The agency operated on the Prairies from 1935 to 2009 and was instrumental in helping farmers address soil erosion and drought they experienced during the 1930s.

“Implementing livestock initiatives and educating citizens in cutting-edge agricultural techniques, the success of the PFRA was a complicated and mostly co-operative effort among all levels of government and citizens,” said a government backgrounder about the announcement of 10 designated people, places and events.

“Initially envisioned as temporary and established among several different Depression-era federal initiatives, the PFRA became a permanent function of government for more than 70 years and played a role in important irrigation and water development projects in the Prairie provinces.”

PFRA owned and operated many dams and reservoirs, along with community pastures, that were turned over to other agencies or provinces after it was dismantled.

The post Former Prairie agricultural agency gains historic designation appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The largest is the Prairie Mountain Regional Museum along Highway 16, about five kilometres east of Shoal Lake. Construction at the site began after 1997, when a group of volunteers decided to showcase various collections and buildings with heritage value. A small working board now runs the program, with contributions from about 50 others.

The museum is an ongoing project. The largest structure, the Clegg Building, was built on site and several other buildings have been moved in. More are planned for the future.

“We’re always short of two things – time and money,” said Don Yannick, an avid volunteer, as he showed me around the Clegg Building.

The main focus there is a large collection of antique carriages, buggies, cutters and sleighs, plus the harness used for these.

“About 85 per cent of this collection came from Rollie Clegg, originally from Arrow River,” Yannick said, as he explained the building’s name. In addition, some items were brought from the Archibald Museum near Manitou after it closed several years ago. Some of those items need repair before being displayed. The buggy collection is advertised as “the second largest horse-drawn buggy collection in Canada.”

Yannick’s enthusiasm was obvious as he pointed out specific items. A Watkins peddlers’ wagon caught my attention, as did the covered winter school van sledges. Also on display are a First World War ambulance, a milk wagon, a Red River cart, and the covered wagon used in “Pioneer Quest”, a Canadian reality television series filmed north of Argyle.

A replica of a pioneer mail order Eaton house is another interesting feature. These houses were common in early pioneer times and the materials could be ordered at a cost of $800 to $3,000, depending on the size.

Another intriguing item is a summer hearse, complete with glass windows and a black feather. This can still be rented occasionally for use at a funeral.

Once visitors have toured the Clegg Building, they should explore the museum grounds and the other buildings. These include the McNarry and Elliot pioneer houses, and two one-roomed schools: Olha School 1243 and Seech School 1454.

The Prairie Mountain Museum is an expanding tourist attraction. The Clegg Building now has a licensed kitchen and will do some catering. A new gift shop is opening this spring.

“I could spend all my time here,” Yannick said as he explained the new additions. The museum grounds include a vegetable garden and antique machinery. Look for the goats, donkeys and horses, too. Last summer a miniature golf course with a 19th century theme opened, with a special “Toonie Tuesdays” feature.

A walking trail around nearby Warren Lake is scheduled to open this spring, and wagon rides around the lake will be offered, using the museum’s three teams of horses. Last year on Manitoba Day, children from three local schools dressed in pioneer outfits and attended class in the Olha School. This year plans are in the works for several school tours.

Prairie Mountain Museum is open from June to the first week of September, although during the off season, volunteers are often on site and willing to show visitors around. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., but these might expand. Admission is by donation. For more information, call 204-759-2245 or check the website: www.pmrm.ca.

Two other museums of interest are also located in the region. At the south end of the village of Shoal Lake, beside the Lakeview Park Campground, is Manitoba’s official Mounted Police Museum. This is a replica of the log barracks built at the far south end of the lake in 1874 by the North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of today’s RCMP.

The barracks were only occupied until 1886 but were re-established at this spot in 1921 to serve as headquarters for force members. Nowadays the museum displays artifacts such as handcuffs and leg irons, and numerous uniforms from both the NWMP and the RCMP. Items connected with the RCMP Musical Ride are also highlighted.

The museum also serves as the town’s tourist information centre and is open during July and August, from Wednesday to Sunday. For information or to book a tour, call 204-759-3326.

