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Just wondering if there are any people here in town who grew up in Elphinstone Mb and what were some of the things you liked about growing up there. I saw the town back in 2014 and wow it's missing alot of houses lol Sandy Lake is still active, I have no idea of Oakburn and other surrounding towns. So what happend to Elphinstone, even the rail tracks were gone. That cute post office is gone too!  
 
Edited by covidsux, 2021-06-24 00:59:50

No answers here, but curious to see if you learn anything more. Half of my family tree traces through Elphinstone-Horod going back a couple generations. Took the route back to Brandon from RMNP a couple years ago and was impressed by the charm of the area... The little convenience store had just enough to fill three empty stomachs needing a top-up!

This was from that area.  
https://archive.org/details/thestrongestmanintheworld

That called Elphinstone hometown. I did. Grew up out in the country NW of town. I was in the second last graduating class at the high school.  
 
Like a lot of small rural towns in MB they are or have died slowly. It is unfortunate. Being honest and realistic one of the biggest factors and not saying it is wrong is and was the change in the liquor laws in the early 90's. I seen small towns go from hustle and bustle in the evening to ghost towns almost overnight.  
 
Small town hotels and restaurants are what I feel keep the town together. The restaurant needs to be open for no later than 7AM. Farmers come in early to have a coffee toast and chat with there fellow farmer. The local news gets spread around.  
 
We see small town businesses being sold to sometimes people from cities or other countries who do not understand small town dynamics. They have to take notice and work.with the community to help make it thrive.  
 
A store that can keep the basic necessities at resonable costs also helps. It is really hard when you have to compete with the Walmarts, Costco's etc.  
 
Complexity of farm machinery and automobiles, the local guy cannot fix it. Thus you have to drive to the bigger center's for say parts or service. When there may as well buy your groceries and everyday items.  
 
Another factor is jobs. Decent paying jobs to be able to survive in the modern world of today. They are basically non existant. Unless you have a family farm that is growing or established that is what I see keeps a lot of small towns afloat.  
 
Towns like Elphinstone and Oakburn lost there main gathering places, the hotel to fires. Never to be rebuilt. Honestly killing those towns.  
 
What I have seen is the strength in the past but I cannot say of today of the Ukrainian people in the Oakburn/Rossburn area. Working together to preserve there heritage and churches. It takes time and hard work to keep.small towns going. One that I see we as a society do not have time for when the trend today is for both husband and wife to be at work 5 to 7 days a week to provide for the family.  
 
I can go on and on. People have wonderful ideas but unless we are able and willing to step up to help they continue to die.  
 
For myself who is just retiring after almost 36 years of working in the service industry, it is my time. I am not interested at this time in getting involved I have so much to do for myself and my family. Being honest, that attitude does not help but it is the choice I have made.  
 
Sandy Lake is still afloat because of the lake and cabins. There are people who have properties there that have great professions/jobs. I have seen people who had wanted cabins in the Falcon Lake or a white shell area realize financially it is unrealistic. They buy a small cheap place in Sandy Lake and with some renos have a great getaway with what maybe a 2 minute drive from the lake. The drawback for the locals it can and does drive property values up thus making it a bit tougher to afford for the locals.  
 
JMO  
 
Hopefully more will step up and convey there thoughts.

I did grow up near another small town like Elphinstone. When I was still living on the farm in the early 70's we had friends from Elphinstone. It was a pretty busy place on a Saturday afternoon. As was already said, it is quiet now. I do go through there a few times a year and try to stop and buy something from the store then. I feel it's important to support however we can, in all of these small towns.  
 
