A STORY OF CRAWFORD/ST. DALMAS LAKE, MANITOBA
Crawford Lake is located in the municipality of Yellowhead, MB, and lies almost entirely within section 2-18-21 with a small portion extending into NW ¼ of 1-18-21 [1]. It is situated on the south side of Highway 45, 5.2 kilometers east of Elphinstone, MB. Its’ area in 1978/1979 was 61.3 hectares [2]. Over the years it had increased substantially in size, extending northward to Highway 45. In April 2015, it overflowed its’ shore line on the west side, eroding a channel along a former natural drainage path. The outward flow resulted in a drop in lake level of about one meter, and may now serve to maintain a maximum lake elevation.
The lake’s official name is St. Dalmas but has always been known locally as Crawford Lake. It was named after William Crawford who homesteaded on the western side of the lake (W1/2 2-18-21) shortly after emigrating from Scotland in 1882. His son William continued living on the property until he sold it to Alexander Swinarchuk in 1929, who had emigrated from Poland. In 1945 the farm was taken over by Alexander’s son-in-law, Peter Ellchuk who had married Nellie Swinarchuk. In 2011, the farm was sold to the current owners, James and Pat Gerrard.
The rest of the land adjacent to Crawford Lake, (E ½ 2-18-21), was owned by the Beaton Family [3]. Neil Beaton, born in Scotland in 1859, migrated to Canada as a youth and eventually homesteaded on said land in 1889. He died in 1941 and the farm was taken over by one of his sons, Angus. After Angus’s death, his nephew Drillon, became the owner.
The lake and the surrounding wooded area, were essential to the homesteaders, Crawford/Swinarchuk and Beaton. The bush provided firewood and material for log structures. The lake provided water for farm animals. Horses were used for breaking and tilling new land until they were replaced by tractors, circa 1940. Cattle provided meat and dairy products. Beatons were well known for their herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, which were first imported from Scotland into western Canada in the late 1880s [4]).
For domestic purposes, water was hauled by barrel in a horse-drawn wagon from the lake, then transferred by pail to a kitchen barrel. In winter when the ice on the lake was about 50 cm thick, square blocks of ice were cut using a hand ice saw approximately 100 cm in length. Ice tongs were used to manually retrieve the blocks which were then loaded onto a horse-drawn sleigh and hauled to an ice house. There they were stacked in layers and covered with a thick layer of sawdust. The ice house was used in the post-winter seasons for storing dairy and meat products. Some of the ice was also chipped away and used for cooling drinking water etc.
The lake also provided food. There were/are three species; yellow perch, walleye and northern pike. Of some interest, is the evolution over time of fishing practices, from primitive to sophisticated.
In the early years of, 1930 / 1940, ice fishing consisted of cutting a hole in the ice, approximately 25.4 cm. in diameter, using an axe. A combination of lure and snare was used to catch the fish. The lure was crudely hand-carved from wood, in the approximate shape of a fish, usually about ten centimeters in length. It was attached to a string and lowered into the hole, having been weighted down. A snare, fashioned from thin flexible brass wire, was fastened to the end of a stiff wire which was also lowered down the hole. The length was such as to position the snare and lure a few feet above the lake bottom. The fisherman would then lie flat on the ice with his head directly above the hole, grasping the string in one hand and the stiff wire in the other. To avoid the discomfort of lying directly on the ice, often a burlap bag, loosely filled with straw, was used as a mat. A blanket was then pulled over the upper part of the body and extended beyond the head. This prevented light from reflecting from the water surface and provided a very clear view of the water below. All aquatic forms of life could be seen clearly.
The “fishing” consisted of gently jiggling the the lure, in order to attract the fish. As the fish slowly approached the lure, the snare was gently positioned over the head of the fish, just past the gills, then jerked to secure it. This was followed by leaping to one’s feet, quickly extracting and landing the fish outside the hole. Today, ice fishing is still carried out on Crawford Lake but straw mats have been replaced by huts, often heated by wood-burning heaters, axes replaced by augers, and the lure/snare combo, by rod and reel.
Summer fishing went from casting off a raft, with pole, hook and bait, to the use of power boats, sonar depth finders, rod and reel and a variety of colorful lures.
In 2007 the Beaton properties were sold to Bradley Wilson and his partner Gordon Wilson. Although most of the land continues to be used as agricultural property, Bradley and Gordon created a recreational area along the eastern and southern shores. The development consists of 26 lakefront cottage lots, as well as roadway access from Highway 45, and a dock for launching boats. The development provides such recreational activities as fishing, boating, water skiing, tubing, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking. Whereas Crawford Lake initially served only the Beaton and Crawford/Swinarchuk families, it now provides recreation for the general public.
Prepared by Len Domaschuk, June 2016
Len Domaschuk was born in 1933 in the Swinarchuk home, to his parents Peter And Annie Domaschuk, (nee Swinarchuk), who emigrated from Ukraine in 1930. The family spent the first four years with the Swinarchuk family before moving onto their own farm, SW1/4 12-18-21 which was directly north of the Beaton property and hence in close proximity to Crawford Lake. As a youngster he made frequent use of Crawford Lake; ice fishing, boating, swimming and trapping. He now resides in West Kelowna, B.C.
