southernmanitobaabandoned – Page 3

January 3, 2021January 3, 2021

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.

December 31, 2020

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.

December 28, 2020December 28, 2020

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.

December 24, 2020

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.

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, 2020

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.

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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July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

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.

July 6, 2020

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.

July 6, 2020July 6, 2020

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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July 6, 2020

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.

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.

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020

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.

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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June 7, 2020

THE CIRCASSIAN

The family of Patrick & Mary is one of the first to settle into this municipality. To date, 6 generations have lived in the area. Patrick (1821) & Mary (1850) left Ireland in April, 1879 bound for Montreal on a ship called The Circassian. Upon their arrival in Montreal, they traveled by train to St. Paul (Minnesota?) in the USA and then to Winnipeg via Red River steamer. Together, Patrick and Mary had 10 children.

When the family arrived in Winnipeg, the women were settled in to their new home while the men carried on in search of suitable land to homestead on. After purchasing a wagon, a team of oxen and the necessary provisions, they set off. After several days of travel, in and out of sloughs, the men arrived at Badger Crossing. They then made their way to Morden to file land claims. They returned to the land and built a “sod shanty” and Patrick and his sons began working the land. The first two winters in Canada (1879 and 1880), the men would travel back to Winnipeg to stay with the women. The boys would work on the new railroad being built and in the spring they would head back to farm. By 1881, a 1 1/2 story home and outbuildings were built and the entire family was reunited and began their new life on their homestead in Manitoba, Canada. Mary passed away in 1889. She served as a Justice of the Peace for many years. Patrick passed away in 1902. He was a valued member of the community serving as a warden and the President of the local agricultural fair for many years.

I must add that their oldest son Joseph served in the military in Ireland before coming to Canada with his family. Upon his arrival in Canada he was selected as an auditor for a new local school. He purchased his own land and farmed for a few year but was never married. He decided to move to Boston, Mass., and in 1917, while en route to deposit church funds, he was beaten to death.

Patrick and Mary’s son, John was a successful business man. In 1898 he purchased a section of land which was later farmed by his son and his grandson. His grandson just happens to be my neighbors Dad. When I stumbled upon this house on the way home from photographing another, I thought, I’m going to pull into this yard and see if they will let me take a couple photos so that I do not have to come back. When the young fellow came out I thought, he looks familiar. Well turns out, I had seen him before. He is the nephew of my neighbor.

This house was built in approximately 1906.

Great-Grandpa John started his own livery and feed business which he later sold. In 1902 he built the necessary building and started an implement business which he later sold in 1910. In 1915 he was appointed the Police Magistrate. He was also involved in the local agricultural society and served two terms as reeve. Great-Grandpa John was also actively involved in the church and educational affairs within the community. Great-Grandpa John and his wife Bessie had two children.

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Great-Grandpa John left the farm to his son, John Jr. who married and had three children of his own. One of his children, Jack is the father of my neighbor. John Jr. and Mary raised two children of their own in this home. Jack’s son now lives in a new home on the land, where he can still see the home he grew up in.

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There are still many outbuildings on the property but I didn’t want to stay to long and poke around to much. I could have photographed for some time on this property.

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It was nice to see the windows and doors intact on this home. As you can see from the older photos, it was always well kept and at one time had a large porch. I guess this is the benefit of having someone living on the property with the old home.

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The young man who answered the door asked me if I would like to go into the home but I declined as I didn’t want to be pushy and thought it was nice enough that he let me take photos as it was. My neighbor has offered to take me back to go inside if I would like.

Aside from making a connection to this property and knowing someone who actually lived inside the home, and my neighbor sharing the old photos with me, here is a photo of her inside the house. That’s pretty neat.

May 24, 2020

BROKEN DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Likely not. Or maybe. This truck and another car were parked on the edge of a field, up off ditch, in a field. Their placement was hard to take good pictures of because all around them were piles of other stuff that seemed to be pushed aside and out of the way.

This truck probably played a big part of someone’s farming operation at one time.

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020

THE DAILY MILK RUN

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The family kept Percheron horses and they jointly owned a Case tractor and separator with another family.

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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.

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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.

May 19, 2020

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Well, not really but this house would be right smack in the middle of a section of land and of course, I can’t confirm anything with the material that I have here.

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I have had permission to photograph this house for some time. I went in the Fall and it was muddy.

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So Cade and the kids stopped with me on the way home from Brandon one day and Cade drove in part of the way and I hiked in the rest. I didn’t go into the house but I did wander around as far as the snow would permit to get this tractor and a couple different angles of the house.

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While it was the house that got my attention and led me to this old homestead, once I was there it was this barn that I really liked. Its held its own in our harsh Manitoba weather.

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When we were driving out, Cade spotted this little rodent in our tire tracks so I got out of the car to chase him away so that we wouldn’t drive over him. I truly think he was blind because I could literally reach out and grab him if I wanted to and I followed him down our tire tracks for some time.

