Living Landscapes

From Broad Axe to Clay Chinking
Six Mile Lake Road or Tabor Creek
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In the solitude of the country, along Six Mile Lake Road, lies an old homestead with a fair amount of old log buildings that were built around 1930. This is where Anna and Rudolf Kwiatkowski settled after coming to Canada. After being married in April, they left Europe in June of 1930, never to return to their homeland. They left because conditions were tough and they hoped to acquire some land in Canada to make a living for themselves.

They moved on to a quarter of land that they shared with two other men, the Teshke brothers, Otto and Willie. This quarter was divided into three parts, the west-facing piece was owned by Otto Teshke, the middle piece by Willie Teshke, while the Kwiatkowskis owned the part facing east. When the Teshke families moved to Cranbrook Hill, Rudolf Kwiatkowski bought their places. He moved out of his log house, which has since disappeared, and in to Otto Teshke’s house which is still standing near Otto’s barn. He moved his own little barn and bigger barn over to that area too, taking them apart and numbering each log. He also moved a barn from Willie Teshke’s place.

Mixed farming was their main occupation. Mr Kwiatkowski would take eggs, cream, and milk to town (Prince George) and peddle it from door to door. With the money he got, he would buy coffee, tea, sugar, salt, and flour, so along with their garden vegetables and potatoes and eggs, butter, and milk, the family never went hungry. They had three to four cows, which they had freshen at different times, so as to always have milk, as cows dry up for awhile before having their calves. They kept about one hundred chickens, so had meat and eggs. Eggs at that time sold for fifteen cents a dozen. They had horses since they did all the work. Hay was cut with a mower, pulled by horses. They had a horse-drawn rake with a big lever in the front and to the side. They would rake hay, then trip the lever, leaving a long “windrow” behind. They would then make “shocks” or round piles, piling them up nicely with a pitchfork, so that if it rained, the rain would shed off the hay. A week of good weather was needed to cure the hay in these shocks. It was then hauled over to the hay-shed where it was pitched up into it. If they had too much hay, a stack was made outside. No baler was used. The hay was put up loose. They bought their first tractor in 1948 and it is still in use.

The quarter next to this one was owned by a Polish man named George Arseniuk. The big barn, that he built, is still standing. When he and his wife moved to Fort George, he passed away soon after, and his wife sold the property to Rudolf Kwiatkowski.

The Kwiatkowskis had five children and the oldest girl, Hilda, vowed that when she grew up she would live in the city because she hated weeding and hoeing garden. Once she did grow up, she wished she had a garden of her own. Years later, when she was married, the parents wanted someone to take over the farm so Hilda and her husband bought the farm, and let the parents stay there as long as they wanted. Hilda was extremely happy, as she never expected to live on that farm again.

Living Landscapes


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In the solitude of the country, along Six Mile Lake Road, lies an old homestead with a fair amount of old log buildings that were built around 1930. This is where Anna and Rudolf Kwiatkowski settled after coming to Canada. After being married in April, they left Europe in June of 1930, never to return to their homeland. They left because conditions were tough and they hoped to acquire some land in Canada to make a living for themselves. They moved on to a quarter of land that they shared with two other men, the Teshke brothers, Otto and Willie. This quarter was divided into three parts, the west-facing piece was owned by Otto Teshke, the middle piece by Willie Teshke, while the Kwiatkowskis owned the part facing east. When the Teshke families moved to Cranbrook Hill, Rudolf Kwiatkowski bought their places. He moved out of his log house, which has since disappeared, and in to Otto Teshke’s house which is still standing near Otto’s barn. He moved his own little barn and bigger barn over to that area too, taking them apart and numbering each log. He also moved a barn from Willie Teshke’s place. Mixed farming was their main occupation. Mr Kwiatkowski would take eggs, cream, and milk to town (Prince George) and peddle it from door to door. With the money he got, he would buy coffee, tea, sugar, salt, and flour, so along with their garden vegetables and potatoes and eggs, butter, and milk, the family never went hungry. They had three to four cows, which they had freshen at different times, so as to always have milk, as cows dry up for awhile before having their calves. They kept about one hundred chickens, so had meat and eggs. Eggs at that time sold for fifteen cents a dozen. They had horses since they did all the work. Hay was cut with a mower, pulled by horses. They had a horse-drawn rake with a big lever in the front and to the side. They would rake hay, then trip the lever, leaving a long “windrow” behind. They would then make “shocks” or round piles, piling them up nicely with a pitchfork, so that if it rained, the rain would shed off the hay. A week of good weather was needed to cure the hay in these shocks. It was then hauled over to the hay-shed where it was pitched up into it. If they had too much hay, a stack was made outside. No baler was used. The hay was put up loose. They bought their first tractor in 1948 and it is still in use. The quarter next to this one was owned by a Polish man named George Arseniuk. The big barn, that he built, is still standing. When he and his wife moved to Fort George, he passed away soon after, and his wife sold the property to Rudolf Kwiatkowski. The Kwiatkowskis had five children and the oldest girl, Hilda, vowed that when she grew up she would live in the city because she hated weeding and hoeing garden. Once she did grow up, she wished she had a garden of her own. Years later, when she was married, the parents wanted someone to take over the farm so Hilda and her husband bought the farm, and let the parents stay there as long as they wanted. Hilda was extremely happy, as she never expected to live on that farm again.