I have searched and searched for some sort of history on this home and have come up with nothing which is really disappointing.
The first recorded owner was a Mr, E. Dunning who aquired the property in 1897. History books for the area acknowledges Mr. Dunning at the owner but write that there is no history for him except to say that he was a bachelor.
You can understand why anyone photographing this home would want to know something about it. Nestled close to the Souris River, this had to be a beautiful home in its prime. Tucked away down a long treed lane you come across the home.
In 1923 Mr. Robinson was the owner of the land. Mr. Robinson also did not have any known history written either except to say that Mr. Robinson farmed with his brother and that they were from the Medora area. A search of that book also came up empty handed.
If I am every lucky enough to find something on this house, I’ll be sure to rewrite what I find out.
Thank you Forgotten Manitoba for taking me out to see this house and getting another one off my to shoot list.
This old house, perfectly situated in a crop didn’t require us to get any closer than this roadside shot.
While I always want to know more, this was another that left me empty-handed. It happens more often than not.
That being said, it also makes me think about house much longer this hobby is going to last. While I have hundreds of markers of houses to see, more and more landowners are burning them down.
Leaving a roadside stop, we came across this house tucked away in the trees. Taken across the field with my unsteady hand and 300mm I managed to get an okay photo.
I wasn’t too terribly disappointed when I got home and noticed the poor quailty of the shot and made the discovery that there was little to no info on this homestead.
A young couple moved to this property around 1918 and here they raised 5 sons and 1 daughter. They dubbed the property the Graves Estate after the original homesteader who claimed this land in 1882.
There is no history on the first homesteaders of this land even though they owned the property for 14 years. From what I have gathered, they owned this land but did not live on it.
In the 1900’s Mr Fraser acquired this land but raised his family on another section close by. They had a large family and when their son married, he moved his new wife here. Together they farmed this land and raised a family of their own.
When the couple were too old to farm the land anymore, their daughter and her husband took over the land. They did not live on the land either and eventually one of their two sons took over the land.
This does not look like a home to me but a school. There was a school on the section of land next to this one. Unfortunately I cannot find any mention of it being moved here.
I will admit that it does look like some of the other schools in the area. It has a different entrance, but that is speculation and I cannot confirm.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed when my search of this old place came up empty handed.
I thought I hit the jackpot when I started looking for history on this one. Yet it turns out that what I found contradicted itself. So, I’m going to consider this one another one that left me empty handed.
But, it was not all for nothing. While trying to make sense of the stories, I found another old abandonded house that I have put on my to do list this coming summer.
I don’t recall how many photos I took, I should count.
Years ago I remember stopping at an old car lot in Saskatchewan along the number one highway. Not nearly as many cars and most were somewhat intact. And I do not recall seeing an area with parts like this lot.
I love this old car and what is was used for.
Imagine firefighters hauling ass down the highway in this?
This one reminds me of one of those old ice cream trucks. They would circle around the residential streets on the nice evenings in the summer.
Well, today I finally finished up the car folder from the photos I took back in October, 2023.
I will certainly go back this Spring/Summer. I did not have enough time to walk the entire lot when I went the first time.
Like I said before, I have never seen anything like this. You see areas on properties littered with cars but this man has a system. Everything is marked and parts are organized.
If you are an old car enthusiast, he likely has what you need.
Loading these photos made me think of my neighbour. He has an old truck that he restored and if my memory serves me correctly, his dad had a truck just like it. I took his son’s grad photos with. I’m going to have to ask him if he knows about this place.
The next time I go, I’ll take Christian along. He isn’t as enthusiast about the old cars but I know he will take some amazing shots here.
I don’t recall if I mentioned the little dog that lives here. He did explore with me for a little bit.
You can see him in the photo above. He wasn’t interested in me for very long and if my memory serves me correctly, he was deaf.
These photos are all taken on the house section of the land. There are still two quarters to discover. I certainly did not give myself enough time when I planned this trip. I had no idea how many cars were really here.
I give the old car guys a lot of credit. To take an old car, restore it, hunt for parts. The time and dedication and money it would take to make it va-va-voom again!
The original homesteader of this land came to the area in 1881 with his parents and siblings and purchased this land in 1882. In 1890 he left for Australia and there is no recorded record of his return.
Charles came to Manitoba in 1890 with his parents. In 1918 his parents bought this property where Charles grew up and later married, farmed and raised a family of his own.
At this home Charles and his wife raised 5 sons and 4 daughters. Charlie was an active member of the school board and the municipal council. Barbara was a homemaker. It is said that the couple never missed a New Year’s Ball.
