The Poplarfield & District Millennium Album 1900 ~ 2000 By Edward M. Ledohowski under the sponsorship of The St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish of Poplarfield, Manitoba 1 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Ledohowski, Edward M. (Edward Michael), 1953- The Poplarfield & District millennium album, 1900-2000. Includes index. ISBN 0-7711-1518-0 1. Poplarfield (Man.) -- History. 2. Poplarfield (Man.) -- pictoral works. 3. Manitoba -- History, Local. 4. Ukrainian Canadians -- Manitoba -- Poplarfield. I. St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish (Poplarfield, Man.) II. Title F1064.5.P66L44 2001 971.27’4 C2001-962001-2 FC3399.P66L44 2001 Conceived, produced and published by Edward M. Ledohowski First edition March 2001 Hardcover edition June 2009 2 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album This book is decicated to Poplarfield’s 100 years, and to those who endured with Grace and with Courage, the rough and hard life of the pioneer. We all stand on the shoulders of those who preceded us. We will not forget them. “Each knew that there would be no honor or glory for them. Nor would people remember the toil and the suffering that went into building the road, or their bones that would lay beneath it. But each knew that only after they broke the stone and cleared the way, would people walk this road. ” ...Ivan Franko 3 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Principal Sponsors 4 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Message from the Honourable Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for the Government of Canada's millennium initiative The Poplarfield and District Millennium Album Congratulations to the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. Nicholas on the publication of this album documenting your community's heritage. This album of historical photographs gives us a visual look at the community's development over the past one hundred years. Canada's foundations are based on the cultural diversity found throughout the country. Slavic- rooted communities have played an important role in the development of the country, and the Poplarfield and District Community is no exception. Through the rich prosperity of its early years to the hardships of the recent, the pride the residents feel in their heritage is well placed. I am pleased to be involved with many projects relating to Canadian history. I believe that it is important to pass historical knowledge to our children. This album is a great example of your wish to pass your heritage on to the next generation. The Government of Canada is proud to support this album of historical photographs with a financial contribution through the Canada Millennium Partnership Program. Appearing as it does at the turn of the millennium, when we reflect on our past and contemplate our future, this publication is timely. This album will leave a lasting legacy in the spirit of our national millen- nium theme, "Sharing the Memory, Shaping the Dream." The Hon. Herb Gray, M.P. Deputy Prime Minister 5 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Preface The publishing of a 'Pictorial History' for any community or ethnic Canadian group is a deviation from the usual historical approach. To treat properly the 'pioneer years' becomes a challenge. This period is difficult because artistic collections and photographs of early life are hard to obtain. In spite of these difficulties, Edward Ledohowski has been able to meet the challenge admirably. Mr. Ledohowski carefully selected photographs that represent the life of the small Interlake community where he grew up. He is well acquainted with life and progress of Poplarfield through his own experiences and from listening to the stories of Ukrainian pioneers. Yes, it is the history of land-hungry Ukrainian settlers who after 1902 began to build homes in the wood- ed-marshy lands. He collected some fine photographs which illustrate the approaches used by Ukrainian pioneers to make new homes in the Interlake bush country. Soon after settlement a community centre was established, as was a general store and a Post Office. There was no railway. The C.N.R. line didn't come until ten years later. When the high- ways finally came, the settlement was bisected, with a 'new' Poplarfield emerging. Organization of schools, their naming, the organization of a municipality, the growth of the community, and the election of Mr. N.V. Bachynsky as the first M.L.A. of Ukrainian extraction, are all brought into focus. Edward Ledohowski belongs to the new generation of Ukrainians in the community. After his high school education he received a diploma in Agriculture and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of Winnipeg, before gaining a Master of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba. His research on ethnic settlement groups for his Master's