A third museum is in the village of Strathclair on Main Street. A municipal heritage site, it consists of several buildings, including the former CPR station and St. George’s Anglican Church (moved here from the hamlet of Menzie).

An additional building contains a blacksmith’s forge and tools, and other agricultural tools and implements. Pioneer and railway artifacts, church items and community memorabilia are all of interest in the Strathclair Museum. It is open during afternoons in July and August. For further information, call 204-365-2196.

With three museums to visit in this area, museum enthusiasts could make it a full day. Perhaps plan a picnic at one of the local campgrounds or check out local restaurants.

The post Peer into the past with a museum tour appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

There’s Smokey’s Tree Stump, a 10-foot-wide concrete sculpture sitting at the side of the TransCanada Highway east of Richer. There are rusting derelicts of Red River Cruise ships. Along the Assiniboine River, there are remnants of Hudson’s Bay Company trading posts.

These are among the interesting, sometimes mysterious spots highlighted in the newest book by long-time local historian Gordon Goldsborough.

The Winnipeg author and staple of the Manitoba Historical Society is on a tour of rural Manitoba with the book, “On the Road to Abandoned Manitoba: Taking the scenic route through historic places.” At least 25 stops are on his agenda this fall.

The new book is the third in his popular Abandoned Manitoba trilogy, and “probably the last of this series,” Goldsborough said. “I may have tapped it out on abandonment.”

The two previous books both won nominations and awards. The second, “More Abandoned Manitoba,” won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award in 2019.

The new book is proving popular among Manitobans. Like the previous volumes, “On the Road to Abandoned Manitoba” explores new and historically significant sites, but this time with more emphasis on Goldsborough’s own journeys to rediscover them.

The author says he enjoys travelling Manitoba’s back roads and hopes to inspire the public to follow his example.

Old bridges and grain elevators are two of his special passions. The cover of the new book, a photo taken north of Oakville featuring an antique car, curving country road and antique bridge, echoes those interests.

Speaking at a library stop in MacGregor in late November, Goldsborough relayed the story of a recent jaunt following the original route of the TransCanada Highway across Manitoba. The “Pine to Prairie Run” occurred this past summer with five antique cars making the trip from the Ontario border to the Saskatchewan border, following the highway as it existed in 1932. The route covered 545 kilometres and lasted three days.

Highlights

As well as seemingly random roadside stumps and old river boats, the book covers locations like the Lemiez Sculpture Garden, a farm site in the RM of Grahamdale in the northern Interlake where rows of concrete sculptures were made and left behind in the 1960s and ‘70s.

There’s the Big Grass Duck Factory No. 1, which includes information on the site’s founding and the work of Ducks Unlimited Canada. In eastern Manitoba, Goldsborough brings readers to the Pineland Forest Nursery, while the Tilston Coal Shed is spotlighted in the southwest.

The book’s introduction notes locations like the Treesbank Ferry, which once crossed the Assiniboine River north of Wawanesa, the grain elevator at Elva that was destroyed by fire in 2022 and the wreck of the steamboat Alpha that is buried in the bank of the Assiniboine River in Spruce Woods Provincial Park.

Other places would require a major undertaking to visit, but are interesting to read about. These include the Dene Village and Akudlik near Churchill and the artificial island created near Port Nelson, made in an aborted attempt to create a seaport.

Author background

Goldsborough has previously worked as a university professor and water quality specialist, with emphasis on conservation policies for Canadian wetlands. He is known for his radio presentations and volunteer work for the Manitoba Historical Society and has also appeared as a contributor in the Manitoba Co-operator.

He is on-air on CBC Radio on Sunday mornings to speak on Manitoba’s forgotten places and buildings. Most stories mentioned there have been included in his books.

More recently, Goldsborough has started a YouTube channel. Each week, “Manitoba Heritage Moments” posts a short video on a historical topic of interest. Recent videos include the Headingly Gaol Cemetery, Smokey’s Tree Stump and the old TransCanada Highway.

In recognition of his historical and scientific work, Goldsborough was inducted into the Order of Manitoba in 2021.

The author plans to retire at the end of 2023, but hopes to continue his volunteer work and explorations around the province.

