Those of you on Facebook will know that this past weekend my great grandparents' homestead was designated a Century Farm. This is an honour given by the Manitoba Historical Society to farms which have been operated continuously for at least one hundred years by members of the same family. This farm has been worked by members of the Abel family for considerably more than one hundred years, but inspired by my mom, the paperwork was finally done and submitted so the honour could be bestowed. The present owners, Murray and Brenda Abel, also worked tirelessly to make sure the place could receive the designation.
Last Saturday was a glorious Manitoba fall day, which on the prairies means that the sun was shining, the temperature was high, the wind was blowing (but not until after the ceremony) and everyone was smiling. Everyone travelled in caravan (dust, dust, dust) to the original homestead. While the house is not there, having burned down in the 1970s, the land is there, and the memories held by the few who remember the house and had experienced visiting or living there, were shared.
The pictures which follow are in no particular order, but they show the official sign and beautiful wrought iron gate, the remains of the foundation of the house, a few original bricks, the speakers, Brenda Abel, Norma Cleverley, and the representative from the Manitoba Historical Society, and candid shots of the 60 or so people who attended. The oldest I think was Alec Abel, and the youngest for sure was Julien Fortier. We joked that he is probably the only one who has a chance of being around for the bicentennial!
This chair is just right!
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| Youngest attendee. |
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| Brick from the farm house. |
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| Red hair - must be a relative! |
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| Owners before the present day ones. |
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| Present day owners. |
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| The Brown Family Bible. |
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| The six cousins. |
Congratulations to one and all, and many thanks to those who made the day possible!
