A 1918 Barn

I was doing some more sorting and this story flooded me with memories. I spent many happy hours playing in this barn when I was young. I also remember the jobs my siblings and I had looking after the cows, chickens and pigs. Today the barn is a real land mark as you drive Highway 40.

Picture taken in 1956 of Ovide & Hughenna Bertrand Family Farm

This barn, 30’ x 70’ was built by Bob Douglas for Frank Swan on the NE quarter of Section 33, township. 43, range, 20, W3rd, one half mile north of the Hamlet of Gallivan, Saskatchewan.

The barn faces north and south with the east side cut into a hill with a 12’ x 12’ drive in loft door on the west side. The west side is a cement wall high up to the loft joists. The other three walls are of wood. It was built to stable 31 head, 23 horses and 8 cows.

There were 3 double horse stalls, 4 double cow stalls and 1 box stall on the west side and 6 double horse and 1 single stall plus 1 box stall on the east side. The 2 box stalls are at the north end and a 4 foot feed alley runs from them to the south end, in front of the animals in teach side.

The center driveway is 11’ wide with 8’ doors at each end. A 2 1/2  feet. walk alley near the barn center gives access to the feed alleys on each side.

The stairs to the loft are near the barn centre on the east side. Opposite these is a chop bin on the west side. Hay was put down from the loft into the feed allays chopped grain was down spouted from the grinder in the loft.

Ventilation was by 4 intakes at the floor level in the east side under the mangers and discharged through two wooden 21/2 ft. shafts through the loft set off center enough to allow the hay carrier to pass.

The loft walls are 8’ high to the roof eaves, the floor of 2-ply shiplap with the driveway having additional 2-inch planks. The north 28’ of the loft has a floor at the level of the eaves, leaving an 8’ high and 28’ x 38’ storage space for grain, fanning mill, grinder, harness or whatever. The loft was equipped with hay carrier and slings for off loading feed and team of horses backed out the empty rack. In later years, the 3 double horse stalls in the south east side were connected to a chicken coop.

An interesting story is told of the 1918 frost when it froze on the 23rd and 24^th of July, devastating much of the wheat crop, Frank Swan said that nothing could be done about it now so they would have a dance in his new barn loft.

Ovide Bertrand in1928 acquired the property and it now owned by his son David. The barn stand empty now, but it is visible from a distance by the two galvanized ventilation cupolas on the rooftop often reflecting in the sun. It is located ½ mile south of Highway 40.

Story by E.A. Armstrong

Who farmed in the Gallivan District.

Taken from the Cut Knife Grinder/Highway 40 Courier