The post Teasing out the echoes of Manitoba’s abandoned places appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

In many cases, that’s all that is left of rural schoolhouses that used to dot the Prairies, besides old photos that may hide in municipal records, the local library or are preserved by a historical society.

One group in west-central Manitoba wants to add another tie to that history. Those rural school markers are the star of a calendar project spearheaded by the North Norfolk Rural Cairn Committee.

Why it matters: The two-year calendar will spotlight the history and stories of rural one-room schools and help raise money for preservation.

The calendar is the project of four North Norfolk Rural Cairn Committee members: Ramona Blythe, Arlene Jarema, Mary Kalberg and Elsie Wright.

The goal is two-fold. The calendar will help memorialize those schools and the money raised from sale of the calendars will feed into the perpetual fund that finances grounds maintenance at the 25 cairns under the committee’s purview.

Alumni from the schools, or their families, helped kick off the project, sponsoring pages to provide seed capital.

The pages of the two-year calendar are peppered with pictures and information on all the local schools, although the municipality’s 25 one-room schools are the main focus. Each one-room school has a page devoted to it and its cairn. The consolidated schools in MacGregor, Austin and Sidney, which opened their doors once smaller schools began to close, are also featured.

Each such page includes specific information, such as when and where the school was built, if it ever burned or was replaced and any other aspects that made it unique.

Thumbing through the calendar is a journey through regional history. Several pages provide general information about one-room schools and how they were set up and run. Information on the era’s teacher training, school inspector visits, Christmas concerts and ‘field days’ (the old term for today’s track and field, but usually including school marching competitions and softball games) also feature.

At Path Head School north of MacGregor, the calendar notes, “three billy goats gruff” was a game of choice among students, the rules of which are largely lost to the annals of playground history. Other mentioned games included “anti-I-over” and “stealing sticks.”

At other schools, such as Beaver Creek School northeast of MacGregor, noon activities included trapping gophers, since tails could earn the enterprising trapper two pennies each from the municipal bounty.

For those interested in touring the cairns, the calendar includes a municipal map marking the sites, including Chipping Hill, one of few where the building still stands, is kept in good condition and is used for community events.

Others who want to relive their own school days can take the quiz published at the back of the calendar.

Funding preservation

The perpetual fund was established in the early 1990s under the North Norfolk Foundation and was designed to establish resources for the care of 25 cairn sites. The original money was raised through a placemat fundraiser. That was followed by a much bigger project, a book titled “Schoolhouse Memories,” published in 2005.

That book formed a base for the details, pictures and stories now featured in the calendar, along with the North Norfolk Archives and “Through Fields and Dreams,” a book covering the general history of North Norfolk and MacGregor.

Revenues from the book raised enough to cover site maintenance costs up to the present day. It is hoped new sales from the calendar will help top off the fund.

The committee held a line of launches in MacGregor, Austin and Sidney in late October to present their work to the public.

Anyone interested in the calendar project can contact Arlene Jarema at 204-466-2838 or Mary Kalberg at 204-685-2270 or visit the North Norfolk-MacGregor Library during the committee’s weekly Thursday meetings.

The post Hanging onto the history of one-room schools appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The facility, which covers settlers in Manitoba’s Parkland and the Métis community, fur traders and the region’s earlier Aboriginal history spanning 8,000 years, is on the west side of Dauphin, not far from the Vermillion River.

Why it matters: A full spectrum of history is on display at the Fort Dauphin Museum.

The museum was established in 1975 and officially opened to the public the following year.

The original Fort Dauphin, however, was built around 1741 and was named by a French explorer commonly known as ‘La Vérendrye.’ It was built as a fur-trading post and was used at various times by both the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The actual site of the post became a topic of dispute. In 1943, an official historic cairn was designated in Winnipegosis, about 60 kilometres north of Dauphin. The cairn’s plaque reads, “In the fall of 1741 … Pierre de la Vérendrye built in this vicinity fort (sic) Dauphin.”

In 1978, archaeologists put the site at the mouth of the Valley River, where it empties into Lake Dauphin, northeast of the City of Dauphin.

