Having seen most all of the towns, villages, and hamlets of central and eastern Manitoba, it has always been my desire to check out Manitoba’s south-western communities, so begins my journey.
Raising early June 18th/07 which is unusual for me, I proceed West on PTH#3 from Morden at around 7 a.m. I am familiar with all the communities from Thornhill to Deloraine along #3 , but did make a stop in the Village of Clearwater for breakfast, which is on PTH #3A . The approach into Clearwater from the east is rather impressive as you go down into a small valley under a large CP rail bridge that spans a fairly deep gully and crosses a creek. Up on the west side of the gully is the hamlet of Clearwater about the size of Thornhill only it has a small General store and a more recent building housing the Clearwater Junction Restaurant and Post Office. There where the usual local breakfast and coffee types you see in all cafe’s in attendance. I ordered sausages & eggs with shredded potatoes, and received a goodly portion. I enjoyed the cut onion greens in the potatoes it was a nice touch. When I left I noticed a stack of Morden Times papers, being a Monday I don’t know if people had not picked them up yet or just weren’t interested in news from the east? So I left this hamlet whose motto is, Small Town…..Big Hearts.
My next stop was Border View Lumber in Cartwright to see a Mr Vernon Vincent, but he apparently takes Mondays off, so off to Killarney where I topped up for gas. Then onward west to Deloriane, I recall having golfed at the Deloriane Golf & Country Club some years back, because of it’s similarity to Morden, in that it is next to a PFRA dam site. I now begin to see a few Oil pumps in the Deloraine area off PTH #3 and #21 south. I am now in the area I have not travelled to before.
My first stop was the hamlet of Goodlands on PRR# 251, which lies on the flat prairie landscape reminiscent of Saskatchewan, it is about the size of Miada 4 or 5 homes, of which one was for sale. There where more than a few bad pot holes here. West of this lies Waskada it has approximately 10 to 12 oil pumps to the east of it and about 20 to 30 to the southwest that I encountered. This appears to be the heart of Manitoba’s oil boom, but it’s definitely no Calgary. Waskada would be about half the size of Roland with an abandon Pool elevator and train track, some new homes. The Stockman Bar & Grill Hotel is a 1960’s vintage operation housing a Credit Union, it is also for sale or lease. It seems to be about the only action in town. They do have several building that house thier Museum. I checked out there Golf Course as I noted on the internet you could play for $5.00. It was sort of a combination park and golf course much like a school ground and it’s greens were made of astro turf. I assume you just went out and golfed and paid anyone who might come along and ask for green fees. There’s still a pulse as they held a men’s and ladies tournament on Sunday June the 10th according to the Melita New Era paper. It also mention an oil appreciation event held on June 8th at the Waskada Lion’s Hall. The news reporter from Waskada mention 4 couples attending the K&D Music fest in Morden at Schellenberg’s in 1-6. Now we I’m off to Coulter west on PRR#251, it‘s much like Kaleida, an abandon elevator with 4 homes.
Continuing west on PRR# 251, I arrive at Lyeton which consist of about 10 older homes, a Post Office, and an abandon Pool and Paterson elevators still on the flat lying prairie. Continuing west and then turning north on PRR# 256, I arrive in Pierson the most westerly community before entering Saskatchewan. Pierson reminds me of Brunkild and similar in size. The C.P. rail line is still active, and the two old elevators Paterson/Pool appear locally operated. Coal is still shipped from Estvan on this rail line. Like Brunkild, Agricore United established an inland terminal at Elva some 18 miles northeast of Pierson. The commercial actively centres around the Co-op bulk fuel and card lock pumps, hardware and lumber. It also has a 60’s RBC bank, a liquor vendor, and of course a Post Office. The Heritage Restaurant was built in 2003 by the community and leased out to it’s present operator. There were about 14 customers in for the noon lunch, I ordered a hamburger/diet Pepsi, not great, and departed.
Leaving Pierson via PTH# 3 going east and then north on PTH#83 to Melia, you past the Agricore United inland terminal at Elva a few miles west of Hwy# 83 much like Jordon Siding.
Melita appears to be a pleasant town with most of life’s amenities and services, a hospital, and a neat Golf Course tucked in a small valley a couple of blocks off Main Street. Thought of golfing there, but thought the better of it, with the threatening rain clouds. Did check out Cameron Agencies a local Realtor for housing prices, around $60 - $85 thousand for modest bungalows. I now continue north on #83 and turn west at the junction of PRR# 345 to Broomhill, pardon the pun but a broom must have swept it clean , there’s really nothing there, other than a long abandon 2 story structure of block like the front of Morden’s Enchanted Valley Flowers, with a yard site beyond it. There was a small sign indicating it’s the “Home of Bird Dog Field Trails”, since 1933. Somehow I got the impression that’s when they may have last been held.