The couple retired to Belmont in 1950 when their son took over the farm. Unfortunately Charlie passed away 9 years later leaving Barbara alone until she passed away in 1970.
Charles youngest son, L.D. who had lived on this property since he was 4 years old took over the land and raised 3 kids of his own here.
L.D. and his wife retired to Belmont in 1981. It is my understanding that none of L.D’s children farmed.
T. W. arrived in Canada from Arthur, Ontario in 1885. He settled on this property and in 1907 married Jennie. Together they had 10 children, all of 1 which was born on this farm. And sadly, two of those children there stillborn.
In 1942 T. W. sold the farm to his nephew and he and his bride moved to town. He passed away in 1951 at the young age of 74.
Not a great photo given that it was taken from the road with my 300mm but you can’t pass up shot of an old, abandoned house.
John, originally from England, came to Canada as a young boy. First settling in Cannington, Ontario and then moving west to Southwestern, Manitoba.
In 1882 John married Elizabeth and settled on another homestead. There they raised two boys, Sidney and William. As a young man Sidney purchased a 1/4 section of this same parcel of land and raised two sons of his own.
When Sidney’s son Cecil got married and needed a place of his own to farm and raise a family, he bought the southwest section of this land, close to his parents and started a family of his own.
Now this house has been in my to shoot binder for some time but Christian then discovered this old car behind the house and as much as I love old abandoned houses, when you add an old car to the mix, it makes it WAY better.
This was one of many locations we shot on this particular afternoon and thankfully since Christian had already been here, he was gracious enough to come back with me and take a few more shots of his own.
I did not post a photograph but this is another one of those old brick houses where the brick is now starting to fall off. I am going to assume that when the roof goes, the water leaks down between the wood structure and the brick which then causes the brick to fall off. There are a few of these red brick houses in the area and recall that there was a family that owned a company that made these bricks.
Richard Wilson moved with his father, step-mother, siblings and step-siblings to the Marringhurst Plains in the RM of Argyle. Richard’s parents were originally from York, England where theiy married but then moved to Ontario where Richard and his sister were born. Richard chose this property to homestead on. He then married his wife Annie in 1863 and together they would raise a family of 8 on this homestead.
The first house on the property was a log home built by Richard upon his arrival to the Marringhurst Plains. At that time he also erected buildings for his livestock. In 1909, the Wilson’s built this “stately” two-storey, red brick home to replace the original log farmhouse.
In 1898 at the tender age of 34 years, Annie died leaving Richard with many children to raise. Richard married Annie’s sister, Louisa and together they had 3 more children.
The children grew up and went off to operate their own farms and raise their own families and by 1970 the home stood empty.
The home has been restored to its original grandeur and renamed the Marringhurst House. The home now operates as a turn of the century farm house museum and is open upon request for tours.
Last Fall I attended at this old car lot that has been on my list to shoot for some time. I had no idea how many cars were there and didn’t give myself nearly as much time.
I called ahead to confirm with the landowner that it was okay for me to come. He charged me $20 to wander around his property and take whatever photos I wanted.
Given that I had another engagement to attend to, I did not get around the entire property but do plan on heading there again with Christian. The old cars don’t really interest him so I was happy when he asked if we could come along with me when I went back.
So in order to get all the photos I liked posted, I’ll do a handful every now and then and get them done, hopefully before we go again and I get to finish what I didn’t the first time.
I don’t know a whole lot about cars but there were some really interesting vehicles on this lot. And the organization. Wow.
While I wandered the first part of the yard, I had the property guard dog with me. He was a little hearing impaired Jack Russell named Ketch. He quickly got bored of me and my continous stopping so he ditched me.
The weather was just right the day I went. It was slightly overcast and cool. The leaves were turning but hadn’t completely fallen. Parts of the lot were wet but not enough to get your shoes dirty or make it unmanagable.
The other night while hunting for houses, we came across this old house from many moons ago. Easily shot from the road, we stopped for a couple shots to add to our list of houses photographed. I wish I had kept better stats since the start of this hobby.
This is the house where I stepped on the board suspended over a hole. I was content on the road. I had been here many years ago and had investigated inside during that visit.
The sun was starting to set which was giving off that golden hour glow which I love.
I have a new system for keeping track of houses I want to shoot and houses I have shot. Its a work in progress and it appears to be a lot simpiler than the big old binder that Christian teases me about. I will hold on to the binder because when I search for the history, I do use the original page to record notes and the name of the blog post, date and contact information for permission.
One of our most interesting wildflowers is the lady’s slipper – a variety of the wild orchid family – which is named for its shoe-shaped blossoms. There are six distinct species of lady’s slippers in Manitoba, as well as a couple of recently discovered hybrids. They range from quite common varieties, to fairly rare ones, with one variety classed as endangered. Some begin blooming in late May but most flower in June or early July.
