The Barber Homestead

On the homestead of Hartley Mortimer Barber, NW Section 20 Township 26 Range 3 West of the 2nd Meridian. 1902. Picture from the Collection of Bill and Joyce Anaka.

The very good Web site of the Western Land Grants shows that H.M. Barker was first to obtain title of the above stated quarter section. Annie M. Barber obtained title to SW of Section 20 Township 26 Range 3 west of the 2nd Meridian. The 1882 map of the townships of the York Farmers Colonization Company shows that the north quarter sections were entered by M. Irwin and southern part was entered by J.Glover. The 1912 map of the Rural Municipality of Wallace shows that both the quarter sections north east and north west were owned by H.M. Barker, the south west quarter shows up in Annie Barber's name, and the south East quarter is owned by William D. Brown. The Barber home looks like a good number of dwellings that were built in this style in settlement days. It would probably measure about 800 square feet, with four rooms, the kitchen and living room downstairs and 2 bedrooms upstairs, likely having to pass through the one bedroom to get to the other. There was likely a dirt cellar where the family kept jars of canned vegetables, fruit and meat, and a large earthen crock containing salted pork. Most houses like this one had eaves troughs connected to outside barrels and perhaps a cistern was installed in the cellar to collect the rainwater for laundry. If the house had some "modern" touches, the kitchen sink had a pump connected to the cistern, instead of having to use a dipper to fill a basin from a nearby pail or barrel. Many farms had a windmill hooked up to the well to pump drinking water, and fill cattle troughs. Bathroom facilities were outside in the summer and covered toilets in a bedroom or separate closet in winter. One can imagine that elbow room and privacy was limited. As the family increased and prospered, one or two "lean-tos" and possibly a porch would be built. A "lean-to" was usually an addition with a sloping roof. The house was heated with a wood and coal-fired kitchen stove and heater in the living room, with a register over it to let heat escape to the second floor.

Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince, Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton, Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]