RM of Boissevain-Morton – CRUMBLING MEMORIES

January 19, 2021

A CLOSER LOOK

Last year at this time, on a beautiful winter day, I headed out to this house. Of course I had numerous stops on my journey and by the time I got there my feet were soaked and it was windy as all get out. I couldn’t work up enough nerve to get close enough as there was a slew around the house and I wasn’t brave enough to try the driveway. I took some long exposure shots but I left knowing I had to have a better look. So I waited until I could take Cade with me.

There isn’t much there but it is an interesting design.

Built up on a hill with a long drive ride up to the side of the home, I would imagine it was a pretty good location as it is close to a major highway.

When I called back in the Summer to get permission to go back, the landowner told me that her Granddaughters used to love playing in the old house and would camp out in it.

The grass around the house is very long but Cade took the lead and walked around the whole house for us to pack down a trail (I’m scared of wells). I sure am happy that I went back for a closer look and some better photos.

December 24, 2020

SON OF THE FATHER OF BOISSEVAIN

I visited this house a few years ago but while cleaning and sorting through my abandoned stuff I found more information which I had to add.

Established in 1881 this house was built by the son whose Father was known as the Father of Boissevain. George Morton was a very successful man and was considered a “prime mover” in the development of the town of Boissevain. In fact, the RM was named in his honor.

His son Lewis built this beautiful home with “Turtle Mountain” lumber in 1881 in an effort to provide a sturdy shelter for his wife and family. He built the house himself using poplar lumber, some of which was milled at his Father’s sawmill at Lake Max. The inside was plastered throughout with a durable mix of sand, lime and horsehair, a covering that gave considerable resistance with the home was renovated in the 40’s. The cedar shingles which are still intact were shipped from Ontario.

To keep the place clean, the walls were papered frequently, often using newspapers. The walls were also wrapped in burlap. This house was the first in the area to have a bathtub and sink installed.

Lewis and his wife raised 17 children in this home. The house was often filled with friends and family where their loved of music was shared.

November 14, 2020

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.

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020

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.

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May 9, 2020

STRATFORD, ONTARIO

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.

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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.

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April 19, 2020April 19, 2020

WAITING FOR OWLETTES

Last week I stopped at this nest to try and get a photograph of this Momma. I didn’t get a shot worth sharing so today on our way out we stopped again with the hopes that I could catch one of her snowy, white owelettes.

No owlettes today, unless she was hiding them really well to make sure the wind didn’t knock them out of the tree.

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My husband has eagle eyes and spotted this nest while driving. Good eye Hon.

February 22, 2020

JOHN & ANNIE

James was born in Ireland in 1828. In 1848 he immigrated to Ontario where he met Elizabeth. They married in 1850. Elizabeth is said to be the sister of Walt Disney’s Grandfather. James and Elizabeth moved to Manitoba in 1889. James was a wheelwright and Elizabeth wove carpets. Together they had 10 children.

Their son John married Annie and together they had 6 children. In 1902 they built their second home on this land, this stone home. Before the family moved in, Annie painted the kitchen with a high gloss white enamel oil paint. She died a few days later of lead poisoning. This was a devastating loss to the family. For many years their oldest daughther stepped in to help her father raise the younger children with the help of her aunt from Ontario. In 1908 John remarried.

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In 1918 John and his second wife retired to the nearby town and John’s son Cliff took over the farm and the old stone home. John helped Cliff on the farm and two years after his retirement, John was killed in a binder accident.

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In 1939 Cliff sold the farm and moved to Brandon where he worked as a carpenter and operated the Four Star Theatre at Rivers, Manitoba. Cliff died at 62 years of age.

This beautiful field stone home still stands tall and was occupied up until a few years ago. Rumor has it that the large home is very expensive to heat and decided to move.

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019

THREE LITTLE PIGS

I found this house this Summer, on the way to the fallen house.

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This I stopped again for a look around. From far away I thought the “brick” on the house was asphalt siding. It was real, red brick.

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Oddly enough, the brick is only missing on the North and South sides of the house. I did not have permission to enter the house but was happy with the exterior shots.

I could see from a distance, two Corel coffee mugs hanging on the side of the house.

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On the property there was also an old stone foundation but I couldn’t tell what it was.

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Again, I could not find any history on this house. I do know that the first registered owner was George Robinson who claimed this land in 1894. He sold the house 6 years later in 1901 to the Towns family.

November 18, 2019

WE ALL FALL DOWN

Cade & I found this house in April. I settled for a road shot, made a note of its location and started the search for its land owner. I couldn’t wait to get closer for some better shots of this house.

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I went back a couple weeks later and the crop was already sprouting so I decided I would wait and not attempt to cross across the crop. I would wait until the Fall.

One late Summer day the sky was fabulous and since this isn’t far from my house I went for a ride to take some more photos. This is a completely unedited shot. I LOVE this photo.

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This weekend, I went back and she’s gone. All that’s left is a small pile of rubble where she used to stand. Tonight while searching the history of this property, I didn’t find much and really can’t confirm anything except to say that the first land owner took possession of the property in 1894. 6 years later land owner number 2 took over.