The most common variety is the yellow lady’s slipper, of which there are two subvarieties – northern small and large yellow – though casual observers may not notice the difference. The size of the pouch and the stripes on it vary, as does the flower’s fragrance. The yellow lady’s slipper grows in a wide variety of habitat – meadows, forests, black spruce and tamarack bogs, as well as in disturbed areas such as roadside ditches. They may grow as single plants about 20 to 40 cm tall or, if the environment is suitable, may develop into large clumps.
So now that you know about lady slippers, here is the meaning of this post. On the way to Dauphin a few weeks ago, I was driving along and it was starting to rain. All along the park I had noticed yellow flowers in the ditch and was surprised at how many dandelions there were. Of course I was more focused on trying to spot a moose or a bear on the side of the road. They were actually lady slippers.
My Grandfather searched for them when I was a kid and could spot them a mile away, like a blueberry or a mushroom. To this day I can identify them without a flower if we are in the bush.
As a kid my Grandfather told me that the pink ones were rare and when I suggested that a few weeks ago on a Facebook post, I got my schooled in lady slippers. Turns out they aren’t rare and it appears these pretty little flowers are growing in abundance in our province.
Joe came to Canada with his parents and settled in the Carberry area in approximately 1883. Only a few years after their arrival, Joe’s mother passed away and the family made the decision to move west. The little town of Broomhill was named by them as it was reminiscent of a small town near their home in Scotland.
Joe and his father and siblings travelled by ox team approximately 135 kilometers to Broomhill. Joe settled on this land and just a few years later in 1895 married Janet. Together they raised two children. Unfortunately Janet passed away in 1908.
On July 17, 1915 Joe remarried and together they had one son, William. William was born at this homestead.
Joe and his brother Will had a contract to build a section of the grade for the new railway. Aside from that, Joe farmed but also helped Will run the general store which Will built and operated in the townsite of Broomhill in 1908.
Joe was a huge supporter of the community and was a school trustee for many years. He was a beekeeper, he loved to travel and watch sports. Joe moved to Broomhill in 1919 when his brother passed away to manage the general store.
In 1919 Alex and his family moved to this land and made it at home with his family. History says that upon their arrival to the home it was noted there was a large patch on the west side of the house. Said hole was made by a team of runaway horses and the end result was the tongue of the sleigh going through the house.
In March 1920 there was a severe, 3 day winter storm. As a result of the accumulated snow, there was no school and the drifts around the farm were very high. So high in fact that Alex could not get into the barn like he usually would so he had to use the Gothic windows and access the inside of the barn with his milk pails to tend to the cows.
Alex passed away at the home in 1944 only two years after his retirement from farming.
In 1948 the Talman family from Fertile, Saskatchewan purchased this homestead. Marion was a renowned dog trainer and because of this the headquarters for the field trials were held at this farm.
There are two houses on this property and I am going to assume that the second was the home of Marion’s oldest son and his wife who moved to the land shortly after his parents when their home in Fertile caught fire.
Alex and Annie served their community in many ways and were honored for their contributions to the many orgainzations that they volunteered their time to.
Its nice to find a rich history on a property after you’ve been to it and photographed it. When we were at this farm, I contemplated taking a photograph of the old barn and I’m happy I did because, while it doesn’t happen often, someone thought to mention it in their family history.
I thought I’d take a drive a few weeks back and check on an old house that is starting to feel its age and neglect.
The first time I was at this house (I’ve gone many times) she had a bit of a lean but she was standing up pretty straight considering. I seriously contemplated going inside but didn’t because I could see just about everything from the windows.
Over the years I have considered taking grad photos at this house but I never have. Maybe I will take the 2025 grads over here for a few shots and see what I get. Or maybe this house will be gone by then.
I’ll keep checking in periodically to see how she is making out.
The first recorded landowner for this property is listed in 1891. I can find no history for that family or the 3 families after them which allegedly lived and farmed on this section of land before Mr. Laidlaw settled here. I can also tell you that the current residents are not so welcoming. While I only saw one who decided to photo bomb my roadside stop, there is two vultures who now reside at this house.
I can tell you about Walter though. Walter came to Canada when he was 28 years old. He left Scotland by steamship in 1904 and landed in Halifax. He carried on to Brandon and from wagon headed to Newdale, Manitoba where he worked for a few months. He worked for a few years firing a steam engine for a local man and then was a stooker for other farmers in the area. Walter and his wife settled here sometime around 1918.
