travel manitoba – CRUMBLING MEMORIES

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 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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March 30, 2020April 12, 2020

TOURING

This afternoon Colton was feeling a little couped up and asked if I had any house hunting I wanted to do. I can always house hunt! So we headed out down a road that I wanted to check out. About 15 minutes into the drive, we came upon this.

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This was shot from the road with my long lens. As I likely won’t see permission to investigate further, I can’t give a history on the land. I also don’t have the proper resource materials at home and won’t be able to retrieve them until who knows when with the closure of our local library.

February 2, 2020February 3, 2020

GRAHAM HOMESTEAD

James, born in 1841 in Mitchell, Ontario migrated to Manitoba on June 8th, 1881. When leaving Ontario, he sold 50 acres of land. He had 9 children with his wife Jane. When they arrived in Portage la Prairie, he purchased a team of oxen and a Red River cart. He left his family in Portage.

Upon his arrival at Palmer’s Landing he was given a list of homesteads. Because he was out of food he went back to the crossing with some other people and they advised him of homesteads of where his land is still farmed to this day. Upon his arrival he needed to walk to Deloraine to make entry for the land. His hired man stayed behind to break the land.

They homesteaded on this piece of land that I found while wandering. James passed in 1937 and his wife Jane in 1932. Their son Samuel took over the farm until 1945 when him and his wife retired to Brandon.

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I thought the red barn and blue skies looked sharp together along this field of corn that seemed to go on forever so I stopped for a couple roadside shots. Digging around for a little more history, I was thrilled to find some information on the barn.

In the winter of 1884 three of his children and his wife had diptheria when they lost one little girl.

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Samuel’s nephew took over the farm in 1946 and his son now farms the land.

When Jack & Jane moved to Manitoba, they first lived in a tent and then a soddy. The original home is no longer on the property. What remains is the barn, built in 1898 consisting of a 8 foot high field stone foundation. The logs were dragged to the farm from the Turtle Mountains.

The family hauled their firewood from the Souris River, 8 or 9 miles away.

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While the photography is therapeutic for me, I can’t tell you how much I love being able to come home and find a history on something that caught my attention. Imagining his trek to this piece of land and breaking this land by hand to earn a living to feed his family. Love the history.

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020

MARGARET CONCRETE ARCH BRIDGE

Constructed between 1916 and 1917 using day labour, at a cost of about $6,000, this abandoned concrete arch bridge is situated in the RM of Prairie Lakes, Manitoba.

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Now over a hundred years old and recently under the extreme pressure of a winter run off, the bridge remains at the edge of their small community and is used as a foot bridge.

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The remains of a former concrete culvert bridge sits below it.

January 1, 2020

THE LONESOME ROAD

Yesterday on my travels, on the gravel road that I never thought would end, I came upon this little house.

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The yard is still used but as you can see, the house is pretty grown over. I didn’t wander over to the other side as this is as close I could get without having permission to enter.

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September 1, 2019

ROADSIDE TREASURES

I’ve passed this barn a million times. Barns aren’t really my thing but I thought I’d stop and see what I could get. I couldn’t get very close but thought this was a pretty decent shot nonetheless. I think with summer coming to an end and with the limited amount of shooting I’ve done this summer, I’ve decided I have to stop at whatever I see.

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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.

April 24, 2019April 25, 2019

1916

I wish I could find more about this house but I can’t! And its frustrating as hell! One thing I can confirm, those are the original shingles on the house.

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I found this house back in November and of course it was FAR TOO COLD for me to really explore and I did not have permission to do more than take a road shot.

That’s another thing that pisses me off, people who continually enter onto these properties, take their photos, post them online and then when a rule playing photographer comes along and asks for permission, I get the speil about how people don’t ask, they just go in, they take stuff that doesn’t belong to them, they leave the door open, etc. If you don’t contact the owner and ask for permission, at least have the audacity to not post your photos online!

When I spoke to the landowner back in November and was given permission the first time to take photos, post them online AND enter the home, I was told that the house was built in 1916 and the original owners lived in the home for 18 years. At that time three of these houses were built in the area. Mr. could not tell me if any of them were still standing but I do hope to check out the area one day.

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When the original owners moved out of the home it was always their intention to keep the home up. During the first winter the heating system was tampered with and this caused an issue with the water and heating system and the cost for repairs was worth more than the hassel. You can tell that when the home was left, it was always their intention to come back. The interior of the home is solid, sturdy and truly amazing given the year the home was built in.

April 6, 2019

ALMA SCHOOL

This school has been on my to see list for some time. I was told that it was no longer there so a couple nights ago I wasn’t doing anything and thought I would go for a ride to check it out not expecting to find anything except a metal monument in its place. Well low and behold, there it stood.

The Alma School District was established formally in July 1891, but wasn’t name until a year later by a student in the first class.

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A wood frame schoolhouse served as the first school house on the property and was used until 1905 when it was replaced by this one room brick structure, complete with full a basement and an oil-fueled furnace.

The school closed in January 1961 and its remaining students then attended the Belmont Consolidated School.

At the back of the property is what I will assume was the outhouse and a small storage building. The yard is well maintained.

There is extensive structural damage to the side wall of the school and the front entrance is blocked by a large pile of plaster, likely renovations carried out by the schools newest tenants.

A wooden stud wall inside the school was built in an attempt to stabilize the structure. A monument stands next to the former school.