I’m happy that I didn’t find anything more as not getting closer kind leaves its history as a mystery that will always keep me wondering. I’m happy for the shots I got though.

November 17, 2019November 17, 2019

BUBO SCANDIACUS

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

August 5, 2019

FAMILY OF 12

Sam came to the Ninga District with his family in 1882. He worked for others for a small wage until he bought this property on October 23, 1893. He married Isabel in March 14, 1894 and raised 12 children on this property.

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In 1966 the property was sold to the Peters Family, also immigrated from Russia.

There is no home visable on the land except for this truck. The front of the property from the road is completely grown over by cariganas. I took a walk down a field lane and was met by many birds and butterflies but the dense bush did not reveal what it was hiding.

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I do love this old truck that sits proudly outside its home.

May 11, 2019

CLIFFE

A few weeks back we were out and about as a family driving around when I realized that my husband has a talent for spotting houses, houses that I didn’t even notice. He found two of them that day, this being one of them.

I took a roadside shot and then came home and contacted the landowner for permission for a closer look.

I often rely on my Canon SX60 HS for those long difficult shots that the DSLR and my 300mm lens just can’t get without lens shake or some sort of distortion. The point and shoot captured this home perfectly and honestly, I didn’t get a better shot when I returned.

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My son joined me on this adventure but didn’t get out of the car to explore with me.

This is also another home that I couldn’t find a whole lot of history about. Argh!

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The first recorded landowner was of Irish Decent and born in 1856 in the Township of Landsdowne, Ontario. He had one daughter from his first marriage. He married for the second time in 1885 and came to Manitoba in 1889 as per the individual recorded family history. The history that I find on this property gives two dates for the purchase of this land. The RM’s records list a date of 1912.

WHC settled into farming in Manitoba and the first land he broke was 17 acres. Unfortunately it wasn’t until the 3rd year that the family would see a crop. The first was frozen and the second was damaged by hail. When he wasn’t farming, WHC did carpentry work for others.

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WHC and his second wife had 3 children. He passed away accidentally in 1911. Mrs. passed in 1928. One of their sons farmed the home land with his wife until 1937 when they retired to Boissevain where he did carpentry work and was an appliance repair man.

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You truly could not get a bad photo of this house. The skies were incredible on my second visit and to be completely honest, I shot in auto mode all day and was 100% satisfied with all the shots I took.

While I cannot confirm who built this home and who lived in it when, I do know that WHC’s son sold the property to the second recorded landowner in approximately 1945. When he passed away his nephew bought the property and now farms the land surrounding the home, outbuildings and what is left of the barn.

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I would have loved to have seen this barn when it was standing. I would assume with the carpentry background of father and son, it was likely well built and quite amazing.

May 7, 2019May 8, 2019

EDITH & ROBERT

This couple purchased this land in 1911 when they married. I am going to assume that they bought this land from one of Mr’s relatives as the same last name is listed as the first land owner of this section of land in 1891. This couple retired from the farm to Boissevain in 1949.

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Their only son John Robert, who was better known as Jack, farmed the property next door after he married in 1947 and moved away from his parents home farm. Mr. was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows and acted as a trustee and chairman of the Fairburn School Division. His wife was active in the Royal Canadian Legion Auxiliary and the Fairburn District Ladies’ Group.

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The property was then sold to KA. I cannot confirm any history of this family living here. I can say that the home has been vacant for some time as there is no longer much of a floor in the home and it is teetering on what is left of the foundation.

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After KA owned the land the farm was sold to the Guide Family. Again, I cannot find anything about this family even though it is recorded that they owned this property for approximately 17 years. There is a good possibility that the land was purchased for the sole purpose of farming it and nothing more.

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There were a lot of neat little finds around the yard, including this old ringer washer and stove.

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I did some googling but I could not confirm anything I found.

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There was a lot of old equipment there as well and I have to say that this was probably the neatest thing I found, aside from the piece of stove.

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I contemplated going back to this property on this beautifully cloudy day, after I was told about it back in the winter. I sure am happy that I did even though I didn’t get as much history as I would have liked, I sure did find some good photo opprotunities.

January 27, 2019January 27, 2019

SPECIAL CALL

Every once in a while, when speaking to a landowner, they will ask me if I would be willing to share with them some of the photos that I have taken of their property. I always do.

Just this last week I got a phone call from Mr. H calling to thank me for the prints that I sent him. He also welcomed me back anytime and told me that my photographs were “really, quite impressive.” Thank you very much, Mr. H.

I will certainly be heading back when the weather warms up. I want to capture the sunset through these trees.

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019

1908

The first descendants of this family farm purchased this land in 1908. It has been in the family for 3 generations. The land had 3 previous owners and the first recorded land owner was recorded in 1901.

Mr. H’s parents married in 1942 and this home was built for their new family. They moved to the original family homestead in 1952. Mr. H doesn’t recall living in the home but advised me that he was told he moved when he was roughly 5. He has made every attempt to prevent the home from being damaged and vandalized.

