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Solsgirth, meaning "Girth of the Sun" is a small hamlet in the province of Manitoba. The once thriving community is now forced to preserve what it can of its heritage. Along with the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church, the St. Stephens Anglican Church has been donated to the Prairie Mountain Regional Museum at Shoal Lake.2
On the first day of April in 1879, a special train of settlers started from Stratford, Ontario, and came west and located in the Solsgirth-Toddburn settlement. They reached the railend in five days. The snow was gone.On this train, among the approximately 100 settlers, were Mr. Tait, The Todd Family, Tye Family, H. I. Harrison were listed for Pelly crossing on the Birdtail. Joe Sharman, Geo. Finch, Harry Sleigh were looking for ranch lands. D. W. Cummings and E. J. Wilson were also on that train.
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Cummings and Sharman bought ponies and saddles and left Winnipeg on their prospective mission. Todds, Tait, Iye and Harrison bought three pair of oxen and covered wagons, tents and a couple of ponies.4
Possibly the earliest white settler in the Birdtail Valley District of Solsgirth was Mr. J. Lionel Ridont. He was a very young man who had come west from Ontario and joined the North-West Mounted Police Force stationed at the South end of Shoal Lake.5
The CNR station at Solsgirth.1915
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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Other buildings in Solsgirth1920
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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Saturday was always a busy day with everything being done to avoid working unnecessarily on Sunday. For sometime, there was no church. Services were held by Mr. F. B. Miller in his home, until the efforts of many, made it possible for the building of St. James church on the Valley hills, where it could be seen for miles around, unlike it is today.8
The general stores in Solsgirth.1915
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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Solsgirth, Manitoba1915
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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There once was an implement dealer in Solsgirth.1925
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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The Solsgirth Women's Institute 'Rest Room' which was situated on the south side of the tracks.1930
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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The community of Solsgirth also envelopes the area surrounding it. Stretching north ten miles, south six miles, east three miles and west to the Birdtail Valley you will find individuals that will say they live at Solsgirth. The community has lost all services to its residents and now the churches have been forced to close, but there is still a great pride from the residents when reminiscing about the Solsgirth of long ago.13
St. Stephen's Anglican Church1980
Solsgirth, Manitoba
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In 1905, a movement began to move St. James Church from the present site overlooking the Birdtail Valley, into the community of Solsgirth in order to provide a more central location. There was big protest to this motion.Reverard ECR Pritchard, who was clergyman at Birtle, began to organize the movement to build St. Stephen's in Solsgirth.
In 1906 the corner stone was laid by the Birtle Masonic Lodge.
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