History

Of Longmire farms

Our farming legacy traces back to 1908 when our ancestors immigrated from Yorkshire, UK, to cultivate new beginnings in Canada. Through generations, our family has nurtured this passion, cultivating not just crops, but a rich heritage of hard work and resilience. From humble beginnings to the present day, our farm stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of those who came before us.

Some words from the family historian, my aunt, Lorraine Pommen.

Lorraine Longmire Pommen is originally from Kindersley, Saskatchewan. She grew up on the family farm north of Beadle and attended the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Victoria, British Columbia to live and work for the past 50 years. She still calls Saskatchewan her home and visits the family farm every chance she gets.

1908

Barnoldswick which they left in 1908

In March of 1908 my grandparents, Ted and Mary Jane (Jenny) Longmire left their home in Yorkshire, UK and sailed for Canada from Liverpool on the Empress of Ireland. Today, one million Canadians are descendants of the immigrants who arrived on the Empress of Ireland. That ship would later sink in 1914 near the mouth of the St Lawrence River following a collision in thick fog with a Norwegian collier. 1012 people died, making it the worst peacetime marine disaster in Canadian history. Its resting place is now a National Historic Site.

The passenger list for that ship shows their sons Ewart, aged 3. 5 years, and my father John, 6 months. It must have been a difficult passage with 2 young children. My grandfather had worked on the railroad at Hellifield, Yorkshire and my grandmother was a servant in a manor house in Stackhouse.

1906

Mary Jane (Jenny Longmire)

They landed in Halifax, NS and travelled by train to Salmon Arm, working on a fruit farm, where my grandfather’s sister and husband were employed.

1908

Salmon Arm

1910-1913

The knowledge they gained there carried on to the beautiful gardens they eventually planted when they moved to Saskatchewan in March of 1910. They homesteaded northeast of Kindersley, SK. Their application for a free homestead was made in 1910. They paid a fee of $10 to register 160 acres, which lists the time they lived on the land, how many acres were farmed and that they had 3 cows and 4 horses. Their home was 18 feet X 24 feet and other buildings consisted of a stable, which was bigger than the house, and a henhouse. They received the land free and clear in 1913.

Following are some of my grandmother’s memories of the early days.

“We came to Saskatoon by train from Salmon Arm, where we met some people who were also planning to farm. The next day we stayed in Zealandia for a few days while my husband and his new friend looked for a homestead that they could farm. We came to Netherhill on the construction train and spent the night on the train. In the morning, we got out and washed our faces in the water in the ditches from the melted snow. The engine on the train had a terrible time getting the cars over the humps on the track as the rails had settled in places. Some of the young fellows got out and caught gophers and turned them loose in the cars.

The boys and I stayed in Netherhill until a shack was put up on our homestead on SE 30-30-20 W3. Until we were able to dig a well, we had to haul our water 1/2 mile.

We did dig a well by hand to a depth of 60 feet. We often worried about prairie fires because the grass was so dry. A thunderstorm did start one fire near our homestead. At one of the sports days, I won a sack of flour which came in very handy.

1917 on the binder

Ted was busy doing some road work that summer to make money, so I tried to cut some hay for feed as we had none stored. I almost cut the leg off the little dog that we had. That upset me very much, so I quit and got the buggy and took the dog home to bandage him up. It soon got better but he did walk with a hop and click after that.

1940 Jenny Longmire

One New Year’s Day we had quite a party. I had forgotten to set yeast the night before but thought it didn’t matter as we expected no one. About 8 PM a sleigh load of bachelors drove up and seeing a turkey hanging in the porch, they wanted it cooked. We thawed the turkey in the oven, some of the men plucked it, and others peeled potatoes while I made more biscuits. We had quite the dinner in the early morning as it was too dark to go home before daylight.

The next fall I took the tent and lived in Netherhill while Ted worked there. We took the cow along and tethered her out. Quite often the young fellows would have a party and milk the cow. The next morning, they would innocently ask “Did the cow give much milk this morning?” In the falls of 1914-1916 I cooked on a “Cook Car” for harvest. There would be 15 to 20 men in the “Gang”. There was always lots of fun in the group. I remember one time the men complained that they did not get enough pie. So, one day I made 30 pies and as fast as they cleaned up one pie, I put another one on the table. You may be sure had enough pie that day!

Netherhill had a fine cricket club and we used to have games there. During the war years of WW1 help was very hard to get. I tried stooking but the sheaves were too heavy, so I tried the binder. I managed that just fine. But the winters were long and lonesome. One winter I did not see another woman for 6 months.

In 1916 Ted purchased the NW of 6-30-21 and the family moved there in 1917. We had a third son, Robert in 1922. “