There is a rickety staircase that leads up into the back of the school. As I wasn’t feeling much like a risk-taker and didn’t venture inside. This is likely due to the large “enter at your own risk” sign stapled to the door frame and the fact that I didn’t feel like running from any rabid racoons.

Among the teachers of Alma School were Alexander Tumoth (1890), Percy Brether (c1900), Jean Williamson (1948), Miss Munroe, Miss Tisdale, John Sutherland, Miss Donna McLean, Miss Anne Hawn, Miss Alice Embury, Mrs. Shirley Dubyts, Miss Irene Fitzpatrick, Miss McIntyre, Miss Marjorie Cleave, Miss Eva Croll, Ed Arndt, Miss Myrna Wray, Mr. P. Lougheed, K. M. Prowse, Miss Jean Cowell, Miss Pat Williams, Mr. McRae, Miss Evett, Miss Muriel Robinson, Miss Pinn, Miss Marion Lewis, Miss Jean Campbell, Miss M. Stintson, Mr. Johnson, Miss Anna McLean, Norman Smith, Miss Margaret Downey, Miss Ruth Watson, Miss Kinley, Miss Wall, Miss Mae Berry, Miss Harrower, Miss Katie Playfair, Henry Woods, Miss Murgatroid, Miss Shorthose, Miss Hazel Cunningham, Miss Valance, Miss Carvell, Miss Bailey, and Miss McGowan.

I’m glad I didn’t take someone elses word and drove out to see what was there. It was worth the drive and my fingers did eventually thaw out.

October 7, 2018October 8, 2018

1900 CENTURY FARM

The H family came to Manitoba in the Spring of 1890. The family settled in the area, his wife and 6 children. In 1900 one of his young sons married, during a double wedding ceremony, with his sister and both settled on different sections of this land. The siblings lived out their lives farming as neighbors on this section of land in the heart of Boissevain-Morton.

The son played a role in the organizing of the East Lynne School District in 1904. They belonged to the Ninga Methodist Church where Mrs. played the organ.

Water was always an issue on the farm. Water was hauled in barrels from another section of land.

In fact, one year on a hot July day Mr. had been working hard for days breaking sod and took a drink from the nearby slough. He ended up with typhoid fever and was bedridden for weeks. Luckily his sister-in-law was a newly trained as a nurse and nursed him back to health.

In 1938 the government paid for a 120 foot long by 60 feet wide and 14 feet deep well. The farm never saw a dry day after that.

They were kind and generous people who in 1931 adopted a six year old boy. The boy was only to stay with them for a couple days. He became an integral part of their family. He joined the World War II and returned home in 1945. He unlike his siblings moved to the Virden area while the rest stayed in the area.

Mr. suffered a major heart attack in 1941 and was not able to work again. He passed away in 1952. Mrs. passed away in 1968 at 91 years of age.

Two of his children then took over the farm until 1971 when they passed on the farm to their Grandson.

October 7, 2018October 8, 2018

12 YEARS OLD

The original owner of this land, born in 1846, left his large, poor, religious family in Lac Megantic, Quebec at the age of 12 years old with only .90 in his pocket and the clothes on his back. He had intentions of making big money. He took on whatever jobs he could find and for many years was part of a railway construction gang as a cook in Winnipeg.

In 1881 himself and another landowner, whose old property we have visited, headed to the land titles office in Winnipeg to purchase land in the R.M. of Prairie Lakes. They reached their farms over 100 years ago with a team of horses, a plow to break land and food supplies. Working as a cook gave him a good idea of what food supplies would best suit them. They stocked up on cured salted pork, flour, sugar, coffee and tea.

On his 30th year he arrived at his property. He started breaking land by hand and built a small house. It was hard work but he was able to break land. He also purchased a sow that had 12 little pigs. He sold the extra meat for money. He also purchased a cow and calf for milk and meat and 6 laying chickens.

He never married and when he got older and the work got to be to much he asked his brother to help him.

In 1887 a minister arrived in the area and had the idea to build a small chapel on the land. The downstairs served as the living quarters, the upstairs as a chapel and a small corner on the main level served as the post office. Eventually the church was moved to Dunrae, MB. They also started building a blacksmith shop and a general store. The building of the new railway through Dunrae stopped construction and the small church was moved. The first St. Felix Cemetery remained on the property.

He died in 1915 at the age of 69.

The property shows no signs of this history any longer, except the St. Felix Cemetery in the middle of the 1/4 section.

This is the present home on the land.

On the property was this neat little play house. You could see in the distance that someone has used it as target practice. That day I wasn’t brave enough to venture through the long grass for a closer look.

There were a couple of old buildings on the land which maybe could have been part of the original land owners.

Maybe one of these old buildings were built all those years ago.

October 6, 2018October 6, 2018

LITTLEST HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, SO FAR

This is by far the smallest house I have been in yet. In fact, it is so small that the dozen of times that I have driven by it I was sure it was just an old shed.

Tucked away in a pasture, you don’t really see much except a very small roof. The view once you get to the house is spectacular. My pictures don’t do it justice.

There wasn’t a whole lot to see here, the remnants of some old equipment and a gas tank. I was sure that the house was moved off its foundation and likely served as some sort of shelter. Regardless we were able to enter it, the roof was pretty much intact but there were no windows or doors.

It was very small and there was no floor, it was right on the bare ground. The tires on the frame of the care were still completely intact.

Heading off the property we came across this pile of wood, wires and scrap. I was then convinced that the house had in fact been moved.