Exploring the Remains of the Homestead

Cousins at the corner of the house foundation at the homestead site

Ian and the kids took us to the area on the property that was suspected to be the site of the Candy homestead.  Ian reported that there was a foundation remaining from a small house and indeed there was.  Based on comparisons with photos from the 1955 visit it is thought to be the foundation of the first house built by Grandpa Candy.  It is not known why he built the first house and then did not occupy it. He built a nearly identical one that was the actual family home. Perhaps something about the location of the first house was not ideal.  Presumably the first house served as a storage building.

Below is a photo of this first house taken during the 1955 visit.  Ian thought the background in the photo matched the terrain behind the old foundation.  Sometime after 1955 the house was either moved or torn down. As will be seen in a future post this house configuration seems to be Grandpa Candy's default design.

Standing on the foundation laid by Grandpa Candy sometime between 1910 and 1914.

Ian helps locate the homestead garden area with a photo from 1955

 Read more to see more photos of the homestead site.

Looking toward what was the garden area.  We didn't find any legendary rhubarb.

Looking north toward the location of the house foundation

Grandma and Grandpa would be pleased to know the homestead is now home to the Merken children 

The kids picked flowers for Janet

We dug some soil from around the foundation and gathered some cement chunks as tokens of the Motherland.

Knoll above the homestead site

Janet got flowers, Ken was brought Saskatoons that grew wild on the property.  Tart but good!

The visit to the homestead property was everything we could have hoped for.