Today’s ‘fort’ is a replica of an 18th century trading post, sitting within city limits surrounded by a wooden palisade. Inside are pioneer-style buildings from a slightly later time frame.

Visitors usually begin at the museum headquarters, where pictures and displays outline the region’s history and display artifacts from both the fur-trading era and pioneer times. Those include pieces of beaded Aboriginal artwork, moccasins and items for daily use, such as baskets or a cradle board used by women to carry a baby on their backs.

One corner, oriented around travel methods during the days of the fur trade, includes a full-sized birch bark canoe. Snowshoes, paddles, a heavy buffalo coat and various fur pelts line the walls. Several stuffed animals — a fox, wolf, porcupine and beaver — highlight animals valued by traders.

Exploring the old fort is an adventure into the past. The trading post is reminiscent of what such a building would have been like in its heyday, while the blacksmith shop is filled with a variety of old tools. The trapper’s cabin is furnished with the bare necessities, as it would have been in the past.

The Hughes House, built in 1894 using squared logs, was originally located 6.5 kilometres west of Dauphin before being moved to the museum site. It contains furniture and artifacts from the early 20th century, such as an old ice box, cream separator and laundry devices.

In the southwest corner of the fort is All Saints Anglican Church, originally built in 1907 at Fork River (a little over 40 km to the north). The church closed in 1963 due to the community’s declining population, but was rededicated after moving to the museum in 1986. It can now be used for occasional services such as weddings and baptisms.

Sandringham School is a typical one-room schoolhouse. It was built in 1894 about 11 km west of Dauphin and today is set up as it would have been early in its operation. A display of bicycles near the entrance catches the eye. The oldest was bought in 1899.

One item of particular note is a dugout canoe sourced from the Whitewater Lake Prison Camp in Riding Mountain National Park. This camp was used to keep German prisoners during the Second World War. The canoe was carved from a tree trunk by the prisoners and used for their recreation.

Museum visitors who want to see it may need to ask for directions, as it is inside one of the site’s sheds.

The Parkland Archaeological Laboratory adds another layer of interest. It houses more than 80,000 prehistoric artifacts such as stone tools, fossils, pottery fragments and bone tools covering a wide historical period.

Although small, there are enough buildings and artifacts at the Fort Dauphin Museum to occupy visitors for several hours. The entrance fee is set to attract families: $4 for adults, $3 for youth and free for children 12 and under.

The facility is open to the public during the summer. Starting May 23, the museum will be open Monday to Friday, with select Saturday openings in July and August. Call 204-638-6630 for exact hours, or check the Facebook page. Special events are also held during the summer and are posted at fortdauphinmuseum.ca.

The post From prehistory to pioneers, Fort Dauphin has it appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

“Our province was founded on agriculture and this e-book provides an important opportunity for our agricultural producers to showcase their ongoing dedication to a safe and reliable food supply,” said provincial ag minister Derek Johnson in a Sept. 23 news release.

150 Years of Farming in Manitoba was written by Bill Redekop and developed through a partnership between Keystone Agricultural Producers, the province and the federal government.

Rather than tackle all 150 years chronologically, Redekop hits topics chapter by chapter, including the Indigenous roots of agriculture in Manitoba, bison farming, potato farming and the burgeoning protein industry.

The book is written in a conversational style and is filled with plenty of fun facts.

For instance, readers will learn that the first Manitoba agriculture minister, Thomas Howard, lasted all of 10 days in office. The book doesn’t say why.

In another example, it notes the city of Winkler was named after an agriculture minister, Valentine Winkler, who sold the land to the Mennonite settlers.

The book explores wonder-crop canola’s roots at the University of Manitoba through pioneering researcher Baldur Stefansson and other scientists.

Stefansson, according to the book, was apparently so dedicated to his craft that when a snowstorm prevented him from driving to work, he strapped on cross-country skis.

The beef, pork, plant protein and organic sectors all get their chapter. Redekop also looks to the future, noting potential impacts of climate change on Manitoban agriculture, and the rise of digital and precision agriculture.

To read or download the free e-book, visit agriculturemb150.ca.

