In the late 1800’s, a
handful of hardy immigrants
populated the prairie around
what is now the town of
Avonlea. A rancher’s nearest
neighbour was fifteen miles
or half a day’s ride away.
No stores; no doctors; no
automobiles. The earliest
settlers were tested in this
| new and unforgiving land.
They raised thousands of
horses, before barbed-wire
fences, for the flood of
homesteaders soon to come.
With the arrival of the
rail, Avonlea became the
centre for commerce and
trade. Wheat, barley, oats
and flax were the main crops
| grown in rich soil, and
shipped out in boxcars.
Trains brought dry goods,
supplies, lumber and, of
course, more homesteaders.
Avonlea bustled with activity
as homes, stores, equipment
dealers and grain elevators
sprang up.
It was through innovative
| ideas and co-operative
efforts that barns were
raised and crops were
harvested. It was through
sacrifice, determination and
prayer that homesteaders
endured prairie fires, winter
blizzards and crop failures.
It took hard work and a never-
give-up attitude to
|