Photography
Last night as I was trying to weasel into my bed with a book, Colton called me out to check out the sun. Glad he did. He figures he should get photo credits too!
Of course it dropped a lot faster than it usually seems to but that is only because I was struggling with finding the best setting for the shot.
I seen this little church online and thought I’d stop by on one of our roadtrips. There wasn’t a whole lot to see here and I couldn’t find any info on it. I do not know when it was built or when the last service was held here.
The new resident pigeons didn’t seem to mind me taking some photos.
Last weekend I drove out to Holmfield which is not far from us. I was searching for two old trucks that were tucked away in the trees when I was there years ago! I could not find them but I did find this!
I posted this photo on Instagram and it was featured. I regret passing by many of the old vehicles I’ve come across over the years.
I think I’ve used this title before. I spotted this house on the way home from Wilcox. Can’t tell you anything much about this home. I did request the books for the library but I haven’t received them yet. So this will be one of those picture posts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This impressive 28-foot by 44-foot stone church south of Manitou, just passed the town of Kaleida was designed by Winnipeg architect, Charles Wheeler. Built in 1892 for a cost of $6,500 by W. H. Bowler and the construction firm of Kerr and Magee.
The church was originally named Winram Memorial Church in commemoration of W.J. Winram. Born in the Isle-of-Man on 8 January 1838, and the son of shipbuilder, he worked as a mechanical engineer in his father’s shipyard. Upon coming to Canada around 1866 he settled in Simcoe County, Ontario and resided there until May 1878, when he came to Manitoba.
In 1860 he married Catherine Ingersoll and together they had 3 children. He won his first seat in the Manitoba Legislature by acclamation in 1879 and was re-elected or acclaimed at the general elections of 1883, 1886 and 1888. He was also a Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1888 until his death.
Upon my arrival at the church which is down a horrid PTH (that’s not surprising in this Province right now) to this well kept church and cemetery, it wasn’t what I was expecting. When I came around the back I found the headstone of a friend’s Dad. She told me today that her parents were also engaged at this church and her Mom grew up not far from here. Her maternal grandparents are buried beside her Dad.
I’m happy I made my way down here. Of course I tried to avoid going back down the PTH and ended up in a maze of gravel roads and pouring rain but with Colton’s keen Snapchat mapping skills, we made it home.
This is one of the first houses I photographed and one of the first houses I actually went inside of.
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.
This yard is still used for storage and there is a path leading out to a field. The current landowner frequents this location often.
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.
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.
And you may recall this little blue truck, from previous posts, although Mother Nature is really taking it over.
I would LOVE to see a photograph of this house when it was in its prime.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The family kept Percheron horses and they jointly owned a Case tractor and separator with another family.
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.
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.
This was another property with not much history but as you can see, there’s not much there to report anyways. With the skies, I had to stop a take a couple of photos.
All that’s left is an old grainery and a shed of some sort. It was a warm but very windy day when I ventured out on my own and I didn’t feel like trekking through the snow which was still quite deep at the time.
R.W. was born December 4, 1882 in Cumberland, Ontario and moved to Manitoba in 1886 when he was just 4 years old. His Grandparents immigrated to Canada from Belfast, Ireland.
Upon arriving in Manitoba his father listed his worldly possessions as his wife, children (4 at the time), two horses, two colts, two cows and $7.00 in cash. They knew their destination and settled in a one room 14 x 16 log shanty with a sod roof. Within 4 years, 4 more children were born. His wife was considered a frail woman. At the age of 36 she developed a cough and died.
Their son R.W. settled on this piece of land and in 1905 he married a woman from Fairfax. Their home was said to be very welcoming and the door was always open, so much so that ministers and evangelists made it their headquarters.
They lived first in a log house and then built this beautiful brick Eaton’s Earlsfield home which was later occupied by his Grandson and his family.
When I first spotted this house from a mile over, pulling up I knew this had to be an Eaton’s home. This is the 3rd one in my area that I have found. This was Eaton’s most popular style.
R.W. served on the local board for many years and was the chairman of the yearly local Christmas concerts.
Mrs. died in 1947 and Mr. eventually re-married and moved to Calgary. He passed in 1965.
Their son, L.W. married a widow with four children. Together they had a son of their own who went on to farm on the land. L.W. married and together he and his wife had three children.
Grandfather, son and grandson were all educated at the same school.
The Belfry School District was established in January 1891 on land donated by local farmer, Warren Belfry from whom the school name was derived.
Five years later, the building was moved to its present location where it remains somehwat stable. The floor is caving in so I did not attempt to enter beyond the front step.
Due to low numbers, the school was closed between June 1940 and January 1945. The school closed permanently in June 1962 and the remaining students were bused to Elva School, Pierson School, or Melita School.
Some of the teachers who worked at Belfry School included: Miss Hope (1907), Miss Wheeler, Miss Rodgers, Miss Carson, Miss Fizzell, Miss Pheonix, Miss Archibald, Miss Strong, Miss Wells, Miss Shands, Olive House, Ruby Fletcher Reddaway (1939-1940), Miss Munro, Melba Dobbyn, Miss Cooper, Miss Stamper, Hazel McLintock, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Roblin, and Mrs. Betty Pederson (1961-1962).
The resident of this house was out sunning himself in the grass when we pulled up. When I got out of the car he took off so fast that he didn’t even touch one of the steps going into the house. He was a large, tabby cat. The kids figured they were going to lure him outside and rescue him!
I’ve seen photos of this truck and house many times but it was what was behind it that really caught my attention.
