Considered one of the largest barns in the province, this barn in the Rural Municipality of Montcalm, located a short distance northeast of St. Jean Baptiste, was built in 1915 for American land developer John H. Kane as a demonstration farmstead to show new farmers how to work the predominantly clay-rich soils of the region. The large L-shaped barn originally housed cattle on the lowest level, horses on the second level, and hay storage on the third storey or loft. It is a banked barn with gambrel roof, with two earth ramps to the second level. Measuring 85 feet by 40 feet in the main portion, and 60 feet by 24 feet in the wing, this structure offers a minimum of 14,000 square feet of floor space on the different levels.
Later purchased by the Hamblin family, in the early 1980s the barn was featured in a Manitoba Co-operator series on rural buildings. Now owned by the fourth generation of the family, as of 2017 it is still standing but in deteriorating condition.
Kane / Hamblin Barn (circa 1981)
Source: Bob Hainstock
Kane / Hamblin Barn (June 2017)
Source: Eric De Schepper
Kane / Hamblin Barn (November 2021)
Source: George Penner
Aerial view of the Kane / Hamblin Barn (November 2021)
Source: George Penner
Kane / Hamblin Barn (August 2023)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Kane / Hamblin Barn (August 2023)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.28008, W97.34109
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Henry Kane (1861-1951)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Co-operator Rural Buildings Series
We thank Eric De Schepper, Craig Evenson, Rose Kuzina, and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Bob Hainstock, Ed Ledohowski, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 April 2024
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