Tag: southernmanitobaabandoned

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CONCEALED

Here is another house I photographed back in the late summer of 2020. It is another one that I cannot find any concrete history on so, I’m just going to leave it here and if that ever changes, I’ll re-write my post and share its story.

This home is well hidden. It was rented out for a time but once the last tenants moved it was quickly taken over by Mother Nature. I did not get close as the vegetation was quite high and I was alone. Better to be safe than sorry. I know that Cade’s aunt worries about me alone on these excurisons and the possibility of there being a well, so I err on the side of caution.

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OLD WOODEN WINDMILL

I was given permission to photograph this property this past summer. I made my way out in the fall. What a beautiful old farm yard this is.

The yard is beautifully kept and there were all sorts of interesting little buildings on the edge of the property, some tucked away in the trees and one overtaken by Mother Nature.

It is clear that the family of this old farmstead cares for this farm, which I am sure holds many memories for them, their children and grandchildren.

We found what I believe must have been the original home on the property.

This family immigrated to Canada in 1891 from England where they were wool cloth merchants. They arrived in Canada with five children.

Their son William married and had two boys of their own. He moved away from the original homestead of his parents and bought this farm. His son then farmed this land.

The home, small and quaint showed some signs of a time when it was still occupied. There was an old toaster on the counter along with an old plate.

And this old fridge

The one thing that really caught my attention on the farmstead was this old wooden windmill. I have come across many windmills in my travels but this one is something else.

It was in pretty good shape considering its age. I googled to see when these were used but was not able to find any further information on this. Can you imagine the wooden blades in a windstorm?

I am actually nervous about writing about this history because I don’t want to mess anything up.

It was definitely worth the trip. I very much enjoyed my walk around this old homestead and appreciate the welcome to photograph same from its current owner who loves this old farm dearly. He is also a photographer himself so there was that pressure as well, lol. He and his wife have so many beautiful memories to share about their childhood, their life on the farm and their life in general. I wouldn’t want to mess any of those memories up.

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BLUE ROOF

I seen a photo of this house a few years ago and wondered if one day I would spot it given its in my territory. I was thrilled when a fellow bando friend posted a photo of it and shared its location with me.

Even better, its on land owned by a friend. So Cade took me out to check it out. I would have walked in closer but the thistles were waist high and thick. This was close enough for me, although the other side and a peak inside would be cool. Maybe in the fall.

Downfall, no history. Can’t have everything, right?

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HOLMFIELD

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.

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THE MCLEAN’S

I spotted this one on one of our many trips to Winnipeg this summer and finally stopped one evening to get a couple photos.

The first descendants of this family, namely Sam, arrived in Ontario, Canada in 1848 from Ireland because of the potato famine. The family moved to Manitoba and upon their arrival formed the district of Londesboro #114.

His Grandson Clifford and his wife would later obtain this land where their children were born, including their son George who was born in this home in 1931. He lived here with his wife Valerie for 61 years.

In 1992 their son and his wife moved to this farm but later moved their herd to another location.

I would love to find a photo of this home in its prime. I would imagine that it was quite grand. When I first pulled up to it, I wasn’t entirely sure that it might not be a school.

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TUCKED AWAY

My fellow abandoned seeking friend Lee found this house a while back, very close to two that I had previously photograghed. I finally got out there this summer.

The property is very grown over and getting a good shot with all the foliage was really hard given all the broken trees and branches around the front of the house. The landowner wanted to be out there with me when I took the photos and it had been some time since she had been here herself. The home had never been lived in by her family and was purchased for farm land. She wasn’t able to tell me much about its history and a search of the property and original owners didn’t tell me anything.

While walking around we scared up an owl. She also told me that she would be willing to attend with me to some of her other properties that also have abandoned houses on them. We talked about doing that in the fall after the crops were off but that didn’t happen. We will shoot for Spring.

While we were out and about on the property she did advise me that for the longest time there was a boat near the house which is no longer there.

She assures me that the homes on her other land are far more exciting so I’m looking forward to getting out there to see what she has.

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RUNAWAY

At 13, John ran away from Ireland to England. From there he stowed away on a cattle boat to Canada. When he was discovered, he worked to earn his passage until he arrived in Ontario. He soon found work with a stone mason and continued to work in this trade. He married his Mrs. in 1874 and had 4 children. One of their son’s passed away and the tender age of 7. In 1885 the family moved to Peotone, Illinois but came back to Canada in 1887.

John chose this piece of land to settle on and immediately began to build a home using wood hauled from the Turtle Mountains.