Side note: Just North of Elphinstone there is Horod. On the front of the Horod community hall, the word "community" is spelled incorrectly. Just sayin'

have a giggle if your family knew my family in Elphinstone lol Back then everyone knew everyone who knew alot of people from the surrounding towns. One thing that was fun was going to fall suppers. I thought it was fowl suppers when I was a kid lol I couldn't beleive how the elementary school there was in better shape than the highschool. I so wanted to go inside to look around at old stomping grounds but boarded up so probably not a good idea Was shocked at what the people who lived in the house I grew up in did to the house totally unrecognizable. Lots of dances weddings parties in that hall, and ukranian dancing.

uncle had a cabin and rentedout paddle boats when I was a kid at Sandy Lake, when we went through their in 2014 my jaw hit the floor as a couple of the cabins are flippin huge homes. I couldn't remember where exactly his cabin was so maybe it got torn down. But as a kid it was fun to go there and get free chips and get to play on the paddle boat (peddle boat?) lol I don't remember if there were leeches in Sandy Lake....

I have some memories of Elphinstone, as we would often drive over from Sandy Lake on a rainy day or a Saturday night. I remember it being a bustling town. I especially remember Jarema’s General Store-he had anything and everything you could imagine in there!

The thing I associate Elphinstone with most is the sausage made by Roger Shatkowsky. YUM! Sorry Roger if I didn't spell your name correctly.

This was some of the best smoked sausage ,Safeway used to sell in the mall,Is it still going or anybody take over the receipe?

You never know about our families. My family came from just slightly NW of Prince of Wales school site.  
 
Fall suppers, of course, and there was always a dance. Everytown would a have a dance at some point thru the year. Big one in Elphinstone was the Halloween dance. Sandy lake north hall dance was another big hit. Bands of the day, Peter Lamb, The Four Seasons, Trail Riders, Adam Krupa.....that come to mind.  
 
July 1st weekend in Elphinstone was huge. Oakburn sports day. Sandy lake had one as well and they all had ball tournaments those weekends.  
 
Bob's Cafe that I remember where the current location is of Elphinstone Kolbassa owned by Dwayne Bain.  
 
Kawa's and Jarema's store.  
 
Kwiatkowski's store on the hill, later owned by Lorne Shatkowsky and now my cousin Wes and his wife Maggie.  
 
The mixed curling bonspiels, snake pits, skate nights at the rinks , the what we knew them as back then Indian hockey tournament in Elphinstone.  
 
Broomball tournaments came to be. If memory serves me right we can thank Ed Shemeliuk who moved to teach in Elphinstone. It started at lunch time with the High school and grew from there.  
 
Horod's claim to fame there snowmobile poker derby end of February and recently the Ride for Life. Unfortunately the Ride for Life is at a standstill due to Covid. Hopefully next year....  
 
Oh the memories

These were put on by my brother in law and his family. Always a great time going to see them.

I think Peter Lamb had records out? My gran had lots of ukranian records.  
Ya July 1st was fun although I spent most of my time at the pony rides or getting a hot dog or burger lol And the night dance n drink thing in the rink was fun too lol  
 
I remember the Kwitkowski boys going to school and then they moved to BC.  
The rink was fun with skating nights I think it was 3 nights a week? Were saturdays ncluded? lol And the skating costumes the local women made were so nice. And curling things and upstairs you could get pies n coffee. Or locals playing hockey and you could sit upstairs and watch from there with a hot chocolate ...yum.  
Kawas store was neat and when I saw it wasn't still standing that was sad...their house was still standing when I went there in 2014.  
and families made stuff from scratch like sausages bread doughnuts etc.  
My friend was cousin to Black's in Horod.  
 
The dances at Elphinstone were fun and they always put somethng on the floor for people dancing, and I remember the butterfly dance.  
That's cool your cousin owns the kwitkowski store.  
I hope to go back there soon to show my son and his family.  
 
Edited by covidsux, 2021-06-24 22:57:09

that was always fun and looked forward too...no mosquito could stop me!

you remember penny candy back then?  
Didn't Jarema's store have those cool old school stools to sit on and you could eat in there not just get stuff?  
What happend to them?

Joe & Bertha Kwitkowski were my uncle and aunt. Aunty Bertha was my mother's sister.

Today on the phone and tried to fill in some blanks for Adam. I typed a long reply and I guess I timed out and lost it. Augh.....  
 
