario as he wanted land for his four sons. In 1882 he purchased the land and the next year moved his wife and children to the property.

James & Margaret’s eldest son then married and purchased the section of land on which this house stands. He and his wife were active in their community and is one of the original founders of the Manitoba Co-Operative Wholesale Ltd in 1927 and served as their first President and General Manager.

Egbert and Emily’s had four children, two of which are said to be born in the home. They attended the Sander’s School, now owned by the same family.

The yard site still has a large, healthy raspberry patch and along the back tree line, numerous producing apple trees. The home which faces South is nestled in by a large tree line and a long drive past the home takes you to numerous sheds. Out in the front is a big barn/granary which has started to crumble down.

The home, which I did not enter still shows sign of the once inhabitants. My favorite part of this visit though, was the telephone that still hangs on the wall.

Across the road from this homestead is the marker of this family and a recording of the land being the original homestead of their original descendants back in 1882. In 2001 the family received a Century Farm Award.

August 4, 2018August 4, 2018

LITTLE RED BARN

Nothing catches your eye in the wide open prairie like a little red barn, like this one. This one wasn’t so little but fascinating nonetheless.

July 29, 2018April 27, 2019

AND SO IT BEGINS

So in April I attended a course put on by Chris Atrell. He had me take my camera off auto and push buttons. I sat through the theory part of the course but did not attend the night shoot as I did not have a tripod. I figured I had taken enough away from the evening and that when I was ready, I would do the course again and learn the night photography part of it. I went away excited and ready to figure out this camera once and for all.

I spent a few evenings at the beach taking photos of the sunset and the birds. I could play with my exposure and depth of field and all the other buttons and it wouldn’t matter what happened. So that’s what I did. I hauled my bag out and sat there with a good friend who shares the same interest as me but her too, never has had the time to learn the ins and outs of her camera. We bounced ideas off each other and different settings.

If you’ve never been, sit with Chris through one of his courses, his photography is incredible, to me anyway cause he to loves the old abandoned houses. He has so many tricks for night photography and he sure knows how to find all those old abandoned homes. The thing I really like about Chris is that he delivers his information in a way that doesn’t scare you, it excites you and it makes you want to try and do what he does. He walks around the class, checks to make sure you’re where he is and if you can’t figure it out, he’ll do it for you. I think the other thing that I liked about him is that I was interested in what he was interested in, the abandoned homes, etc and as I said, he delivers it in a way that is easy to understand.

The course also made me want a new camera. My SX60 HS is considered a point and shoot camera but it has an amazing zoom lens. The lens would cost a fortune to buy alone. That being said, a point and shoot is still limiting in its aperture settings and much more. It’s not a bad camera by any means but I knew a DSLR would hopefully let me go to the next level, if I could get there. I had to see what I might be missing by not having a DSLR. I found an older Rebel with the lenses I wanted for a good price so I bought it. I told my husband that I would sell it if it didn’t work for me. Well I like them both and I do find that I use the Rebel more than I use the SX60, sometimes. I think that if you know what your camera can do and you know how to use all the settings, it doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have, you can get good shots.