Prairie Gems

There's something about deserted old buildings that fascinates me. A few years ago I started photographing some that I happened to see when traveling in my home province, Manitoba. Now I have this a little collection, which I'm hoping to make into a set of cards one day.

Desolate

Some seem haunted, others sort of sad and tired, and all have this rustic beauty about them, that seems to tell stories of another era. As my eyes linger on these prairie gems, I can't help but wonder what memories these walls hold, where the people are who once lived there. Or why they abandoned the place.

Standing Guard

Rustic 

I love the colours in this old barn. It would make a gorgeous backdrop for 'pioneer pictures'.

Leaning

I traveled past this little leaning shack many times and never had a camera with me - and then one day, after one wind too many, it was gone. Fortunately a friend had some pictures that she was willing to share.

Rhubarb Hut

Prairie Shanty

Still Sturdy

Weary Threesome





Are there any 'abandoned jewels' in your area? Or maybe you recognise one of these. Perhaps you've lived in a house that now holds nothing but memories. Care to share?

I'll leave you with this Wheely Tired one.

German POW - one lonely grave

Dear Readers,
I'm posting this in the hopes of  helping my friend, Robert Henderson - Homefront Museum and Artifacts (Regina, Saskatchewan) solve this mystery:

The Quest Continues - Who was this Unknown Soldier?

The quest for information relating to a unknown German Prisoner of War buried in the Whitewood Cemetary at Whitewood, Sask., is expanding.  Little is known about this almost forgotten World War Two veteran of the then enemy forces.  He apparently died on a West bound Prisoner of War train at Grenfell, Sask.  The next normal stopover location for necessary steam engine water was Whitewood. 

There, the body was removed and buried in the local cemetary, where it was marked by a wood cross, which presently has the inscription "UNKNOWN FOREIGN SOLDIER  WW11 POW".

How this individual became erased from the official files of German War dead is a mystery that none of the locals have been able to resolve. The grave site was drawn to the attention of Mr. Robert Henderson of the Homefornt Archives and Museum, Regina, Sask., and he has initiated extensive ongoing inquiries from other potential sources of information not yet contacted by the Whitewood local historians.

Perhaps you hold the key to resolving this mystery that time has developed.

Please contact the webmaster or homefront@sasktel. if you can assist in resolving this mystery.

Feel free to pass this on to others who may be able to shed some light on this intriguing story.

“Who Will Help Recycle this Bag?”

Photo courtesy of Greenline Enterprises Inc. (SK),

            In recent years gigantic grain bags have become a common sight on the prairies. Like giant white sausages, stretched out across fields, these bags are quick to set up when farmers run out of grain storage space. However, once the ‘grain sausages’ are emptied there is tons of plastic begging to be recycled.

Green Acres Hutterite Colony, near Bassano, Alberta answered this call. They operate a large scale recycling business, Crowfoot Plastics, the first of its kind in Alberta. I learned about this from Shannon LeClair’s (Strathmore Times) online article, ‘Recycling Initiative Sweeps through the County’.

 Having never heard of anybody recycling these bags, I was curious and of course excited, since there are literally miles of these bags across the prairies. My colony has used them a few times and I remember asking what happens to them after they're emptied. Not surprising, the answer was, “They go to the nuisance ground.” As we all know, they will still be there many years from today or pollute the environment when burned. Sadly, people are left with no other choice but to burn or bury the plastic when there’s no recycling program in place. Thankfully though, one Alberta Hutterite colony has an eco-friendly solution to this problem and hopefully this ‘recycling initiative’ will sweep beyond the aforementioned county.

 Brothers, Larry and Henry Hofer of the Green Acres Colony operate Crowfoot Plastics.  “We own the equipment and two years ago we merged with Merlin Plastics.” Larry told me in a phone conversation. “Right now we’re busy from 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday to Saturday. “

 “We’ve been recycling grain bags for two years now,” Henry Hofer explained. “Our company is five years old and we recycle approximately five million pounds of plastic a year – this includes high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic and gas pipe and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic grain bags.” Crowfoot Plastics pays fifty dollars a ton and people have to truck the plastic to the plant themselves.

