This once-grand house in the Municipality of Hamiota was constructed around 1913 for local farmer Arthur Atkinson (1872-1924). The house had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside, being situated on top of a small hill, with features uncommon even to urban residences of the time.
Arthur Atkinson immigrated to Canada from England in the 1890s and worked in Ontario, later moving to the Hamiota area where he worked as a hired hand until he had saved enough to buy his own homestead. On 5 August 1898, he married Ida May Levins (?-1929) whose family had settled in the Viola Dale district a few years earlier. They subsequently had six children: Ethel Hope Atkinson (1900-1942), Ernest Lionel Atkinson (1902-?), Orlson Kermit Atkinson (1904-1922), Ellen Grace Atkinson (1905-1999, wife of Norman Turnbull), and two who died in infancy.
After Arthur Atkinson died suddenly at the farm, the Turnbull family lived there for a time. Later residents were the Strachans, Hodgsons, and Grays. The building was vacant from many years and was badly degraded but was still owned by the Gray family. It was destroyed by a grass fire on 7 May 2019.
Atkinson House (no date)
Source: Norman and Grace Turnbull, by permission of Rhonda McDougal
Atkinson House (August 2014)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Atkinson House on fire (May 2019)
Source: Bill ElliottSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.15520, W100.56123
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Norman Leslie Turnbull (1900-1986)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba
Death registration [Arthur Atkinson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Hamiota, Grains of the Century: 1884-1984 by Hamiota Centennial History Committee, 1984. [Legislative Library of Manitoba, F5648.H34 Ham]
We thank Jay Jackson, Ken Smith, Rhonda McDougal, and Bill Elliott for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 April 2021
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