The post Free farm history e-book launches appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

And be sure to make a side trip across the Assiniboine River on the Stockton Ferry, southern Manitoba’s last operating river ferry. Anyone interested in the province’s history would likely find this a worthwhile trip.

The Criddle-Vane Homestead, named Aweme by the family, was established as a provincial heritage park in 2004 to help preserve an intriguing pioneer story — a tale that visitors might like to research before they visit.

This family arrived as pioneers in 1882, brought from England by Percy Criddle. The eccentric Criddle brought two families — his wife, Alice, and his mistress, Elise Vane, both of whom brought their children (four Criddles and five Vanes.) Criddle took up a homestead where they all lived together, with Elise serving as a housekeeper and servant.

The first years were hard but gradually they developed the site, with the women and children doing most of the farm work since Criddle was more interested in socializing and planning tennis courts and a golf course.

Today, visitors can walk around the site and read the interpretive signs that show where various buildings and facilities once stood. One interesting item relates how Criddle required the young people to cut the grass on the tennis courts by using scissors! Unfortunately, the main house was destroyed by a suspected arson-caused fire in 2014, but a couple of other buildings remain.

The children were educated by Alice Criddle, who had a university education, and several became well known for valuable scientific research. For example, Norman Criddle established the first entomological laboratory in Western Canada, where he collected and mounted insects. He was also known for his accurate floral paintings.

Stuart Criddle studied and published papers about local mammals. Several of the others bred new varieties of flowers and vegetables.

Now, short trails branch from the main area, leading to the foundations of smaller houses built for two sons as they grew up and married. Walk some of these trails and be sure to check out the family cemetery behind the present-day washroom. The graves of Percy, Alice, Elise and several of the next generation are there, as are some newer descendants.

Two books have been written about this unusual family: Criddle de-diddle-ensis, published in 1973 by Alma Criddle, Percy and Alice’s granddaughter; and For Elise published in 2012 by Oriole Veldhuis, great-granddaughter of Percy and Elise. These books present very different viewpoints but both contain details about the early years of this unusual family.

The Criddle-Vane Homestead Park is located about 13 kilometres south of Shilo. The ferry crosses the Assiniboine River about 19 km farther southeast, west and north of Glenboro. However, to visit both in one day, pre-planning is needed because the ferry operates on a limited schedule: Monday to Friday from 7-11 a.m., and again from 3-7 p.m., and closed weekends and holidays. Since visitors to the park usually want an hour or two there, pre-arranging your times will help.

On my trip, I drove in from the south to arrive for a morning ferry crossing, and returned via Shilo to the north. Those coming from the north might prefer an afternoon and then catch the ferry later. Signs indicating the park and ferry are limited, so watch carefully. (A copy of Backroad Mapbook is invaluable for locating remote rural attractions and I certainly recommend it.)

If coming from the south, drive west from Glenboro on Highway 2 to gravel road 88W, then north three km toward Stockton, east one km and north about two km to the Assiniboine. After the ferry crossing, follow the main road west and north about 16 km along the Shilo range until you reach 48 N. Then drive one km east to the Criddle/Vane Park.

If coming from Shilo on Highway 340, turn at 48 N (about two km north of the Assiniboine River bridge) and drive three km east. To access the ferry afterwards, backtrack one km west from the park and take the first road south for about 16 km, driving past the Shilo range.

The ferry, operated by cables across the river, is of historical interest because it was in use back in 1887. The operator told me that, although he does transport some tourists, the main patrons are local farmers crossing with trucks, equipment and hay. Occasionally it might carry up to 30 vehicles in a day, but usually fewer.

The ride across is short, so if you want photos, be ready to start as soon as you drive on. Last fall the river was quite shallow, but this summer ferry operation did not begin until the first week of August due to high water conditions on the Assiniboine. In some years the site is also used as an access spot for river canoeists.

There is no charge for the ferry ride. For updated ferry information, call the municipal office of Glenboro-South Cypress at 204-827-2083.