Now west to Tilston, , you turn south off PRR# 345 at the new MTS hut site for about a ¼ mile, it reminds me of Snowflake. It has 2 long abandon elevators the Pool and Five Roses (if you can remember that one, you’ve been here on earth for some time) There are about 7 homes here, an abandon arena with a calming meadow behind it, where 2 baseball backstops still stand and so does time. Also there is an abandon school and United Church.
Onward north to Sinclair via PRR# 256 where signs of the oil pumps pop up again. Sinclair seemed like a sleepy village much like Darlingford, with Wiebe’s Corner store and Post Office the only commercial venture. Did it have an abandon Pool elevator? yes.
I continued north on PRR# 256 to Cromier a small hamlet in a shallow valley, with a few homes, a General Store and an abandon Pool elevator. It’s Golf Course had sand greens. It claim’s to be the “Home of the Stick Horse Rodeo” This is where people dressed in western gear ride these stick horses, the kind that kid’s have, and perform various forms of musical rides. It can be quite amusing,
but I didn’t know they had a home. On the north side of this valley there was a very large oil storage terminal own by oil giant Enbridge. Apparently oil is piped here from the pumps in the fields and put into Enbridge’s pipelines that span western Canada. Enbridge is hugh see their web site at http://www.enbridge.com/. There would seem to be a fair work force here, who reside mainly in Virden.
From Cormier I head east on PRR# 255 which is my first graveled provincial road to check out Woodnorth and Scrath neither of which seem to exist , but are still on the Manitoba provincial map. I am now at the junction of PTH# 83 and turn south towards Pipestone. It is a tiny village with a store. Post Office and houses on either side of it’s main street, the end of which is blocked by Pipestone Livestock Sales. It is a fairly large facility or a just a small village?
Now I must back track west on Hwy # 2 to Reston, were I have booked into the SunDial Bed & Breakfast. I tour the town and find it to be a bit like Maimi only larger, with more amenities and services, it has a pulse. There are newer vinyl siding homes as a result of the mini oil boom in the area. The Reston Golf Course seemed a little cramped is the west boundary of the village. I topped up my van with gas and asked where a good place was to eat, they suggested the Reston Motor Hotel. The Hotel is a 1960’s establishment that is unkempt and a bit of a dive to say the lease. It appeared to me like a former cinder block garage containing the beer parlour and café, with a 4 room wing attached to the side. I had their pork chop special, which had that warmed over taste, nothing really appetizing. After supper I checked into SunDial B&B, as it so happens I had seen this gentleman in Morden, his name is Barry Brice and he managed the Morden Liquor store from the late 80’s to late 90’s. He is situated in a 2 ½ half story 1908 red brick house on 116 Second Avenue, beside 2 other beige brick homes of the same vintage and one with siding.
The interior of this home is in my option is absolutely enchanting.
Barry credited his wife who passed away last fall with the fine décor.
The main floor is original hardwood with a mid reddish mahogany colour, while the upstairs hallway and bedrooms are carpeted. The original moulding throughout is all white. The entire house is in various soft pastel colours with all the appropriate wallpaper bordering. The ceiling were all done in white stipple. The kitchen was completely gutted and has matching greenish floor covering and counter tops with an inland. New custom cabinets from a former Mary Ann’s Kitchen employee complete the kitchen. A ½ half bath and laundry was also installed on the main floor. It was one of quietest village and place I have stayed at and what a delight. Barry’s guest book indicate people had stayed here from around the world.
With a most restful sleep and a great breakfast Tuesday morning, I ventured out for my 2nd day on the road. Travelling east on PTH# 2 to the junction of PRR# 254 where I turn south through mostly meadow land with few yard sites, this area seemed so tranquil. So much so that a small herd of cattle having escaping confinement were grazing on the road allowance and in a grain field. I slowly proceed thru the cattle on the road without incident. Now at the junction of PRR# 541, I turn east towards PTH# 21 and then south to Hartney. Just before the Hartney entrance squeezed between PTH# 21 and the Souris River lies the Hartney Golf Course. It was early morning, not many golfers out and it looked inviting. So paid my dues, got an electric golf cart, and headed out. I lost 2 balls right away on #1 fairway, no where near any rough, just amazing eh! When I got to #3 fare way the juice had run out of my golf buggy, but made it back to the clubhouse for an exchange. I went back out completed my round and life seemed good. At the Hartney entrance to the village on PTH# 21 is a hugh new New Holland implement dealer called Atkinson Implements, about the size of Little Morden here on #3. There was so much yellow that I went on the lot to count 22 big yellow combines, six were used, man that’s a lot of combine inventory for yah!, it would even make the Hutteries salivate.