While John made money doing masonry work in the area, his son and wife broke 14 acres of land with an ox, horse and walking plow.

In 1897 a prairie wild fire threatened the homestead but Mrs. & her daughter were able to safe the home by dumping water on the grass all around the house. They did lose the barn, a bull, pigs and some chickens. John then built a stone barn with a sod roof.

In 1913 John was killed when he was ran over by a pony on the streets in Waskada, MB. The family moved away from the farm for a couple years while William learned the ins and outs of farming from his uncle. William, his mother and sister, Annie moved back in 1916. In 1935 Mrs. and her daughter Annie moved back to town. There Mrs. spent hours quilting for her grandchildren as well as carding wool and spinning it into yarn to make mitts for her family & friends. Mrs. passed away in 1941 at the young age of 81 years. At that time Annie moved back in with her brother but passed away 13 years later.

The family has said that this was a place where many memories were made. At one time there were 27 people on the farm for a whole week where they slept on the floor and even in the barn loft.

Cade spotted this farmstead on our tour of the far Southwest corner of the province last April. The sky was amazing, the weather was beautiful. These photos were taken from the road and were not on our to see list.

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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.

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COPENHAGEN

Mr. & Mrs. K migrated to this area in 1882. Born in 1852 and 1860, under the direction of her brother, arrived in Virden, Manitoba. Here they met Mr. Drysdale who brought them to their land. In 1887 Mrs. bought a neighboring section of land in 1887 from an early homesteader.

The couple raised two boys on this land. Their oldest boy was said to be an avid baseball player in 1903 and 1904 and the family would travel by horse and buggy.

The family farmed for a living and it is said that Mr. drew his first wheat to Souris. This was a 4 day round trip.

The home was well-known as a stop over place for travelers. These travelers were said to put their horses in the barn and knew which room was available to retire in. So even when the family was away, these travelers would make their way inside and retire before they countined on their journey. The family would find out who their visitors were when they came down for breakfast the next morning.

The eldest son of Mr. & Mrs. K was Charles married Nellie who immigrated from Scotland. Two son’s were born of this union. Charles continued to farm his fathers land while his brother married and bought his own land. The brothers continued to work together. Charles sat on the board of directors for the Dalny Pool Elevator. Charles was also the first person in the area to own an automobile which they purchased in 1909. Charlie & Nellie eventually moved to Winnipeg where Charlie became a mechanic. They eventually retired to Vancouver. Charlie passed in 1968 and Nellie in 1982. One of their son’s joined the R.C.A.F as a mechanic and their youngest son moved to California and became a real estate agent.

The next family to own this land doesn’t have any recorded information about their time on this farm.

We visited this house back at the start of Covid. The weather was amazing for mid-April (my sister’s birthday to be exact.) This was another day when we were trying to get somewhere and kept spotting more and more roofs as we went. From the clouds you will likely be able to figure which houses were also shot on this beautiful Spring day.

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THE FIRST SETTLERS

This history made my head hurt. There’s just so much and then trying to link it all together without screwing it up. I actually started it and then stopped and went away from it for a few days. But here I am, making another attempt and writing just the most recent. I tend to become long winded when I write and I needed to remind myself to stick to what I know for sure, sort of.

I have been waiting many years for these houses to become more abandoned looking. And really when I photographed them, I wasn’t expecting to find out a whole bunch about them. Well, never assume because this piece of property and the family that owned it is full of history.

Sections of this land were purchased by the first settlers in this area who arrived in 1881. They did not homestead on this property but they farmed it because it is said that at that time land was cheap and “fertile”. Early settlers made out well.

The families who homesteaded on this land were not the original landowners. From my understanding, homes were not built here until many years later. In fact, the niece of one of the original settlers came from Montreal with her two boys to be a housekeeper for her uncle. Her son B, worked for his great uncle and eventually bought the land in 1912. B married and together the couple had 11 children, although 4 of those children died in infancy. Two of their son’s would eventually take over the farm for their parents.

I am going to make the assumption that this home was built by B & M and was the home that the two brothers were born and raised in. I am also going to assume that this house was an Eaton’s catalogue home. The home is still in very good condition although someone has come along and smashed windows.

Partners, I assume that when the brothers were old enough to have families of their own but wanted to continue farming together, this second home was built.