The family has been very active in farming and Mr. told me that until a while ago he made use of the graineries on the property but said age and advances in technology made it hard to use and utilize the way he’d like to. Mr’s parents were the third generation to farm this land and were very successful. Over the years they witnessed vast changes in the farming industry. The land was first farmed with horses and threshing machines, they survived the depression and spent their lives keeping up-to-date with the changes in their industry. They farmed till they passed.

Mr. now lives in the original family homestead which was built in 1886. In the early 2000’s a two story barn built in the 1900’s was destroyed by fire. Mr. had hired a mason to repair the stone foundation but the fire was to much for the old building to withstand.

December 15, 2018

WANTING MORE

I came upon this home driving around down the back roads one afternoon with the girls. I do recall that on this day we made many finds.

I headed home and started calling around for permission.

Mr. & Mrs. M were married in 1890 and came to the area and purchased this section of land. It remained in the family until 1996 when another family took over the land to farm it. A small section of land is still owned by descendants of this man.

Mr. & Mrs. M had 3 sons. One married and raised his own daughters on this land. He had been farming the land on his own since he was 17 years old when he father passed away. The youngest, Stafford went away and joined the RCMP but later came back to farm the land with his brother and mother.

One of S’s daughters stayed on the property and was the third generation to farm this land. It was her pride and joy.

I have to admit that I wasn’t happy with my photos of the house as there was a hydro line running right across the front of it. You can see from this photo though, where the photo of the family in the car was taken.

D’s passion was horses. Following in her mother’s footsteps she started raising purebred Tennessee Walking Horses. Evidence of this love was all around the home and this barn built in 1916. Horses were purchased from D and sent to Minnesota, Montana and all over Canada.

This is another one of those homes where they left but knew they were going to keep coming back. Everything is inside. You could move right back in, except age and time won over and the floor has given to the test of time.

There was no way to get upstairs for a look but I imagine that this home and property was stunning in its time. Except for the floor, the home stands tall. The curtain from this upstairs window kept blowing in and out, inviting you inside.

This property is truly a timeless treasure.

November 24, 2018

COUNTY DERBY, ONTARIO

This family purchased this land in 1903.

I cannot tell you when this house was built but I can tell you it was very large and spacious with large sliding doors which separated the dinning room from the sitting area at the front of the house.

On the one side of the house there was a stairway leading up with a large wood banister and railings.

The view from the top floor of the home was amazing. There is a large bathroom and 4 bedrooms with a big hallway and large linen closet. This is also where we found the door to 3rd story of the home where someone took it upon himself to get a look around from the roof!!! There was a large eat-in kitchen with a side door off of it and a stairway to the basement which is wasn’t brave enough to try.

November 24, 2018

KITTIES EVERYWHERE

We weren’t expecting to find a house but we did. And a whole lot of cats. We were lucky enough to meet the gentleman who owns the land and was very familiar with the old homes surrounding him.

His ancestors were born in England but immigrated to the area in the late 1800’s. He started working for a gentleman in the area and in 1899 bought this section of land and built a house and married his wife.

The area school was on the corner of the road leading to his property and history reports that the current teacher allowed the children in her class to watch Mr. drive by with the first car in the area.

In 1914 this home was built. He was a four bedroom home with electric lights and a power washer.

Mr. had a threshing outfit and threshed for many of his neighbours. Farming changed, horses were replaced by combines. That didn’t happen for this family on their sloughy land until 1929. The drought came.

The current land owner is the third generation to farm this land.

November 20, 2018November 20, 2018

ONE HORSE TOWN

My dear husband and son found this place for me a couple weeks ago on their way fishing. After a quick phone call I was granted permission to have a look and received an invite to check out another place when I had time.

The home is now in the middle of a pasture and on that day we were visited by a very vocal mare.

Behind the home was a large body of water that was likely a source of water for cattle and now, the mare. I was told by the current land owner that his friend lived her and was actually knocked into this water by his bull, knocked out cold and drowned.

We did find an old barn and a piece of old equipment which was really neat.

This was a neat old machine.

I really liked how the setting for your different grains was attached right to the machine for your easy reference.

I have done some searching on this family and the property but have come up empty handed. I won’t stop though and if I do find more info, I will be sure to add it.

November 20, 2018November 20, 2018

HAUTE

I was lucky enough to be told the location of this home from a fellow abandon seeker in the area whom I believe’s great grandmother or grandmother once lived in the home.

The original owner of this land came to Manitoba in 1885 from Quebec. He married in 1894 and then bought this land. The first buildings on the land were a low frame house a log barn and a shop. The two latter were sod covered.

In 1918 Mr. decided it was time for a new house and planned for a two and a half storey home that was 25 by 32 feet. The materials were purchased from G.B. Robinson, a lumber dealer in Elgin, Manitoba. Recorded total cost for the materials and labor to build the home was $4,448.53.

Mr was an avid goose hunter and I would imagine the hunting was very good off the Whitewater Lake. It is said that many loads of geese were shipped to Winnipeg via rail and served as a delicacy in posh hotels.

Mr. & Mrs. had five children.

The home was a stop over for men hauling wood from the Turtle Mountains across the Whitewater Lake who would warm up and have refreshments before carrying on to the Elgin District.

The youngest son farmed the land until 1966 when they moved to a nearby town.