For more information about the park or family, there are several internet sites such as: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Inside-the-Criddle-Vane-Saga-270487681.html

For those who use GPS co-ordinates, try:

• Criddle-Vane Park: 49.709468 N. 99.603987W
• Stockton Ferry: 49.58638 N. 99.48451

The post A heritage homestead and our last river ferry appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Although only half an hour away from my home, this was my first visit and I certainly recommend it for anyone interested in Manitoba’s history.

Fort la Reine Museum, located on the eastern edge of Portage, houses more than 25 heritage structures that are “designed to illustrate the lifestyle of a Prairie community from 1738-1950.” These begin with a replica of the original historic Fort la Reine and include an early trapper’s cabin, a trading post and a York boat.

The historic fort, established on the Assiniboine River in 1838 by explorer and fur trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de La Vérendrye, is the namesake attraction of the museum, but the replica of the fort has fallen into disrepair and is not presently open to the public. Fortunately a provincial grant through the Building Sustainable Communities Fund was recently announced. The museum’s executive director, Madison Connolly, stated that construction is set to begin in 2022. Once completed, the restored fort space will display local Indigenous perspectives including artifacts, oral histories and interactive displays ─ which have been somewhat lacking in the museum up until now.

The museum’s Pioneer Village is a replica of a Prairie main street in earlier times. Various buildings house a fire hall, a print shop, a general store, West Prospect School (a one-room school built in 1881), West Prospect United Church and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church. As well, several houses exhibit lifestyles and designs over a period of more than 150 years. These include the Paul House, built in 1879, the Hourie House from 1890, the Case House from the 1920s, the Burton House from the 1930s and the Douglas Campbell House from the 1940s-50s. You might shiver even on a hot day as you notice the cracks through the walls of the Paul House, and it is interesting to see the gradual changes and advancements as you tour the newer ones. Watch also for the Assiniboine teepee and the pioneer clay oven (which is used occasionally).

Agricultural displays are another very important feature. Rural visitors will want to check out the Heritage Barn, the Thresherman’s Bunkhouse, and the large collection of equipment in the Allis Chalmers Building. Look for the bison and the stuffed bird collection in the barn, as well as the lovely replica buggy. Other buildings house the Maintenance Garage, the Railcar Collection including the 1832 Van Horne Railcar and the Southport Military Building. The latter will soon have a new permanent exhibit, set to open before long, entitled “Women in Uniform.”

Besides its regular features, Fort la Reine Museum offers various temporary exhibits. This summer’s exhibit includes a Canadian Heritage display entitled “Unmasking Influenza” which highlights the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-19. Visitors might find this particularly interesting considering our present-day pandemic. Two other temporary exhibits scheduled for September and October will be “Canadian English, Eh?” and “Beyond Words: Dictionaries and Indigenous Languages.”

For the remainder of the summer Fort la Reine will be offering ‘Prairie Sundays’ from 1 to 3 p.m. with a different activity each Sunday. Scheduled for August 15 is ‘Pioneer Clay Baking and Butter Making,’ with ‘Candy Apple Making’ on the 22nd and ‘Salt Water Taffy Making’ on the 29th.

For the last several years the museum has offered another activity on its property in the form of a corn maze. This can be entertaining for children and is a free activity, open at any time. This year’s maze is set to begin on August 14.

Guided tours are available upon request if staff are available, and are included in the entry price if you wish, or tour the exhibits at your own pace. Also available over the summer, if booked in advance, is a tea party. This includes one guided tour for about an hour and then the tea party served up in one of the heritage houses, as selected by the participants. The tea party price is only $5 in addition to the regular entry fee ($10 for adults, $8 for seniors).

Fort la Reine Museum plans to be open daily until September 3 and then for reduced hours on weekends until October 17. Plans are also underway for Halloween tours. For further information on the museum, entry fees and hours of operation, call 204-857-3259 or visit the website at fortlareinemuseum.com.

The post A touch of history, close to home appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Due to the history and importance of such carts passing through the area, Ray Pettinger, a Shoal Lake senior with a passion for crafting turned his attention on the creation of a Red River cart. 

The craftsmanship highlights its historic importance to the Indigenous and Métis peoples, traders, hunters, missionaries, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, surveyors, and settlers. Plains First Nations even referred to the Métis as “half-wagon, half-man.”