Across the highway was a recent Co-op card lock gas bar. Aside from this Hartney seems stalled, there no new homes to be seen, the commercial buildings are 30’s,40’s, 50’s, vintage, it fact the newest commercial building was the 1970’s MTS telephone exchange. North of the railway and at it’s east end there were some mature tree in what could be a park setting.
South again on #21 to the junction of PTH# 23 then east and home with a few more stops. The first village is Elgin it reminds me of a small Lowe Farm, with one combined restaurant and Post Office for it’s commercial activity. There is an old abandon brick Anglican Church and an old still active brick United Church. About ½ mile east is mini lake called the Elgin Reservoir Aeration project I guess? It has a tiny camp ground, boat lunch, and golf course with astro turf greens. There were 2 swans on the lake and about a dozen baby goats fenced in on it’s banks. East of this is Fairfax with 2 new homes and 4 others for a grand total of 6, plus the 2 municipal sheds. Fairfax sports brand new signage bearing it’s name.
Further east and a little south you run into Minto, which was named after the Earl of Minto, who was Governor General of Canada from 1898-1904. Apparently he passed through Minto at one time, but made his stop in neighbouring Elgin instead, such an ungrateful gesture on his part. Minto reminds me of Pierson only it straddles both sides of the C.N. railway track. Again it has the Co-op Agro centre, a convince store in a quaint neat building, which also contains the Liquor Vendor. A branch of the Boissevain Credit Union operates here, and a little white 26 x 16 frame building serves as their Legion. They also boast a typical 1928 red brick school that I believe has about 4 rooms. The big attraction here is a 9 table restaurant with a outdoor covered deck called the Silver Saddle Grill it is a newer place that is well appointed inside, and has an extensive menu, more so than the establishments in Morden/Winkler. I order thier special of the day, a cold plate and it was excellent. East of Minto lies Dunrea about ¼ mile north of #23. Dunrea distinguishes itself by having a huge Canada Goose statue at it’s entrance next to the old school grounds. The old school has been converted to a restaurant. I took a newly paved street that skirted the hamlet to see where it lead. At the end of this L shaped street stood a school built in 1965 with a small auditorium. It now housed the offices of the Rural Municipality of Riverside. This is possibly the most impressive municipal offices in Manitoba. The school administrative office was now the Dunrea Post Office. Of the four school rooms, one room housed the Riverside administration offices, another the Council Chamber, a 3rd was rented to Agricore United, and 4th was vacant. The auditorium could be rented for a $1.00. The rest of Dunea’s streets were quite pot holie. Dunrea is also home to Roman Catholic brick church erected in 1903.
On the way to Ninette on the north side of PTH# 23, lies the Wellwood Hutterite Colony, from the highway it seemed quite a large operation. That effectively ends my tour as far as unseen towns, villages and hamlets are concern. I believe Ninette is known to most of you, so I will just comment on Baldur. First it has a street name Schutz, that’s 10 points in it’s favour, it again reminds me of Maimi with services such as restaurant, grocery store, a newspaper. Co-op, Rec. facilities, hospital, and the building of a new Cypress River Credit Union. It has a wee tiny brick Anglican church about the size of Minto’s Legion Hall. And the 1st Lutheran church on my travels. Baldur is bound by the Oak Creek to the north and has an abandon railway. I head for home, east on PTH# 23 and south on PRR# 440 which I have never driven. I arrive at Pilot Mound and continue on to Crystal City and dine at Haw’s Chinese Restaurant one of my favourite eating places. I then proceed to The Pilot Mound Golf & Country Club, but there was a ladies tournament in progress. So continue on through La Riviere and pulled into the Manitou Golf course, where it was still light enough to get in 9 holes. I didn’t Golf too badly, then headed for Morden and my very last stop the DQ.
So ended a journey of 848.7 km, without seeing one motorcycle.
What compels me to visit these hamlets, villages and towns, where the cemetery population often exceed that of the local population.
It may be because I had my first experiences, at Thornhill with it’s 2 story fieldstone school that my brother fondly referred to as Wellington High, The Co-op store with it glass top gas pump and bulk fuel service, the Post Office Mrs Campbell ran. Campbell’s repair & welding shop, George Reichert Service Station, the 3 elevators Oglvie, Manitoba Pool, and Lake of the Woods. Where I hauled grain for my Dad and brothers to the Pool in the old 1952 ½ ton Fargo directly from the field, before grain quotas existed. The old C.P.R station and that special occasions place the Thornhill Community Hall. It was an idyllic time, and it returns to me, each and every time I pass or encounter the enchanting and fading past of these communities.
Cheers!