May 14, 2020July 5, 2020

ONE SNOWY STORM

My last couple of outings have proved somewhat disappointing when it comes to finding a history for the properties and buildings I’ve been photographing. Well, not this one.

On Mother’s Day, Cade obliged and took me to this house that has been on my must see list. I had to get to it sooner rather than later as the landowner told me that once the cows moved onto the land, I would have to wait until they were gone.

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Tucked into the section of land, we traveled up a road that went by a slough, around a nice little wooded area, right up to this house. When we pulled up, two large, black birds flew out of the house. We weren’t certain if they were vultures or ravens.

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The original owner of this land, Mr. G was born in Kaldback, Iceland in 1855. He married his Mrs. who was described as “a handsome 23-year old lass from Fnjoskadal” on December 31, 1888. Together they had 10 children, 3 of which died in infancy.

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Mr. came to Winnipeg in 1887 and worked on the railroad until he moved to the area in 1889. The couple lived on another farm until 1905 when they purchased this land and cleared it. They then built what was quoted as being “excellent buildings”. The home was said to be a haven to many a friend and stranger. The couple were known for their generous hospitality.

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Mr. was a willing worker, despite of many years of blindness. Regardless he was able to complete many tasks. In 1934 he passed away and his wife died in 1940. Their oldest son Vilhelm (Bill, 1890 – 1969) farmed the land until 1940. Their other son, Siggi (1901 – 1974) farmed with his older brother for many years but left for the city after getting married in 1937. Siggi and his wife then returned to farm the family farm until it was sold to the M family.

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The M family lived in the home for 21 years.

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I am told by their son, Henry, that he has fond memories of the big old house and still visits it often. He told me that when his parents sold the home to move to Brandon, it was sold, move-in ready.

Then we found this, a 1948 Chevy Fleetside, 4 door.

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When I asked Henry about this old car, I was really hoping he could tell me something, and he did. This old car was taking the family to church in a snowstorm when it got stuck and the engine blew. The car was parked in this spot and never moved.

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The frame of the car was moved to another part of the yard and another engine was purchased with the intention of the boys making a go-cart with it. I found it. As you can see, and confirmed by Henry, they never finished the project.

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I am so happy I stopped to take these photos and that I was able to get the story on them.

Behind the house stood what I can only imagine, with a little help from the old black and white photo, what was once a magnificent old barn.

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The barn was built into this hill and we were able to walk up the side to what remains to be what is left of the stone foundation. In the walls are the old hooks that tethered the horses.

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I understand why Henry has such fond memories of this old farm and can only imagine how he must feel when he sees his old home in a state of ruin.

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Thank you Henry, for sharing your memories and stories with me.

May 13, 2020May 13, 2020

HOLA SCHOOL

Nestled in the oak-studded hills, Hola School District, (Hola is Icelandic for hills) was formed in 1897 and the school and a four-team stable was built that spring on land bought from the Crown for $3.00. The district borrowed $495 from Mr. Maulson and Mr. Olafson built the school. Classes started in June of that year and Mr. Thorne was the first teacher whom had 53 students enrolled all at various ages.

Hola School 1 email

The school suffered some fire damage in 1923 and the floor had to be rebuilt. During the same decade, 4 side windows were also installed on the West side and two “piano” windows were installed on the East side of the school. In 1929 a larger basement was dug out and cemented and which allowed for a passage to the outside. This was a welcome addition for the young boys who feared ghosts would jump out of the trap doors they were accustomed to using on dark mornings when they came to light the fire.

Hola School 2 email

Each November, the area would be crawling with men in white suits, deer hunting in the area. Children were not allowed out for recess in the school yard and were encouraged to stay inside. The surrounding hills were perfect entertainment in the winter for skiing and tobogganing. The spring run off was just as exciting with lots mini rivers and waterfalls that rushed towards the lake about a half a mile North of the school.

On June 30, 1953 only 8 students remained enrolled at the school and nine were needed to receive a grant to operate the school.

Hola School 3 email

The building sits behind a commemorative cairn which was erected on June 28, 1987.

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.

Aitken farm 2 email

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.

Aitken farm 1 for email

May 6, 2020

BUILDING A MYSTERY

This is a tough one. One, I can’t get the books I’d like to have to do the research and two, there is nothing in the stack of about 10 books that I have.

edited-2 email

This house was about half way into the section but I could reach it with my long lens. Of course I wasn’t happy with the closer shots. While I’ll never turn down an opportunity to take a photo of an old house, it wasn’t why I was in the area.

house black & white email

This land is recorded to be acquired for the first time in 1898. It was then sold in 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1917, 1919, 1923 and then to the current family (different owners within the same family name) in 1948. I would imagine it was a nice place to farm with a creek close by for watering animals and the home is set a little higher on the land.

I wish I could share more, but I can’t.