ROBLIN, Man. – For more than 100 years, a spruce tree has stood at the
corner of the farmhouse where Joseph Dugan lives.
The tree, now towering more than 20 metres tall, was planted there in
1883. Its roots run deep, as do those of Dugan, whose great-grandfather
homesteaded here after emigrating from Ireland.
What’s interesting about this farm southwest of Roblin is that it has
always been under the ownership of a Joseph Dugan.
It was a Joseph Dugan who homesteaded a quarter section here in 1883.
Read Also
Land crash warning rejected
A technical analyst believes that Saskatchewan land values could be due for a correction, but land owners and FCC say supply/demand fundamentals drive land prices – not mathematical models
His daughters were the ones who planted the spruce tree.
His son, Joseph Dugan, carried on the farm and the name. And so it went
until the current day under the current ownership of Joseph Dugan IV,
better known by his nickname, Bud.
He and his wife Joyce cherish the history attached to their farm. Its
attractions include an impressive house built in 1914 and a
breathtaking view of Lake of the Prairies and the surrounding valley.
They have stacks of papers and photos that help trace the Dugan family
history back to Ireland and the place where the first Joseph Dugan
boarded a ship and set sail with four of his children for Halifax, Nova
Scotia.
Bud and Joyce can only speculate on what prompted a well-regarded
farmer, businessman and onetime prospector to leave his homeland for an
uncertain future.
“With their big family, I guess he figured there wouldn’t be jobs for
them (in Ireland),” Bud suggests.
The story of that first Joseph Dugan is the quintessential one of how
settlers arrived on the Prairies, driven by the dream of a new life in
Canada.
He and his children, Anna, Margaret, Joseph and Frank, arrived at
Brandon, Man., in the summer of 1883. They bought a wagon, a team of
oxen and some provisions before setting off for the plot of land that
would become their home.
During their trek, they also bought a cow that Margaret had to lead.
When they reached Rossburn, the children stayed and rested while their
father carried on to Birtle to enter his land claim.
They lived in a tent that first fall, but with the guidance of other
area pioneers, they soon built a log home.
The following year, the senior Dugan returned to Ireland to bring his
wife, Jane, and their other two children, Jane and John, over to
Canada. That same year the family also brought furniture, a bedstead, a
table and a cookstove from Minnedosa, Man., located 150 kilometres from
their home.
By 1885, the family’s log home was serving as a store and post office
for the local district, named Castleavery after the region in Ireland
from where the Dugan family descended.
Since then, generations of Dugans have encountered times of happiness
and periods of hardship. There were community dances and picnics with
friends and neighbours and there were fatal farming accidents,
including a steam engine explosion that killed a hired man and one of
Bud’s great uncles while injuring Bud’s grandfather, Joseph Dugan II.
That mishap prompted the start of the Castleavery cemetery, which is
maintained to this day.
Bud and Joyce recently were presented with a plaque by the Manitoba
Historical Society in recognition of those pioneers whose descendants
have continued on the land for 100 years or more.
“They put a lot of work into this place over the years,” said Joyce,
who knew little about farming until marrying Bud in 1998 and jumping
into farm chores with a vigour. “It makes you wonder how things changed
with the farm and the whole area.”
There will likely not be another Joseph Dugan to farm this land.
Bud and Joyce have no children. A room that might otherwise have served
as a nursery now is used by Joyce for sewing and quilting, one of her
favourite pastimes.
Bud and Joyce both have cancer, leaving them uncertain about how long
they will remain on the farm. With their health failing, they are faced
with some heart-wrenching decisions.
If they leave the farm, will its next owner look upon the land and its
history with the same kind of appreciation? Will the house, filled with
memories and still solid and square after almost 100 years, be kept up?
They are pondering the possibility of renting the house to someone
willing to use it as a bed-and-breakfast. They keep only a few cattle
and most of the grain land is already rented out.
“It’s the end of the family,” said Bud, sharing a hope that the farm
will receive further heritage designation to help preserve landmarks
and the rich history of a family.
