Tomi Jannus Alankola was born in Finland, on September 23, 1878. The Dontianen was his ship, finished in the early 1940's. It is proudly displayed today in its restored state at the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum south of Moose Jaw.
source: Farm and Food Report
When the John G. Diefenbaker Homestead was acquired last year by the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum, few were surprised to find out that Moose Jaw's Dick Meacher had something to do with it.
"Diefenbaker was the only Prime Minister to ever come out of Saskatchewan. We put together a proposal to buy and move the homestead buildings to our site; we prepared concrete foundations and we did it before winter. They are a real asset to our village."
In 1961, Dick Meacher and a group of friends who collected antique cars formed a club in the Moose Jaw area. They soon realized extra storage space was needed for their collections and they started to raise money to buy 10 acres of land south of Moose Jaw. Pretty soon the place became home to all types of antique tractors, historic buildings and every agricultural implement you could think of. Even the famous Sukanen ship found a new home on the range there, so to speak.
"We try to keep everything in its original shape," says Meacher. "Visitors from all over come to see our collection, as well as to participate in our events. Over time we have acquired quite a reputation."
When the CBC Television Series Canada: A People's History required a pioneer plough in working order to recreate the journey of early settlers to Saskatchewan, it called upon Moose Jaw's Dick Meacher to bring one up to the set.
When a Model A in running shape was needed to recreate the travels of journalist James Gray as he moved through Saskatchewan, writing his classic Men Against the Desert chronicle of the plight of farmers during the depression, they called again upon Dick Meacher.
True to form, Dick and his wife-companion-in-adventure Elsie just showed up one day on a dirt trail south of Val Marie, ready to perform for free and the sake of sharing slices of Prairie heritage with the Canadian public.
"For me, preserving the pieces of Saskatchewan History is so important. Especially as many of the buildings that have traditionally shaped our landscape are slowly disappearing. We are in the market for a grain elevator right now. We figure it is going to cost us around $200,000 to bring one in by the time we put in a new foundation for it and move the structure at a cost of about $1,000 a mile."
Meacher and his team-mates' most ambitious project to date was moving a 1909 two-storey house that had never been remodelled from north of Parkbeg. The 35-mile move, as the crow flies, turned into an 85-mile journey because of logistical considerations.
And even after forty years, the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum is still a work in progress.
"We are actually building a replica of a two-storey 1920's fire hall with two bays at the moment, using recycled lumber from an old barn. We are experts at building on the cheap. But you know what is really nice is that we are getting younger folks interested in joining our organization now - I mean people in their 40's. It seems it takes until that age to become genuinely interested in contributing to the preservation of Saskatchewan Heritage."
Meacher notes that often these younger members tend to be people who have developed a very focused interest over time, like an interest in antique vacuum cleaners for instance. "They find among us very receptive enthusiasts who have often used their collection pieces for their original intended purpose."
Perhaps the key to the success of this heritage endeavour lies partly in the collaborative relationship of peers with a common passion for showcasing past lifeways that have somehow been forgotten.
source: Farm and Food Report
When the John G. Diefenbaker Homestead was acquired last year by the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum, few were surprised to find out that Moose Jaw's Dick Meacher had something to do with it.
"Diefenbaker was the only Prime Minister to ever come out of Saskatchewan. We put together a proposal to buy and move the homestead buildings to our site; we prepared concrete foundations and we did it before winter. They are a real asset to our village."
In 1961, Dick Meacher and a group of friends who collected antique cars formed a club in the Moose Jaw area. They soon realized extra storage space was needed for their collections and they started to raise money to buy 10 acres of land south of Moose Jaw. Pretty soon the place became home to all types of antique tractors, historic buildings and every agricultural implement you could think of. Even the famous Sukanen ship found a new home on the range there, so to speak.
"We try to keep everything in its original shape," says Meacher. "Visitors from all over come to see our collection, as well as to participate in our events. Over time we have acquired quite a reputation."
When the CBC Television Series Canada: A People's History required a pioneer plough in working order to recreate the journey of early settlers to Saskatchewan, it called upon Moose Jaw's Dick Meacher to bring one up to the set.
When a Model A in running shape was needed to recreate the travels of journalist James Gray as he moved through Saskatchewan, writing his classic Men Against the Desert chronicle of the plight of farmers during the depression, they called again upon Dick Meacher.
True to form, Dick and his wife-companion-in-adventure Elsie just showed up one day on a dirt trail south of Val Marie, ready to perform for free and the sake of sharing slices of Prairie heritage with the Canadian public.
"For me, preserving the pieces of Saskatchewan History is so important. Especially as many of the buildings that have traditionally shaped our landscape are slowly disappearing. We are in the market for a grain elevator right now. We figure it is going to cost us around $200,000 to bring one in by the time we put in a new foundation for it and move the structure at a cost of about $1,000 a mile."
Meacher and his team-mates' most ambitious project to date was moving a 1909 two-storey house that had never been remodelled from north of Parkbeg. The 35-mile move, as the crow flies, turned into an 85-mile journey because of logistical considerations.
And even after forty years, the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum is still a work in progress.
"We are actually building a replica of a two-storey 1920's fire hall with two bays at the moment, using recycled lumber from an old barn. We are experts at building on the cheap. But you know what is really nice is that we are getting younger folks interested in joining our organization now - I mean people in their 40's. It seems it takes until that age to become genuinely interested in contributing to the preservation of Saskatchewan Heritage."
Meacher notes that often these younger members tend to be people who have developed a very focused interest over time, like an interest in antique vacuum cleaners for instance. "They find among us very receptive enthusiasts who have often used their collection pieces for their original intended purpose."
Perhaps the key to the success of this heritage endeavour lies partly in the collaborative relationship of peers with a common passion for showcasing past lifeways that have somehow been forgotten.
Comments