“The Shoal Lake and St. Lazare areas have old, rutted trails, which pass through the south end of Shoal Lake and on to Fort Ellice, a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, near St. Lazare,” Pettinger said. 

“These trails, originally carved by this type of cart, continue on to Fort Carlton and eventually end at Fort Edmonton. All told from the Red River settlement to Fort Edmonton it was a distance of 1,440 kilometres (900 miles) connecting fur trading posts and buffalo hunting grounds.” 

The first carts used were quite small. Larger, better-constructed carts made their way onto the transportation scene around the start of the 19th century, possibly by 1803, when improved wheels were being manufactured. These larger, spoked wheels were dished, or curved inward, and provided greater stability and handling. 

Red River carts were noisy (emitting a screeching noise caused by dry axles, a necessity to extend the life of an axle) but versatile carts that criss-crossed what are now the Prairie provinces, North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota during much of the 19th century.

Made entirely of wood, the lightweight vehicle was cheap to build, and was a functional conveyance that helped in the development of Canada’s West through the movement of furs and goods used in the day-to-day lives of settlers. The versatile carts were pulled by a single horse, pony, or ox, hauling between 300 and 450 kilograms of freight. 

“Being made entirely out of wood, carts could be repaired with what was on hand. Because of availability, poplar wood with a fir axle was the popular choice, however, other woods such as maple, oak, ash or elm may have also been used,” Pettinger said. “A supply of parts would have been available in the roadside tree bluffs, with the parts bound together with rawhide (shaganappi), sisal rope and twine. The advantage of rawhide is the fact that when tied wet it shrinks on drying, making a tight connection.” 

Pettinger began his build back in May and finished the project in October, using his garage as his workshop. Wheel hubs and the axle were completed first, followed by the chassis, a six-foot-long, four-foot-wide, three-foot-high structure. 

“The material used is courtesy of the dead fall poplar trees found along the Rural Municipality (RM) of Yellowhead ditches,” Pettinger said. “The floor of rough-cut spruce slabs completed the project.” 

Pettinger added that throughout the process the 51-inch wheels with six spokes were formed from half-inch by 2.5-inch poplar strips glued and clamped together around a steel rim, which is not part of the wheel. 

“Carts hauling heavier loads would have had wheels with 12 spokes each,” said Pettinger, who has no plans for the cart at the moment. 

“Being an educational piece, which formed an important part of Manitoba’s and Western Canada’s heritage, it’s a special creation from a personal standpoint.” 

Enjoying working with wood, Pettinger’s projects have included a variety of household furniture, a violin, bagpipes, hundreds of bird boxes, and an airplane, to name a few items of interest. 

History is a family interest, as his wife Barbara (Barb) was involved in the Mounted Police Museum (located at Lakeview Park) and its importance to the community and the municipality since she joined the board in 1994. Up until January 2021, she served as the secretary-treasurer, and now solely holds down secretary duties. 

While the Red River cart has its place in history, so does the North West Mounted Police (NWMP). Newly formed in 1874, destined to become Canada’s world-famous Mounties, their trek west laces western settlement with a form of law enforcement as unique as their scarlet tunics. 

Manitoba’s official Mounted Police Museum is a replica of the original NWMP barracks, built at the south end of Shoal Lake in 1875. 

With settlers reaching the area, the community of Shoal Lake was established in 1884, and moved to its current location at the lake’s north side in 1885 to coincide with the building of the Manitoba & Northwestern Railroad (now CPR). The community incorporated as a village on Jan. 12, 1909, and then changed to town status on Oct. 10, 1997.

The post Shoal Lake citizen recreates a piece of history appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The journey can be experiential and intellectual, no matter the trip, but it’s more relaxing deep within a national park. 

It’s not every day, an invitation is extended to be a part of something, which holds more value than simply a club’s year-end windup. Tagging along with members, parents, and friends of the Riding Mountain Wranglers 4-H Club, the day was uplifting, sharing conversation from the back of a horse-drawn wagon, experiencing trails carved out within Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) and learning more about the history of the escarpment from a well- spoken trail guide. 

