5. Subjects Towns & Villages - 1800 - 1910 Pioneer photographers have left us an invaluable record of the development of villages and towns. What follows is a selection of images from the Southwest Corner, usually comprised of an overview (if available) of the village, and a detail from the commercial district. ** The establishment dates provided are based upon the creation of the town site that coincided with the arrival of a rail line. In many cases the community existed in the region as a fledgling village and whatever services existed (often just a Post Office in a farm home) were moved to the location selected by the railway company.   An Introduction Once the railway service linked the small towns of the prairies with the rest of the world, and it became much easier to move goods and people, all manner of services and products became available.  Of course the focus was on practical things; food, clothing furniture and building supplies. But once the basics were taken care of, the pioneers were ready for photography. So in town like Boissevain, created almost overnight in 1885 by the arrival of the railway, photos start to appear within a few years.   Photographer Meirs visited Henderson Bros. threshing outfit in the Caranton district northwest of Boissevain in 1887. (Courtesy W. D. Henderson, Brandon.)   This photo of the first flour mill in Boissevain was taken 1889. (Photo courtesy W. Moncur) As the railways moved into the southwest corner creating Deloraine in 1887, Hartney in 1889, and Melita in 1891 photography followed quickly.   One of the first photos taken in Melita was of their first Fair in 1892.   One of the earliest photos of Hartney featured the first C.P.R. Station and was taken from the elevator. But the golden era of small town photography really began about 1900, and from that time we have a wealth of images that document the times. The following is just a sample. Baldur  - Established 1890 Both these photos are from about 1904. Most available photos of Baldur are from Bates and from the James Wall Collection. Other Baldur Photographers: Walter Murney was a photographer and worked with S. Frederickson in 1904, as travelling photographers, selling pictures from 25 cents a dozen up. In 1905, Murney set up a study in T.W. Sexsmith's hotel. Frank Nelson was also an avid photographer and took post card size pictures, doing all the developing himself. He was always on hand at the house parties taking pictures of those present; people were always very co-operative at arranging themselves for a picture.  Bannerman  - Established 1905 Bannerman was just three kilometres north of the border. When the railway line was abandoned in 1936, this once important Port of Entry lost its purpose. The site is a field today. Belmont  - Established 1891 Belmont was an important railway town, with a roundhouse, water tower, and bunkhouses for railway workers. Boissevain  - Established 1885 Boissevain's first photographer appears to have been John Nicholson, in 1892. That same year a W. E. Markle had very aggressive advertisements in the Globe, but seems to have been around for only a couple of months. In 1893 James E. Miers established the Boissevain Photographic Studio which he operated until he sold to W. J. McKim in 1899. In the meantime F. W. Plows was also doing photography, in 1894. By 1904 Osborne's Studio was located over what is now Pringle's store. He was Boissevain's photographer for many years.  Boissevain remains a thriving commercial centre with a main street that has retained its character. Carroll  - Established 1893 The photo of the Carroll Hotel is by Bates – and the street scene is likely his as well. Cartwright   - Established 1885 Both the Winnipeg Photo Co. and P.C. Edwards were active in Cartwright.  Deloraine - Established 1887 The “first” Deloraine was established in 1881 close to the busy Land Titles Office on the Boundary Commission Trail. The railway bypassed that location in 1887 and the town moved, leaving behind only a stone bank vault now preserved on the original site. Elgin  - Established 1898 Durrant and McDonald, both from Hartney, serviced the Elgin area. Elva  - Established 1891 The photos of Elva are unattributed, likely from Melita photographers. Fairfax - Established 1899 Glenboro  - Established 1885 Edgar Smith was born in Nottingham, England, April 21, 1873. Following his school education he learned the photographic trade from his father, who was in the photography business under the name of J. B. Smith and Son and they had won prizes for their photographs from 1865 to the 1880's. In 1903 Mr. E. Smith came out to Canada and  in about 1904, he settled in Glenboro, He purchased the Photographic Studio from E. L. Lane and was in this business until 1922. Goodlands  - Established 1899 The Winnipeg Photo Co. had offices in nearby Waskada, but this fine photo of the Station doesn’t appear to be one of theirs. The community was started by the Goodlands brothers when the railway arrived from Deloraine. Hartney   - Established 1890 The Canadian Northern Branch arrived in 1901 making Hartney a railway crossroads. This view would be from an elevator on that CN line where it enters Hartney from the west. The building at the centre was the Pump Factory, soon to be demolished to make way for the Town Hall. Holmfield  - Established 1895 Like all new railway towns, Holmfield grew quickly. It was home to the Harrison Milling Company, one of the most successful, and certainly one of the longest lasting operations of its type in the Southwest