Summertime is here and many people are making plans to go camping at the lake or travelling to other communities for a visit. Back in the day, the Valley had a series of cabins known as the Birch Wood Cabins that brought many tourists and visitors to the area. The history of Birch Wood Cabins is extensive and although it changed owners and names over the years, it’s a definite staple of the history of the Valley.
The Birch Wood Cabins were built and owned originally by the Tall family, and their granddaughter, Doreen Tall Pellissier shared her recollections of the history of those cabins.
“My grandparents were Alfred Tall, born in 1888 in Kearney, Ont., and Mary or Mamie (Jordan) Tall, born in 1894 in Oak Lake,” said Pellissier. “Mamie came to the Swan River Valley to teach at Avonlea School in 1914, and met Alf, who was from the Cropper Tops District. They were married on July 26, 1916, in Brandon.
“They lived with Alf’s mother and brother and in 1917, moved to their own farm, a mile down the road from the Tall original homestead which was established in 1901. The farm was in the family until 2011.
“Alf and Mamie had seven children, Gladys (Scotty Taylor); Merle (Ellery Taylor); Stan (Velma Graham); Elsie (Edwin Smith), Allan (Kay Hickman); Marg (Stan McNevin), and Aileen,” said Pellissier. “My parents are Allan and Kay. It was my dad and brother who continued the family farm until it was sold.
“Their son, Stan, had come home from WWII, so Alf and Mamie decided to leave the running of the farms to their two sons, and they retired to Swan River. Upon retiring, they felt too young to quit working entirely, so they decided to build the cabins and cater to the tourist trade. They built Birch Wood Cabins, and it was named because of the row of beautiful birch trees that lined their lot between the cabins and the cemetery.”
The Birch Wood Cabins were unique in the sense that they were in Swan River and not near a body of water or in a provincial park. Over the years the cabins saw visitors from many different places and northern tourism was beginning to take off around this time as well.
“The cabins were along Hwy. No. 10 north, about half a mile from Swan River’s Main Street,” said Pellissier. “There were seven cabins, positioned in a U-shape with swings and green space in the center. There was a small store in one building, as well as a larger building with hot and cold running water. Grandma washed the bedding in this building, which also had an iron mangle for ironing the sheets. There were no toilet facilities within the cabins themselves.
“Northern tourism was starting to boom and there were lots of people from all over Canada and the U.S. travelling through the Valley by Hwy. No. 10. Many of the activities included hunting and fishing, and many of the men would rent the cabins as a result of those trips. The by-pass was not yet thought of, so the location was ideal as there would be little else for accommodations until The Pas. For local tourism, Wellman Lake in the Duck Mountains and Steeprock Lake in the Porcupine Mountains would be the water recreational areas.
“The cabins were at least half a mile from downtown, with no store nearby,” said Pellissier. “Therefore, the small store that was part of the business was frequented by locals, as well as tourists. It appears that several people living nearby bought groceries there and it was a fantastic place for a child to buy some candy.
“My grandma loved that part of the business, but family stories indicate my grandpa wasn’t quite so patient. It could be at dinner time, or when the family was visiting, but the little bell would ring, and my grandma would tend to a customer. It could have taken quite a while for a child to decide how to spend his/her dime when there was such an array of candy available at three pieces for a penny. Those children are in their 60s and 70s today and some have been kind enough to share those memories with me and let me know how much my grandma was appreciated.”
The Tall’s owned and operated the cabins until the early 1960s, when they decided to sell, and they continued to live in Swan River.
“The property consisting of the house and seven cabins was put up for sale in August of 1963,” said Pellissier. “By that time, the by-pass was in use and these types of cabins were quickly being replaced by modern cabins and motels. As well, Alf and Mamie were getting older and quite ready to take things easy.”
Pellissier has fond memories of when her grandparents owned and operated the Birch Wood Cabins. Many others have reached out to her as well to share their memories of trips to the cabins and visits with her grandparents during those trips.
“I do remember going to grandma and grandpa’s house during their time operating Birch Wood Cabins,” said Pellissier. “I especially remember my grandma taking us across the lawn to the little store and we were allowed to pick out some candy. In later years, she moved the store to a room in the house. I do remember the swing and the yard, and the washroom. There was a fad around that time where people took old tractor tires, painted them and used them for flower beds and lawn décor. Grandma had some of those painted white and pink.
“My cousin shared with me that they remembered people coming to the cabins in the middle of the night and honking their horns to see if there was a vacancy. That was the only way to do it back in the day.
“I don’t remember my last trip to the cabins; however, I do remember my last thoughts,” said Pellissier. “When the cabins were about to be sold, my dad mentioned that maybe he should get one as a playhouse for my sister and me. That sounded perfect, and I was imagining all sorts of fun things. Alas, it didn’t happen, and the cabins became the property known as the Moon Glo Cabins located where Fas Gas is now.”
Unfortunately, not long after the sale of Birch Wood Cabins, Alf passed. The history of Birch Wood Cabins, then turned into Moon Glo Cabins, with another story to tell that was all it’s own.
“My grandparents stayed in Swan River after the sale of the cabins, as that was their home,” said Pellissier. “They bought a house on Fifth Avenue, just down the street from where Ace Hardware is now. Alf passed away in 1967 and Mamie in 1993.
“All that remains of the site now is a vacant lot at this time.”