Thesis pre- pared him well for selecting photographs and writing of commentaries about life in Poplarfield and District. The Ledochowski's came to Canada in 1903 from the village of Stubno, Poland and were among the first to settle in the Hamrlik P.O. District located on the Principal Meridian. Michael and Anne Ledohowski were born in Poplarfield, where they owned and operated a garage and later a grain farm, and were active leaders in the community. Edward Ledohowski offers his readers a carefully prepared documentary on life in Manitoba. His 'Millennium Album' shows how the redoubtable Ukrainian settlers succeeded amid difficulties and adversity. - Michael Ewanchuk 6 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Table of Contents Introduction 12 Chapter One ~ The Pioneer Era 20 Chapter Two ~ Community Life 36 Chapter Three ~ Farm Life 80 Chapter Four ~ Religious Life 154 Chapter Five ~ Cultural & Social 176 Chapter Six ~ Sport & Recreation 201 Chapter Seven ~ Railway & Transportation 232 Chapter Eight ~ Wood Trade 256 Chapter Nine ~ School Districts 274 Chapter Ten ~ Prominent People 324 Chapter Eleven ~ Neighbouring Communities 338 Chapter Twelve ~ Maps and Documents 350 Appendices Photo credit list 372 Individuals Search Index 376 7 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Above: Key map of Manitoba showing the location of the area detailed at right. Right: Portion of a Provincial Trunk Highways map showing the major roadways and com- munities in the Interlake Region c1990 and the location of Poplarfield, 120 km north of Winnipeg in the Interlake region of the Province of Manitoba. Map-021. Key Maps 8 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Left: Detail from a 1929 topographic map of the central Interlake region, showing: elevation contours, township survey grid, railways, trails, building locations, lakes and sloughs, and Post Office outlets. The region was close to it’s population peak at this time. Map-036. Key Maps 9 Poplarfield & District Millennium Album Acknowledgements This publication would not have been possible without the generous assistance of a large number of individuals and agencies. Their contributions will be noted and described in the forthcoming pages, but an 'upfront' collective thank you is hereby extended to the following: Firstly, for their generous financial assistance, particular thanks to: the Canada Millennium Partnership Program, the Manitoba Heritage Grants Program, the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko, Canad Inns Corporation, Ben & Janet Ledohowski, Mike & Anne Ledohowski, David & Ghistaine Wallach, and Ms Sharron Nosal. Your generosity paid all the 'hard' costs of pro- duction. Critical also was the contribution made by all the families who came forth and offered their pre- cious old family photographs to be copied when the call was put out for images. Their contribu- tions were critical to the success of this project. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort, on very short notice, to hunt down these photos and provide the descriptive information that accompanied many of them. The work of the small band of volunteers who gave of their time to this project also was absolute- ly critical. Special thanks to the members of the Poplarfield Reunion Committee. It was largely their persistent 'digging' that resulted in the identification of the vast majority of many, many faces that appear in this publication. A photograph is far more interesting and insightful if you know who the people are - even much more the case for a 'family' album. Particular thanks to Mr. Laurie Klump for his extraordinary efforts in this regard. Acknowledgements and thanks go to the board members of both the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Parish of Poplarfield for sponsoring the applications for financial assistance, and for hosting the two Poplarfield 'Photo Fairs' held at the Poplarfield Community Centre. And finally, to the Canad Inns Corporation, the Manitoba Historical Society, and Odyssey Lodge for providing office and meeting space. Special acknowledgement is extended to the family of Jacob Melnyk for allowing us to access what survives of his once extensive collection of photographs of the Poplarfield region. Also special men- tion to the family of Andrew Malofie, whose love of photography and extensive collection of Fisher Branch both augmented and inspired the creation of the Poplarfield Collection. There are many other individuals that assisted in their own manner and contributed to the creation of this unique historical document. I must also thank my parents and many distant relatives, who showed me that history is important, and set me upon a path. Finally, and most importantly, this publication would not have been possible without the support, understanding, and love of my wife Monique and our daughter Lindsay. Thank you all. 10