Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.05.1982, Síða 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 21. MAÍ 1982-5
Prairie became townsite in 1910
Sketch of Early Langruth
Continued from page 4
which after a haul of perhaps twen-
ty or thirty miles, frequently in
frigid weather, brought only two or
three cents a pound. One old-timer
says as low as half a cent a pound:
At that time and for a number of
years previous a colony of Icelandic
people settled at or in the vicinity of
Big Point and a few others further
North along the Lake. Another small
colony had settled at Marshland
where they found favorable grazing
lands along the Big Grass Marsh. To
the South in the Lakeland district
there had been some settlers for
years, though with very little land
under cultivation in most cases, as
also further North sparsely scat-
tered settlements as far as Kinosota
and principally along the Lake. And
here and there a thriving rancher oc-
cupied a choice grazing range, also
chiefly on the lake front. Big Point
was a favorite ranching site for
years before the advent of the
Icelandic people. Of these early ran-
chers an outstanding successful one
was the late Mr. Mat Hall, Sr., of
Lakeland, a man very popularly
known to most everyone in this part
of the province.
The Icelandic people
A word about the Icelandic peo-
ple. The first winter we had this
land the writer came West to look
after our interests and particularly
to try and have a railway station
located on our land. I drove from
Westbourne as was the case many
times later using a team of bronchos
and cutter supplied by my host and
jovial good-natured friend Mr. Guy
Fallow of the Westbourne Hotel,
and who by the way had been a
former rancher at Big Point. My
destination on that occasion was Big
Point and I recall driving down the
Big Point road through an avenue of
tall poplar trees much of the way. I
spent the night at Thorleifson's, my
very good friends ever since. The
following day the late Mr. Olafur
Thorleifson accompanied me
about Big Point and I met a number
of very agreeable people indeed.
They were enthused as one might
suppose over the prospect of
perhaps a little town so near their
settlement and I was pleased to find
that they had already sent a petition
to the railway company máking the
request for a station where we also
desired it or at least convenient to
the Big Point road. So it was un-
necessary for me to go further on
that quest. That was my introduc-
tion to the Icelanders and I cannot
speak too highly of the part they
have continued to take in all matters
affecting the advancement of the
community and general welfare.
They took a special interest in the
development of the little town from
the outset and many of their young
men were among our pioneer mer-
chants. The Icelanders adopted
Canada upon their arrival in the
country as perhaps no other na-
tionality from a non-British country
and there are no better Canadians.
In this attempted little tribute to
the Icelanders I trust I am in no way
detracting from the very estimable
qualities of so many of our other
early settlers who have had an
equal part in making the district
what it is today. In fact, I dare say
there are few communities in the
George W. Langdon and W.
Judson Ruth, forty years after.
West where the people have work-
ed together so successfully in the
promotion of so many worthwhile
enterprises.
Andy Lasson, Sr., George Lukus,
John Toth and Louis Huyber,
Hungarian settlers had recently
located a little to the South-East.
They selected choice lands and were
very industrious. Andy Lasson ex-
tended his holdings so that at the
time of his death in 1928 he was
very successfully farming six
quarter-sections. I consider Mr.
Lasson was one of the best grain
farmers we have ever had in the
district. I am only referring here to
the pioneer Hungarians as the sub-
ject of our Hungarian colony, all
good and prospering citizens is be-
ing specially covered by another
writer.
Nearest settlers to
Langruth
The nearest settlers to the present
Langruth at that time were about
two or three miles in each direction.
To the East was Big Point hall on the
site of the hall recently removed,
and which was probably among the
first community halls in the Prov-
ince. To the North Thos. G.
Moorhead and Robert Long had
located a few years previously, the
former having a little store with a
Post Office in it named Hollywood
after his former home town in
Ireland. To the West were Arthur
Wright and Robert Grey and to the
South Henry Culley had recently
taken up a Hudson's Bay section.
Within these limits there was not a
resident or clearing.
The partners had a special friend
in Hon. Hugh Armstrong, the then
Provincial Treasurer, and who ac-
companied the writer in waiting on
the C.N.R. General Manager with
the result that the station site was
definitely established. And of
course this meant a townsite. A half-
interest in eighty acres adjacent was
transferred to the Railway Com-
pany as was the custom with
townsites, the Company agreeing to
do the surveying into town lots.
However, the first survey, made in
1908, followed a set plan for C.N.R.
townsites regardless of existing
physical features with the result
that a re-survey was necessary in
order that Main Street would con-
form as near as possible with the
ridge road and also be widened.
This meant considerable delay as
later the straightening of a bend in
this road at the crossing of the little
creek known to old-timers as
McKeever's Creek and no doubt so-
called from having been at one time
the favorite camping ground of
some "improved Scotchman." This
same McKeever (or Mclvor) may
have found this to be a good place
for the trapping of beavers as the
wings of a former beaver dam still
exist and may have existed for very
many years.
Name for the new townsite
The Railway Company requested
the writer to suggest a name for the
new townsite and as there appeared
to be no existing name for the
district, four different names were
submitted. The first on the list was
"Armstrong” and the last, a com-
bination of the partners' names, i.e.,
"Langruth." It seemed a rather
unlikely name when the writer
wrote it down for the first time but
Langruth was selected as being
presumably the only one on the list
which would not be duplicated in
Canadian Post Offices.
Meanwhile two and a half sec-
tions of the last to the East of the
townsite had been disposed of to
Haney brothers, James and Fred, of
Strathroy, Ont., and who with
James Graham of the same place,
the purchaser of a section to the
West of the townsite, removed to
their lands in the spring of 1910.
Malcolm McLarty, of Goderich,
Ont., who purchased a half-section
to the South removed with Mrs.
McLarty to their land a little later
the same spring. Haney Brothers
brought with them a number of men
to clear the land and construct
buildings and also considerable
equipment, and as by that time the
steel had been laid to Langruth, they
arrived on the first train carrying
passengers and freight.
Previous to that for a number of
years the terminus of the Oakland
Branch was for a time Delta and
later Totogan, a little hamlet on the
White Mud River, a few miles up
from Cawdor, then known as The
Landing or McArthur's Landing. A
townsite had been surveyed at
Totogan and a number of lots sold
but all buildings of this erstwhile lit-
tle town soon disappeared with the
extension of the railway further
North.
Langruth's first resident
In April of the same year, 1910,
the writer, who had in the mean-
time taken over his partner's real
estate interests, brought with him
from Ontario a practical builder to
construct the first buildings on the
townsite. His name was Alfred T.
Williams. Mr. Williams made the
first clearings on the townsite and
constructed a temporary house for
himself a little to the East of where
Hannesons' store staqds. Until then
the only indications of a coming
town were the survey lines marking
the streets and lots^ And so Mr.
Williams was Langruth's first resi-
dent. That is, our first human resi-
dent. Indeed, Mr. Williams reported
seeing a moose on the townsite
shortly after his arrival and of
course coyotes and jumpers were
much more numerous than at pre-
sent. Coyotes especially and often
the nights were made hideous with
their mournful howlings. Also an
occasional bear prowled about.
As it appeared that a public stop-
ping place was the most needed
building to get the proposed new
town going the writer had Mr.
Williams construct what was
known as the Boarding House, but
before this building was fully com-
pleted three enterprising young men
of Big Point, Bjorn Bjarnarson,
Freeman Helgason and A.S.
Helgason (Sophie) formed
themselves into a partnership
known as The Langruth Trading
Continued on page 6
wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmm
Langruth Trading Company with Soffanias and Freeman Helgason
on picture.