Fieldtrip to Canada July and August - Part III

Our fieldwork focused specifically on three townships in Manitoba. Those were chosen as they have a majority of immigrants of one ethnicity but also include people from different background within the township and on its edges.

These townships are:
Tp6-R14-1W  north of Baldur, which was settled largely by people from Iceland and Ontario
Tp4-R17-1W south of Ninette, which was settled largely by people from Scotland and Ontario
Tp18-R3-1E south of Gimli, which as settled largely by people from Ukraine as well as some Icelanders.

During our visit to the Municipal Archives of Manitoba we copied all the homestead files relevant to these townships. The homestead files are Department of the Interior files which document the administration of Dominion lands made available for settlement, through homestead entry, sale, grant and pre-emption. The files include applications, inspectors' reports, and correspondence and sometimes naturalization and citizenship documents.

John Nicholson's Homestead Inspector's Report

During the last week of our stay in Manitoba we visited all the townships, inspected the homesteads and photographed any historic buildings or ruins we came across. Below is an example of the buildings we documented:

Township 6-14-1W - Sigurdur Christopherson's house NW-10-6-14

S. Christopherson's house newly built in 1896

Township 4-17-1W - An old frame house & the Nicholson's Homestead

 

Township 18-3E-1W Mykola Myketa's homestead SE 35-18-3