Stephanie was our tour guide for the Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.
Farm manager's cottage's construction used vertical beams. Then horizontal. If a log needed to be replaced, the enter length didn't have to be replaced.
Chair seat is rawhide. Hooked rug pad similar to seen in the Maritime Provinces.
Spinning wheel had to come from England, so very expensive.
This hand spinner was less expensive but more time and labor intensive.
To make a skein of yarn, it was wound around the weasel. When it made a pop sound, that was a skein measure. Hence the term, pop goes the weasel.
It was important to have an accurate count of skeins for a garment so they enough was dyed in the same batch.
The fruit was not used to dye the yarn. The leaves of a plant were used. They kept track what type of pot was used.
The pots used for dying yarn. Wood, tin or copper would give a different shade of coloring.
Drying rack after the yarn is dyed. Rack used for drying many other items.
This huge vegetable is mangle. Used to feed the livestock.
In the 1850's tobacco was grown. This year was the first time they tried it. Very small leaves. Some of the vegetables were frost bitten early this morning.
The First Nation people lives outside of the Fort but came to trade, sell and work for the the Company.
Indian dress
Birchbark container
The tepee was put up by the women using 13 poles.
The blacksmith used coal which was shipped from England.
Oxen shoes, two to a foot.
Device to secure the oxen when shoeing.
The stone walls surrounding the Fort. Walls were constructed between 1839 and 1848.
Though the Fort never saw a battle provisions were made to secure the Fort. A large stone would be put in the opening and secured by the wood. Therefore no one could shoot in from the outside.
The Big House was a dwelling place for the governor, other officers and business executives. It is the oldest building in the complex. The buildings were made of stone which was not common but Governor Simpson believed stone to be more permanent, wood building often burned. Also more resistant to the spring floods.
The Governor's wife talked about her duties at the Fort, such as trying to ease the tension between the Metis and the Europeans.
She artfully played the square grand piano. The sound is between a harpsichord, guitar (because of the wood board) and piano. The legs screwed off for transportation from England.
Bedroom of the Governor.
Private dining room
Crocheted tea cozy.
Men's meeting room
Commode has a pillow over when not in use.
Wash stand.
Dining room for officers
Plate warmers
The doorframe out of the dinning room to the hallway was short because they didn't want the heat escaping to the hallway. There were 15 stoves for heating in the Big House.
Bedroom in the back of the Big House. One for the bookkeeper and his wife. The stove's heat was shared with the bedroom next to it.
Interesting child sleigh.
The kitchen was on the lower level.
Baking would be done very 10 days because of the labor intensive to heat hot enough to bake bread, then pies, then cakes and lastly cookies.
Laundry room
Another example of the weasel used for winding yarn.
Outdoor oven. Once a year a process to clean the inside of the oven was to put flour on the floor, heat with more wood. Then scrape clean.
Our tour guide took us in the Men's House. It was used by the labours. Here are original snowshoes.
Authentic spectacles.
Metal creel.
Transporting furs to the Hudson Bay meant first getting to Lake Winnipeg, then journeying the rivers to Hudson Bay. 1000 km (600 miles) from Fort Garry to Hudson Bay.
Southeast Bastion was used for storage. This bastion's claim to fame is that it was on a Canadian postage stamp.
The Fort's store.
Bottom of shoes would do some damage to our hard wood floors.
In the warehouse, tea.
100 pounds crushed sugar
Pain reliever was alcohol, opium and cayenne pepper. Whew!
Furs stored in the third floor.
Wolverine
Tail of the skunk very stiff. Used a paint brush.
Learned a lot about the Hudson Bay Company.
Traveling to Brandon, MB to Walmart for the night. When out for a very windy and chilly walk met a couple fro Calgary staying overnight at Walmart. We had tea and a delightful visit with them.
Location:Lower Fort Garry, north of Winnipeg, MB,
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