Mom said garages were Mike Black, john Kwiatkowski and Walter Nakonechny. My dad worked for walter for a while.  
 
There was also the 2 grain elevators. Pool and the Pool house where the mail boxes are and I believe the other was a National that was moved to Glossop siding and still stands today.  
 
The CN section man in the 70's was Leonard Antonation. His house was along the tracks or the now Trans Canada trail just west of the town garbage bins.  
 
There was also a bulk fuel dealer. I believed owned by John Nakonechny and later Eugene Rozdeba. It was basically across the road from the current Elphinstone Kolbassa.  
 
Another store was Dmyterko. Mom said that was owned by Mike.  
 
Across the road from the hotel site still stands what was the pool hall. The bowling alley was there as well but long gone.  
 
Few more things about the then bustling hamlet.

Mike Dmyterko was my brother in law's father. They did the fireworks.

was Dmyterko I think that lived across from us, and my grandpa had a garage where he fixed cars etc but he didn't have gas pumps etc. It was behind Jaramas store moreless. There was a I think I remember her name as Kathy Dmytarko that came up from Florida each summer to see her family and she would come over to visit. Lost touch with her sadly.  
I remember Mike Black and use to visit with his daughter Kelly. There were areas of town I never went to, but maybe one day can go see.  
The only Antonations were two sisters that one I went to school with and they lived up by the highway down below on the right hand side.  
I remember the elevators too.

anyone remember driving to Sandy Lake to go roller skating? Or that drive in with yummy fries? My gran would drive there as a treat for ice cream, fries and take me roller skating.  
I finally got to see someone (who's horse I used to learn to ride that was out of town) who I hadn't seen since I was 18, and I saw them before covid in 2019 and they didn't look much different other than abit older.So aprox 37 years... Best hug ever ! Him and his wife are still down to earth happy go lucky small town people who still live in Elphinstone.  
Skating nights at the rink were fun and it's kinda cool how a small town as it was, people would get together or have dances and just plain fun.  
Does anyone know when the schools closed? Or when the last students were in there? I watched a vid of a dance at Elphinstone and I didn't recognize alot of the faces that you could see as I was in Wpg at that time.  
 
I tried to put links to a couple of dances including a halloween one on youtube but it won't let me on here. So here are the titles if you want to look them up. The first one you might recognize some people lol  
 
Youtube search: Sidewinder - Crying My Heart Out Over You  
and the halloween dance one: Sidewinder - 1985 Halloween Dance, Elphinstone "Chicken Dance"  
 
And does anyone remember the skidoo racing? I forget where that was.  
I really like people contributing to this post as it's a fun way to kinda forget our troubles even if for abit Love to hear more stories  
 
Edited by covidsux, 2021-06-25 22:59:27

That you see on YouTube were done my Dad. The band playing in those were my cousin Dennis Yanchycki on Bass, Rick Yanchycki on drums, there Dad and my Uncle Wally, and lead guitar/vocals Bob Rozdeba. Used to love socials where they played at. My uncle used to play in Pete Lamb's band. I believe it was Friday nights they would be on CKDM out of Dauphin.  
 
I remember going on country drives with mom and dad and stopping in at the Horod store or Mrs.Skotlas's store in Menzie for an ice cream. Oh and even the Lake Audy store.  
 
Sandy Lake roller rink I think I only went once. Was not long after that it closed.  
 
The schools closed in I would say after the 85 school year. I graduated 84 and there was 1 graduating class after that. If you can believe it I think it was 1, yes 1 grade 12 graduate. He passed away maybe a year later of cancer I believe. They were then bussed to Oakburn and Rossburn.

Between Elphinstone and Strathclair....apparently there was a family named May there , probably in 1890s? .....wonder if it was a private " fee charging" Bridge at one time??

am not sure what you are asking, the Bridge ? I'll see if I can find out from somone who still lives in Elphinstone area....otherwise hopefully someone else would have info? Did you try looking online for info?