Corner. This would likely be the earliest surviving photo of Holmfield – 1888. Killarney  - Established 1895 As far as is known the first photographer in Killarney was a George Martin. He is listed as one of the “Professional and Business Men in Killarney before 1900. Lauder  - Established 1891 Charles Thomas was an extremely enterprising and successful farmer. He planted two hundred Balm of Gilead trees in 1901 and photographer George Taylor visited his farm in 1902 to photograph the plowing of four hundred acres of summerfallow with six plows and thirty horses. In 1906 the photographer in Hartney had on display a large photo of nine Thomas boys on binders. Lyleton  - Established 1901 Lyleton is one of many villages that began as post offices well before the railway arrived. In this case the Lyle Family had the Post Office. Medora  - Established 1888 Medora existed as a Post Office, School and a Cemetery, but the town was created when the CPR continued its branch from Deloraine to Napinka in about 1891  Medora existed as a Post Office, School and a Cemetery, but the town was created when the CPR continued its branch from Deloraine to Napinka in about 1891  Melgund  - Post Office Established 1884 Melgund was never a village, but was very definitely a community. It began as Post Office, then a school, church, cemetery and even added a curling rink. This photo from around 1900 shows the community gathered for a picnic along the nearby Souris River. The photographer would likely have been from nearby Hartney.  Melita  - Established 1891 Melita Gallery (open Monday and Friday) was owned by A. M. Campbell, sold to George Davidson in 1892 and was open one to six days a month. Mr. Davidson moved to Deloraine in 1893. In 1900, Davidson Brothers visited for two week periods from Brandon, and by 1903, visits were from Souris. In 1908, Davidson Co. Studio was above T. B. Brooks' store and was open two to three days of every month until 1925 when the business was sold to W. Brown. Other photographers in the early years were, in 1899, William Martel & Son who had a tent studio that they worked from. In 1900, Charles Pope had a studio next door to the Metropolitan Hotel. In 1905-1907 F. E. Watt worked from a small building near the Methodist Church, and with a tent visited small towns around, their visits lasting two to three weeks at a time. In 1914 Silverdale & Nelson, out- door photographers, were in the area. Land Titles Building (left), Livery & A. Fraser - General Merchant Millford  - Established 1880 The Annual Millford Picnic in either 1883 or 1884, an event described in detail by Nellie McClung in her memoir, “Clearing in the West”. Millford is unique in that it was an important village from 1800 – 1885 until it was eclipsed when Glenboro, then Wawanesa, got rail service.  Buildings like this store were moved to Glenboro, where at least one of them is still in use. Stanley Kohler farmed the Milford area in the 1890’s. He was also a photographer. Many of the early photos of events, families and other activities in the Millford and later the Treesbank and Stockton areas were taken by him. Minto  - Established 1905 Minto was featured in the CBC show (2018), “Still Standing”. While the village is therefore still standing, most of its main street business buildings are long gone. Ninga  - Established 1885 Ninga is about mid-way between Killarney and Boissevain, just far enough away to make it viable as a commercial centre in the days when a 10 kilometre trip to the next elevator was a bit too far. Pierson  - Established 1893 The Butterfield Post Office and Stopping House was open for business at least seven years before the CPR Branch from Souris passed by a few kilometres to the north and Pierson (appropriately named after a CPR Investor) was created.  Pilot Mound - Established 1884 The mound was a landmark for travellers and the first village was on that hill. A bank vault remains to mark the site.  Pipestone  - Established 1892 Reston  - Established 1892 Sinclair  - Established 1898 Souris  - Established 1880 as Plum Creek - 1885 as Souris on a CPR Branch Souris was established as Plum Creek in 1880, and is a rare example of a village that was ready and waiting when the railway arrived in 1885. Tilston  - Established 1905 The building in the centre was the Tilston Hotel. The building on the far right was the Bank of Commerce. The building, with its top floor removed, was still in place in 2017. Very little else in these photos remains. Treesbank   - Established 1891 Treesbank was established when the CRP Railway was extended from Glenboro on to Souris.  The previously established village of Millford, and the Post Office / Store at Two Rivers were no longer needed. In the same way, Souris City was replaced by Wawanesa in 1889 when another railway crossed the district. Wakopa   - Established 1878 on the Boundary Commission Trail - 1904 on a CN Branch nearby. The first settlement in the southwest corner began as a store on the Boundary Commission Trail. The village that grew, moved about a kilometre north when the railway branch arrived. Then within a year another line approached from the U.S. making it a crossroads of sorts. By that time the well-established towns of Boissevain and Killarney had become the trading centres of the district and Wakopa remained a hamlet. Waskada  - Established 1900 Wawanesa - Established 1889 The thriving little village of Souris City packed up and moved a few kilometres north when the rail line from Morris to Brandon came through in 1889.