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TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

The very early history of this family is one that must be told. Richard & Maria who married in Kilkenny, Ireland on April 20, 1815, sought fame and fortune in the New World. Richard was able to find a exceptionally cheap passage and jumped on the opportunity right away. Young (20 years old) and newly married, Richard left his 18 years old bride behind. The plan was that she would board a ship with friends a month later. This would allow Richard to get their new home ready for her arrival. Turns out, the ship Richard boarded was a British privateer and the cheap passage had been a new press-gang scheme. After sailing the South Atlantic for 6 weeks, Richard knew there was a Yankee ship many miles away. Under the cover of darkness, Richard climbed out of a porthole and lowered himself to the ice cold, shark filled waters with a rope. After swimming for hours towards the light of the ship and with barely enough strength or energy, he crawled into the chain works by means of a broken rigging cable. Once on board, he collapsed in utter exhaustion. When the privateer came the following day, seeking their wayward passenger, the captain of the Yankee ship, impressed by Richard’s courage and determination, stowed him away in a crate and convinced the privateer that there was no way anyone could have survived in those waters.

Upon Richard’s arrival in Montreal and in great despair about the well-being of his young wife. After confirming that she had been a passenger on a recently landed ship, he headed to the government office to make some inquiries about his trip west. Upon his departure he spotted Maria coming down the stairs. The couple later received land from Colonel Talbot and started farming. Richard and Maria started farming, raised 11 children on their land. Richard served as a magistrate for many years. He was also one of the early founders of the Methodist Church in his community.

Richard and Maria’s grandson, Charles built this house in 1911 with the help of a local contractor. The bricks for this home were made in the families own brickyard. In 1912 they built a barn, but that no longer stands.

Born in 1901, Richard’s great granddaughter would later move into the home with her husband who was a well known horseman. He worked as a driver and would drive doctors and salesmen all over the country. During the 1918 flu pandemic he and his brother would drive doctors to the home of people seeking medical attention.

They raised two boys in this home. The family raised Shorthorn cattle on the farm. Mr. died in 1964 but Mrs. remained on the farm until her ill-health forced her to move into care in 1981. The photo above, Mr. being in the cowboy hat with his wife on his right, shows the couple with his family.

This beautiful old home is visible from the highway. I didn’t even get out of the car to take this shot. Here’s what I didn’t do. I didn’t write down where I was when I took this photo so when it came time do the history of the house, I couldn’t remember where I had photographed it so that I could search the history. I had to reach out to a fellow hockey parent from the area in hope that he would be able to help me. Thank you friend.

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LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Situated in the same small town that is home to the oldest elevator in Manitoba and possibly Canada, this little house and its land was now owned by our neighbor. We were in the early stages of the COVID-19 lock down back in April and we were all happy to get out and to do something.

I didn’t have to hunt for this cute little house, it was a freebie. And once in a while its nice to not have to search. I had no idea what we were going to find when we got here but it was worth it. To top it off, we were given permission to enter the little home but was advised the stairs were sketchy.

Given it was Spring and nothing was really growing yet, the yard was easy to navigate. It was then I realized that summer exploring can sometimes be a pain in the ass. My goal is to get out as much as I can next Spring and Fall, which I think are the perfect time for searching and shooting abandoned properties.

When I came upon this back door to enter, the stench of skunk decided for me, that I would not be venturing inside. There is no way I was risking being sprayed this far away from home. What a ride home that would have been! I think I need to start carrying a garbage bag and a change of clothes with me cause being sprayed by a skunk is very possible with this hobby.

As you can see, the skies were absolutely amazing that day.

This is what I can tell you. The original owner of this land purchased same from the railroad in 1893. He attempted to sell the land in 1901 but the sale fell through. The land was then purchased by Mr. M in 1910 by “quit claim deed” and same was farmed by him and then his sons. Mr. M farmed the land and worked at the local post office until 1906 when his son Finlay took over this half section of land while his other son took over the other half. It is said that this house was built shortly after Mr. M acquired the land. At one time there was also a barn but that is no longer there.

Our trip to this small town to see this little house was certainly worth it. Thanks neighbor.

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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.

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A LITTLE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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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GREGORY

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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KEEP GOING BACK

This is one of the first houses I photographed and one of the first houses I actually went inside of.

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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.

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This yard is still used for storage and there is a path leading out to a field.  The current landowner frequents this location often.

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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.

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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.

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And you may recall this little blue truck, from previous posts, although Mother Nature is really taking it over.

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I would LOVE to see a photograph of this house when it was in its prime.

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SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

During the early stages of COVID, we were all eager for a day out of the house so we went house hunting.  I have to admit that I had plans to go a lot further than we did but it was so worth it and I have all summer to get to the edge of Manitoba to see what I need to see.

Along the way we made numerous stops that were not on my to do list.  My eagle-eyed husband just kept spotting things in the distance and so, we stopped I shot, we carried on.