Photo courtesy of Kirchner Machines in Lethbridge, AB

To make it easier for Crowfoot Plastics employees to handle the bags and to minimize the accumulation of more dirt, it's imperative that the bags be rolled with a special machine. “We simply do not except bags that have not been rolled.” Larry informed me. “We highly recommend using the Kirchner Roller, as it rolls the grain bags nice and tight and more importantly, not to wide.”

 Duane Kirchner of Kirchner Machines in Lethbridge, AB has developed a bag roller, which can be used on a large skid steer loader or a tractor similar to a JD 740, and requires one hydraulic outlet. The roller can be custom built for the farmer’s tractor.

             Bags have to be relatively clean before going through the shredder at Crowfoot Plastics. Once shredded, the plastic goes into the washers, where the heavier material, rocks and grains sink to the bottom, while the plastic floats to the top. After the drying and grinding process the extruding takes place, here the plastic gets melted to 200 ͦ C, pushed through a 110 micro screen to filter out impurities and then finally pelletized.  These pellets are eventually made into garbage bags. One grain bag makes roughly 10,000 garbage bags.

           In conclusion, there are no easy answers on what can be done about these bags in our  own province; other than trucking them to Crowfoot Plastics. Hopefully though, someone will rise to the challenge, and follow in the footsteps of Crowfoot Plastics. However, there is something that individuals can do to support this recycling endeavor: Consider using garbage bags, or any other products manufactured from recycled plastic. In order for companies like Crowfoot Plastics to continue this important mission, they need consumers to buy their products; thus, as good stewards of the earth, contributing to a clean, green environment.  The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1

           

Oh, one more thing you could do: Please pass this post on to other people. Hopefully as it travels through cyber space, it will plant some seeds that will grow into operations such as the one mentioned in the article. Thanks!

Hutterites and Hobbies - paintings

Some Hutterites showcase their creativity with paint and a brush, including my sister, Sonia. She works mostly with acrylics. Here are some of her latest pieces. A few her paintings have been displayed at the Portage Art Gallery and gone on tour in Manitoba.

Waterfall

Canada

Tranquil

The Fishing Hole

Northern Lights

German POW Update - more art work

Again, this has nothing to do with my own research, but I'm fascinated with the amount of artwork these prisoners produced during their captivity in Canada. I recently found this site with artwork from a German POW. This particular piece is from the Thunder Bay Historical Museum. They have a collection of pieces from Hans Krakhofer, who as a prisoner of war, worked cutting timber at Red Cliff Bay on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario. This site has more of his pictures and an interesting account of his life. Hans settled in Canada after the war and worked at the Abitibi Power and Paper Company.

Makes me wonder if Canadian prisoners were as creative, or if they even had the opportunity to do things like that. From all accounts, WWII POW in Canada were treated very well; some even considered their time here as a holiday. "They were the best years of my life!" One prisoner told his family.

From Pine Forests to Oak Pews

At Easter 1536 Hans Amon and the elders who assisted him, summoned the people from Böhmisch Krumau, Brimsitz, Heroltitz, and wherever they were living up and down the country. They gathered the church in the pine forest between Nikolsburg and Pulgram and celebrated the blessed meal of remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ in great joy. The local magistrates came upon them there and ordered them to leave the grounds. So after the meeting they commended themselves to God’s care and returned to the places they had come from, joyfully praising God.- The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren, Vol. I

May the sacrifices of our forefathers always remind us, because of their courage and steadfastness, we now enjoy freedom of religion, and thus are able to celebrate Holy Days in peace. Hutterites observe Jesus’ death and resurrection over four days. For each there is a special scripture teaching: 

·         Good Friday – Luke 23

      ·         Easter Sunday, morning service – Exodus 12, afternoon service – 1 Corinthians 10
      ·         Easter Monday – 1 Corinthians 11
      ·         Easter Tuesday -  Matthew 28

Two stanzas of a song which has been sung by Hutterite for many years: ‘O Sacred Head, Now Wounded’ Ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091 – 1153 and  translated into German by Paul Gerhardt in the 1600’s, ‘O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden’.

O sacred head now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,

 Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;

O sacred head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!

Yet though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

 What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever; and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.