Around 1981, this building near Crandall in what is now the Municipality of Prairie View was featured in a Manitoba Co-operator series on rural architecture. The original caption for the photograph is given below.
Perhaps it was appropriate that a gloomy drizzle hung over the farm when the writer spied this large bank barn on the outskirts of Crandall. At the same moment, the W. H. Crandell family was just loading the last of their possessions for transport to a retirement home. Built 80 years ago by Morley Crandell, the barn, land and other buildings had changed hands. Designed to shelter 40 horses and 10 or more cattle, the large 96-foot by 56-foot structure is of the Ontario bank barn style, brought to the homestead by the Crandell family from its origins in Perry County, Ontario. The banked driveway leads to an enormous loft that features a 10-foot clear hay mow. The two carloads of British Columbia lumber required to frame and cover the upper level are supported by a stone and mortar foundation that was originally trenched eight feed into the ground. The livestock quarters on the lower level were accessed by almost a dozen doors, three on each of the ends, and a half-dozen on the south-facing mow wall. A master carpenter made the original preparations by hand-hewing and grooving the main timbers, as well as drilling holes for wooden dowels. No nails were used. A barn-raising bee was called in 1912, almost a year after the foundation was finished. The carpenter chose two captains, and they in turn chose two teams which competed in erecting and pegging the 10x10-inch timbers for the barn frame. The Crandell family complete the covering.
Later owned by the Skayman family, the barn was demolished sometime after 2012.
Crandell Barn (circa 1981)
Source: Bob HainstockSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.14785, W100.79465
denoted by symbol on the map above
Echoes From the Past 2017: Crandall, Isabella, Beulah, Miniota, Arrow River by 2017 History Book Update Committee, page 375.
This page was prepared by Bob Hainstock, Ed Ledohowski, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 October 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!