This is one of them.  I cannot find any history on it so this is all I’ve got.  Honestly, I took two photos from the side of the road and carried on.  I don’t think I even got out of the Jeep to take this photo.

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MR. BEAR

James and his family originally immigrated to Canada to Cornwall, Ontario.  The 2nd of 12 children, James came to Manitoba followed by his two brothers and two sisters.  His sister married and from my understanding lived on this land with her husband.  I do not know if it was them that built this house, or her great-nephew, Donald when he acquired the land upon his marriage.  I can tell you that this family had five generations live and farm this land.  It has been in their name since 1893 and in the family, by relative, since 1883.

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The land, a well-wooded section of land was broken by steam engine and bush plow.  Throughout the property, trails were made for travel, via wagon.  In one of the wooded areas, on the way to the house, I did see what was left of an old wagon.

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There is a barn on this particular section.  I do know that the family built a barn that had a windmill built in the center, which supplied power to pump water.  Outside the barn, at any given time, had hundreds of bags of grain from neighbors, waiting to be ground.  Unfortunately, it was the same windmill that cause a fire in 1917.  A second barn was rebuilt in the same location.  From what I see, it makes perfect sense that the barn still standing there today, could be from the early 1900’s.

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James wife died in 1895.  With his young family in tow, he returned to Ontario.  He was homesick for Manitoba and returned with his mother who helped him care for her grandchildren.  In 1924 he drove his Model T to Victoria, BC and married his deceased brother’s wife.  His son took over the farm.

James son, Angus (also known as Angie) married Alice on November 30, 1914 and purchased this piece of land, which was at one time was owned by Alice’s uncle.

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Together Angie & Alice had 3 children.

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They lived on the farm for 30 years and upon their move their only son, Donald, born in 1916, on this farm, took over the farm from Angie and Alice.

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Donald’s son who was born in 1949, built a new house in 1974.  At the time Grandpa Angie was 86 years old and helped work on it with his Grandson.  The newer house and the original house shown above, remains standing on the property.

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The trails and shaded areas where the family once had family picnics remain.  Somewhere on this section of land there were even tennis courts.

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The current owners of this property live in a third house on the property and run their own farming operation here.  They have goats, sheep and cattle.  It was hard for me to take photos as I did not want to invade their space. I am thankful for them allowing me to photograph parts of their farm that is their home.

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BILLY’S PLACE

One night last winter on my way home from exploring an abandoned town, I couldn’t help but notice the sunset.  I was really close to a location that I thought would make a great photo.  A spot that I have driven by many, many times.  I wanted to get a photograph of this machinery up on the hill.

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I couldn’t get a decent shot so I turned around to head home and found this!

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I took a couple shots from the road and wrote down the location to investigate and find landowner information for.

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A couple weeks ago I was speaking to a gentleman about another property and asked about this one and he gave me the information I needed.  I thought I better get out there before the grass gets to long.

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Unfortunately, I cannot confirm who lived here first (and any info I do have I cannot confirm with any written history that I have access to) nor can I confirm who built what buildings, when.

As you can see from this new photo, the caragana or peashrub have taken over and the bees were buzzing around like crazy.

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Bill was born on a farm south of Cartwright on July 11, 1916.  He never married but was said to be a dedicated family man who was always there for those in need.

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Bill, an enthusiast with the Heritage Village in his community and served on the committee for many years.   Bill purchased this land in 1944 and proudly displayed the advertisement for the Heritage Park on his property where everyone that went by it could see it.

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Bill began farming as a young boy with his father and his love for farming kept him busy until he was in his 70’s.  When he wasn’t farming, Bill sang with the United Church choir and served on their committee for many years.

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After a trek through the farm yard I headed out to the pasture and up the hill.  I cam alone some old wagon wheels and then almost tripped on a piece of wire in the grass.  I also picked up a lot of hitchhikers on my journey.

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Being alone I also started to think about skunks, badgers and of course, well holes.  I am a chicken shit.  Not sure that exploring is really for me, lol.

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I have passed by Bill’s old threshing machine (or separator) and Cockshutt tractor many, many times.  I never did notice this little machine way up on the hill until I walked closer to it.

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I do not know anything about tractors except that this is what they call McCormick Deering or a Cockshutt tractor.  I believe this one is approximately built in 1924.  At least that’s what a quick search on Google tells me.

On my way back to my car I again started to think about all the critters and as I was going through the ditch I found two lady slippers, all alone.  Of course I searched for more but I couldn’t find any.

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