A crowd of about 30, hungry for truth that is stranger than fiction, gathered on Nov. 30 at the Virden Branch of Border Regional Library where Gordon Goldsborough, guest for the evening, presented his love of history revealed in his writings.
His humorous accounts of stone walled outhouses erected to protect family business from a rampaging bull, bowstring arched bridges displaying golden-orange xanthoria (lichen growths related to bird poop) or the backstory to a massive government boo-boo, a concrete tree stump near Hadashville, raised eyebrows and elicited laughter.
Manitoba’s highway and particularly the Trans-Canada are important yet we don’t give this a moment’s thought. But Goldsborough pointed out the development of the highway in the 1930s linking Manitoba to Ontario – a difficult stretch of road.
“This connection between Ontario and Manitoba’s highways was pretty significant because now you could get in your car and drive to Kenora. Previously you had to take the train to get to Kenora. Well now you could go whenever you wanted; you could take little detours along the way….”
He suggested that the joining of the highway to Ontario was what made us Canadians, allowed for visiting and personal interaction. “Previous to that we’d been Manitobans and Ontarians…”
Goldsborough is turning 65 and he’s having the time of his life chasing Manitoba’s history that gives way to some intense human tales of success and sometimes woe.
An aquatic ecologist working with the University of Manitoba, he’s anticipating retirement. Maybe then he will get to the long list of historical sites he has yet to map.
“I’ve got a backlog of places that I haven’t managed to get time to work on.” With information from others who document historical finds he says, “Conceivably there’s another 1000 that I’ve got to add to this….” However, there’s no shortage of data already available as interactive map of historic sites.
Following an hour’s PowerPoint presentation, a rapid ramble through Abandoned Manitoba sites and situations, he answered a few questions before people lined up to purchase one or more of books including the newly released On the Road to Abandoned Manitoba.
To find out more about Gordon Goldsborough, his books and other of his publications go here.