In 1918 Walter married Jeanne from Switzerland. Jeanne immigrated from Switzerland to the Cartwright area and ran the millner shop. Two years later she married and the couple went on to raise 5 children of their own. All but one of their children served in the miltary except the eldest who as a child was kicked in the forehead but a horse. The boy was stitched up at the kitchen table but as a result of the accident, the injury left him with muscle damage to his eye which caused his eye to turn inward. Because of this, he was unable to serve like his siblings so he farmed with his Dad. It is said that the injury to his eye didn’t prevent him from being an excellent shot during hunting season.
In January, 1946, upon his return from serving with the Queen’s Own Cameron’s, in France, Belgium and Holland, the second eldest son, Herman, returned to the area and started farming his parents land. Herman later married but did not have children of his own. Herman passed away at the age of 82 years.
What is the Queen’s Own Cameron’s? Well I had to google it. Given that the family was of Scottish decent, it makes perfect sense as to why and how Herman ended up serving with them. Winnipeg has always had a strong Scottish tradition so after years of intense pressure from the local Scottish community, the government finally authorized the raising of a highland regiment in Winnipeg. Gazetted in 1910, the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada are the oldest highland regiment in Western Canada.
I love the color of this house! These were roadside shots so I don’t know how well the inside is holding up but one day I would love to get a closer look.
John Turnbull was the first recorded landowner of this section in the RM of Roblin and was the first trustee of the Badger Creek School District.
The third recorded owner of this land was born in Quebec. He attended McGill Law School and also served as King’s Council in the Sherbrooke Court.
In 1895 he married and started a family with his wife, Luna. They had 5 children. In 1914 when the war broke out, Albert was a Lieutenant Colonel. He joined the forces in the regular army and became a Major. Albert and his eldest son, who was 17 at the time, voluntereed for overseas service and were sent to England with the 117th Eastern Township Battalion. Albert returned to Canada but his eldest son was sent to Germany in 1917.
When the eldest son returned to Canada from Germany, the family decided to go west and in particular, the Cartwright area. Albert arrived in the area and found land and then returned to Quebec to purchase a herd of jersey cattle. John and Albert set back out west to their new home by railway, with the jersey cows. Albert and Luna’s oldest daughter remained in Quebec. Luna and the younger children made the 4 day trip by railcar and arrived on December 30, 1919. Upon their arrival the families new neighbours had a hot meal prepared for them.
During my search of this family I came a cross this photograph of Albert and Luna with one of their jersey cows.
In 1921 50% of the herd developed TB. After thorough cleaning of the barns, Albert went back to Quebec and purchased more jersey cattle. He showed the animals in Brandon and Killarney. These cows which caught a lot of attention at the Killarney and Brandon Fairs.
In 1925 Albert and Luna went back to Quebec where Albert continued to practice law until he passed away in 1932 following an appendectomy. Luna passed away in 1946 after she fell and broke her hip and was recovering in hospital.
John, the oldest son, took over the farm when his parents moved back to Quebec. The family gave up the farm in 1933. He bought a farm North of Winnipeg for a short time but headed back home to Quebec.
I have no idea if it was the Turnbull family that built this house or the second landowners, the Taylors from whom Albert and Luna puchased this land from.
After John left the farm, his sister and her husband moved to the land and raised a family on this homestead. Then their son took it over but moved to Virden and later Pilot Mound.
Over the last few weeks I have spent some time going through my “to photograph” binder. This binder is what I’ve been told is old school and have been teased about numerous times. If you reading this, you know who you are!!!
Anyways, I finally got out after searching maps and satelittes and I have, suprisingly, found three houses in locations I thought may have bando on them. And all three were close by. So I spoke to my bando buddy and he said, yes, go, I think you’ve got something there. I did.
Now I can’t find any history on this small house so I’m just going to just post the photos I took with my iPhone. I do beleive that one of the families that owned this land built this small home and lived in it during the farming season and then moved back to their home in the Fall. It would make sense as it is quite small.
After retreating back to my vehicle, I pulled off 6 woodticks! That time of year is here and I supposed 6 is far better than the 50 some I picked off on another excursion where I just stopped counting. Good thing they don’t freak me out.
On my way out I did notice that there was a lot of moose droppings in the area around the house, I was watching fro them on my way back to the car but didn’t see any. I would assume that they are all safely tucked away awaiting for the arrival of ilittle ones.
My first find was far more exciting. Stay tuned and I’ll post that when I have a chance.
Summer is definitely turning into Fall in Killarney. While there are no ducks and geese back yet, the trees have certainly started to change colors although I am sure a lot of that has to do with the dry summer we had.
You might also notice that I also caught our local crop duster guy in this photo as well. He sure was busy yesterday.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 