References
The lake’s official name is St. Dalmas but has always been known locally as Crawford Lake. It was named after William Crawford who homesteaded on the western side of the lake (W1/2 2-18-21) shortly after emigrating from Scotland in 1882. His son William continued living on the property until he sold it to Alexander Swinarchuk in 1929, who had emigrated from Poland. In 1945 the farm was taken over by Alexander’s son-in-law, Peter Ellchuk who had married Nellie Swinarchuk. In 2011, the farm was sold to the current owners, James and Pat Gerrard.
The rest of the land adjacent to Crawford Lake, (E ½ 2-18-21), was owned by the Beaton Family [3]. Neil Beaton, born in Scotland in 1859, migrated to Canada as a youth and eventually homesteaded on said land in 1889. He died in 1941 and the farm was taken over by one of his sons, Angus. After Angus’s death, his nephew Drillon, became the owner.
The lake and the surrounding wooded area, were essential to the homesteaders, Crawford/Swinarchuk and Beaton. The bush provided firewood and material for log structures. The lake provided water for farm animals. Horses were used for breaking and tilling new land until they were replaced by tractors, circa 1940. Cattle provided meat and dairy products. Beatons were well known for their herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, which were first imported from Scotland into western Canada in the late 1880s [4]).
For domestic purposes, water was hauled by barrel in a horse-drawn wagon from the lake, then transferred by pail to a kitchen barrel. In winter when the ice on the lake was about 50 cm thick, square blocks of ice were cut using a hand ice saw approximately 100 cm in length. Ice tongs were used to manually retrieve the blocks which were then loaded onto a horse-drawn sleigh and hauled to an ice house. There they were stacked in layers and covered with a thick layer of sawdust. The ice house was used in the post-winter seasons for storing dairy and meat products. Some of the ice was also chipped away and used for cooling drinking water etc.
The lake also provided food. There were/are three species; yellow perch, walleye and northern pike. Of some interest, is the evolution over time of fishing practices, from primitive to sophisticated.
In the early years of, 1930 / 1940, ice fishing consisted of cutting a hole in the ice, approximately 25.4 cm. in diameter, using an axe. A combination of lure and snare was used to catch the fish. The lure was crudely hand-carved from wood, in the approximate shape of a fish, usually about ten centimeters in length. It was attached to a string and lowered into the hole, having been weighted down. A snare, fashioned from thin flexible brass wire, was fastened to the end of a stiff wire which was also lowered down the hole. The length was such as to position the snare and lure a few feet above the lake bottom. The fisherman would then lie flat on the ice with his head directly above the hole, grasping the string in one hand and the stiff wire in the other. To avoid the discomfort of lying directly on the ice, often a burlap bag, loosely filled with straw, was used as a mat. A blanket was then pulled over the upper part of the body and extended beyond the head. This prevented light from reflecting from the water surface and provided a very clear view of the water below. All aquatic forms of life could be seen clearly.
The “fishing” consisted of gently jiggling the the lure, in order to attract the fish. As the fish slowly approached the lure, the snare was gently positioned over the head of the fish, just past the gills, then jerked to secure it. This was followed by leaping to one’s feet, quickly extracting and landing the fish outside the hole. Today, ice fishing is still carried out on Crawford Lake but straw mats have been replaced by huts, often heated by wood-burning heaters, axes replaced by augers, and the lure/snare combo, by rod and reel.
Summer fishing went from casting off a raft, with pole, hook and bait, to the use of power boats, sonar depth finders, rod and reel and a variety of colorful lures.
In 2007 the Beaton properties were sold to Bradley Wilson and his partner Gordon Wilson. Although most of the land continues to be used as agricultural property, Bradley and Gordon created a recreational area along the eastern and southern shores. The development consists of 26 lakefront cottage lots, as well as roadway access from Highway 45, and a dock for launching boats. The development provides such recreational activities as fishing, boating, water skiing, tubing, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking. Whereas Crawford Lake initially served only the Beaton and Crawford/Swinarchuk families, it now provides recreation for the general public.
Prepared by Len Domaschuk, June 2016
Len Domaschuk was born in 1933 in the Swinarchuk home, to his parents Peter And Annie Domaschuk, (nee Swinarchuk), who emigrated from Ukraine in 1930. The family spent the first four years with the Swinarchuk family before moving onto their own farm, SW1/4 12-18-21 which was directly north of the Beaton property and hence in close proximity to Crawford Lake. As a youngster he made frequent use of Crawford Lake; ice fishing, boating, swimming and trapping. He now resides in West Kelowna, B.C.
References
- R.M. of Yellowhead Farm map of Elphinstone district.
- A Comparison of Yellow Perch, Walleye and Northern Pike In Two Saline-Eutrophic Lakes of Southwestern Manitoba. Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Manitoba, 1982
- Our Story To 1970, The Centennial History Committee, The Rural Municipality Of Strathclair, 197
- Crawford Lake, Subdivision Map and Pictures GOOGLE
- History – Canadian Angus Association GOOGLE