Thanks to club leader, Karen Bergeson of Rossburn, who spent some 35 years within RMNP, along with her late husband and park ranger, Gordon, it was a refreshing seven-hour excursion to the location of the Whitewater Prisoner of War (PoW) camp and back to the parking lot just off the Bison Enclosure, home of approximately 30 plains bison, near Lake Audy. 

“City folk are excited to experience RMNP, but often it’s nothing more than a visit to Clear Lake,” commented Bergeson. “One has to venture deep into the park to enjoy the richness of the trees, vegetation, creeks, lakes, wildlife, trails, and to experience first hand what the park truly offers.” 

The 10.1-km distance to the location of the former PoW camp didn’t truly seem that long as draft horses, King and Daisy, owned and driven by Richard Grudeski of Vista walked or trotted along the route known as Centre Trail. Prior to the construction of Highway 10 this was the main link from one side of the park to the other. With a length of 73 km (one way, from the Bison Enclosure to Deep Lake Warden Station), the level of difficulty is moderate, and in regard to facilities there are three campsites on Central Trail, and six campsites on adjoining trails including some accessible solely by foot or non-motor bikes, as was experienced that day. 

Used from October 1943 to October 1945, Whitewater camp held 450 German Afrika Korps soldiers captured in Egypt during the Second World War. These men were sent from larger camps in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, Alta., which were part of a larger PoW camp system in Canada during the Second World War. This information forms a part of a display including how the camp was set up back in the day at the site. Visitors also can listen to recorded stories, simply by cranking a dial. 

Originally the German prisoners were to have been placed along the south shore of Lake Audy at the site of a former National Forestry Program Camp. But it was pointed out by the park superintendent that there would be more work for the men if the camp was built along the north shore of Whitewater Lake near a fire-damaged stand of poplar, which was likely to yield 200,000 cords of wood. 

Constructed at an estimated cost of over $300,000, the camp featured six large bunkhouses, each with its own washroom and shower facilities, a large cookhouse and dining room, a combination garage and workshop, hospital, a large commissary store, staff quarters, a barn, and even a camp power plant. 

The camp had no fence or guard towers. The boundaries of the camp were designated by blazes on a ring of outlying trees. Beyond that, there was nothing but mile after mile of wilderness. 

Authorities believed that the camp’s location, in the heart of the park, would discourage the prisoners from trying to escape. However, a few did, thanks to constructing canoes from wood sources, and rowing across the lake to Olha for cards, conversation and companionship with settlers, especially women. 

They would visit the small immigrant communities along the southern boundary of the park and then head back to camp before rollcall the next morning. 

Apparently, the Germans were favoured guests at local dances and parties because they carried with them rationed goods, especially sugar for the local stills. Local farmers with sleighs routinely picked up the men at the park boundary and gave them a change of clothing. 

The Germans, meanwhile, always used the same excuse for their absence – they had simply gone for a hike and become lost. They realized that any mass escape attempt would mean an end to their Whitewater days and immediate shipment to a maximum-security facility. 

A portion of my history lesson came via the book Park Prisoners – The Untold Story of Western Canada’s National Parks, 1915 – 1946 by author Bill Waiser, while waiting for a campfire to burn down. 

Although no wildlife was spotted, acquaintances at the Minnedosa River camp stated they saw moose, elk, and heard wolves the night previous. But the pleasure of the piercing sound and closeness of the Canada jay, also known as the gray jay, the beauty of spruce and tamarack, and the serenity of an artistic landscape, was fulfilment. 

Other people on the trek were horseback riders, Roseann Yaremchuk and her son Dillon, Alicia Grassinger and her daughter Faith, all of Rossburn, and Sydney Gerelus, who was joined by her Shoal Lake parents, Larry and Carol, and Gill Grudeski of Vista. Additional club members and fellow high point winners on the year not present were Paige Swain of Shoal Lake, Robyn Yaremchuk of Rossburn, and Nicole Shaw of Birtle. 

Singing with life, Riding Mountain National Park is home to a staggering diversity of living things. Enjoy it as you find it, but always honour, acknowledge, and recognize Indigenous contributions to the park, and the province, as the forested parkland in Treaty 2 Territory, stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland.

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