A Studebaker. What an incredible old truck. Possibly 1948 to 1953. I was told today that its likely a 1950’s. The old vehicles don’t typically get me too excited but these two old trucks were in excellent condition. So nice to see. When I posted same on Facebook, one lady even replied giving the name of the owner of this truck. So cool.
A short drive down the street revealed more abandoned homes but also a couple of occupied residences. My son wasn’t happy about me getting out and taking photos but I assured him that the people that live in this town are probably pretty used to people coming in and taking photos of the old houses. And I had no intentions of taking photos of homes or properties of the homes that are lived in.
I’ve seen this house posted numerous times. I would imagine it was very elegant in its time. Its very treed in at the front and I wasn’t prepared to tresspass.
This nice brick house was right across the street. There were several old homes in this town and I could have photographed several more but only stopped for the ones that really caught my attention.
I wasn’t going to stop for this house but did when I noticed the sign above the door. The home of G. Ramsay. Of course the first thing I thought of was Hell’s Kitchen.
If your interested in this kind of stuff, I really do suggest you make the trip. I do hesitate to post the location of this town but I know that most people know where it is anyways. I just hope that everyone respects peoples property and belongings.
On June 8, 1881 this family left their 50 acre farm in Ontario and headed to Manitoba with a cow, calf, wagon, a small amount of oats and a few small articles. Arriving in Portage la Prairie by rail, the family waited there for two days before making their way west. At that time they bought a Red River cart and a team of oxen.
Upon arrival to the designated spot to choose a homestead, all the decent farming land was spoken for. While having pancakes with another farmer, the man advised Mr. of land in another range. The next morning he set out and this land was his. Newly acquiring the property, the necessary arrangments needed to be finalized so he set out the next day to walk to Deloraine. The walked seemed to take forever with nothing or no one in sight. He finally came upon some aboriginals and spent the night with them, breaking bread. They next morning they finished the trek together. He then set back to Portage la Prairie for his wife and 3 children as well as their trunks, bedding, a churn for water and 7 fowl. Mrs. and the 3 kids slept in the covered wagon at night during the week long trek to their land. Upon their arrival they set up a tent at another farm while Mr. broke the land.
Mrs. was handy when it came to bread making and baked many a loaf for the bachelors. At the time flour was $1.00 for a 100 pound sack. She also tended to the ill and was a huge help to other pioneer women.
In 1882 the family sowed five acres to wheat and broke more to oats. The crop was cut by cradle and was made to bands out of wheat ties sheave and stacked. The following year, two men came along with a threshing machine they had just purchased in Brandon. They cut the families crop for $25.00 and the families oxen were used to haul the machine to its final destination. Mr. sold his wheat in Brandon, a trip that would take him 3 days to make.
In the winter of 1884 the wife and 3 of the children came down with diphteria. One of the children passed away as well as a female neighbor. The family traveled to Brandon for medical attention. That same winter, Mr. suffered from snow blindness but Mrs. poulticed his eyes with tea leaves until they were better.
The men traveled to 8 to 9 miles for wood. They always took the cattle with them to allow them a good drink in the nearby river.
The family built their first home in 1899 with logs from the Turtle Mountains. During their life they had 9 children, two of which died very young. Mrs. passed away in 1932 at the age of 80 years and Mr. passed in 1937 at the age of 96. Mr. was the son of Samuel, a descendent of Ireland to traveled to Canada by ship. James obituary stated he was practical farmer and a first class manager which resulted in him being a great success in his farming operation. He was a great friend and was made an honorary member of the Manitoba Grand Orange Lodge. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest Orangeman in the Province.
Their son Samuel who never married took on the family farm and upon his death gave it to his nephew Harvey.
The Great-Great Grandfather of this land owner was known as the “Hallgrim the one-handed” and was lost at sea in 1873.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There was even a lit , neon open sign in an old shop in a business close to this one.
When the railway line into Snowflake was abandoned, the writing was on the wall for this small town in south-central Manitoba.
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.
The United Church closed in 1994. Snowflake’s unmaintained roads and buildings bear testament to the gradual decline of this once-thriving farming community.
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.
One home I drove by looked new and another, which I initially thought was also abandonded, was not.
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.
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.
This Snowy Owl, which I have been referring to as a “he” in all of my other postings is actually a “she”. How do I know this? The male Snowy Owl is mostly white while the female has more flecks of black in its plummage.
Cade, Makenna and I were out and about, touring around for houses that I had permission to shoot. We pulled up to my final stop of the day only to discover that I would be soaked and covered in mud after getting through the ditch and then across the section of land to the house. Cade started to drive around the section of land to see if I could get in easier, from another angle. While driving around and contemplating just making the trek to the middle of the section Cade spotted this Snowy on the pole.
I got my camera ready, lens extended and Cade slowly turned the car so that I could roll down the window. I thought for sure I’d get it on the fly, the shot would be blurry and I would be pissed. She didn’t move. In fact, she wouldn’t turn her head and look at me. I started to make noises and whistle. I walked some distance and was pretty much under her when I got this shot. I wanted her to fly. She finally did and it wasn’t until we were driving away and I went through the shots that I found this.
This was worth my numb fingers and sore shoulder from carrying my 600mm and trying to support it and hold it still in the wind.
Once she flew away I figured our photo shoot was done for the day but nope, she landed on an old fence post off in a field, not out of reach of my lens. At this point, Cade had to drive back to get me, I had followed her that far by foot. And of course, I didn’t have mitts and my hands were frozen.
We ended our session with this. Cade figures this should be framed and displayed in the house as well.
If I were to have this printed, I may crop it a tad. What a day. This is exactly why I bought this lens and I’m sure happy I did.
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.
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.
Regardless, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 