Across the Lake from Fauquier BC lies an island that used to be connected with the west side of the land south of the Needles ferry terminal. In the late 1960s BC Hydro built a dam near the American border to regulate the lake level and of course to generate power. As a result of this action many small communities were flooded and people were forced off their land. This is how this tiny island was created. I call this abandoned former farmstead our island, because very few people go there and we like to spend some time there all alone, explore its ancient apple orchards, relax and go swimming in the crystal-clear and refreshing waters in the heat of the summer. Recently I recorded such a canoe trip to this amazing little island on my movie camera. Enjoy.
In September 1939 Ernst Klopp was drafted into the army and took part in the attack on Poland, which triggered the beginning of World War II. Within days Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. In the fall of 1940 Ernst Klopp was released from military service to take on new civilian assignments. In October 1940 he took charge as an administrator of the recently incorporated agricultural estate Oberhof northeast of Posen (Poznan). The Polish owner’s name was Stanislaus Brodnicki and his inspector was Nowak. The estate’s size was 279 ha. In 1939 the building of the manor had already been in ruins. Ernst managed the farming area of this property until May 1941.
Subsequently he was assigned to administer until November 1941 the manor and lands of the former Polish Magnate Moszczenski in the village of Srebrna Gora/Siberberg (German) with a total agricultural area of 510 ha. Both estates now belonged to the newly created county of Dietfurt/Znin (Polish).
Gutfelde/Zlotniki 1942 – Mother Erika Klopp with her children Gerhard and Eka
In November 1941 the German Agricultural Society (renamed in 1942 ‘Reich’s Society for Agricultural Purposes) installed Ernst Klopp as an administrator of the farming and forestry domains, which belonged to the former Polish Estate Zlotniki/Gutfelde (German) in the county of Dietfurt. The estate belonged till 1939 to Zdenek Czarlinski and comprised 365 ha of arable land.
Peter’s commentary: To my greatest surprise I was able to find my father’s name and inspector Haladuda on a Polish website that deals with the history of Polish manors. Here is a brief excerpt from the article I found on the Internet and translated somewhat crudely by Google Translate:
Zlotniki 2012 – Credit: Polish Manors Website – There has been little change to the outside of the building since the time our family had to leave this beautiful place in 1945.
The constant change of Polish and German ownership of Gutfelde is very noticeable in this short history of the manor.
The Alberta rose had her hay-day, the creeks are adopting a more tranquil tone, and the local golf course is busier than ever in spite of Covid-19. But Nature shows a more summer-like appearance now. The wild cherry trees are loaded, the Saskatoon berries are getting ripe and as reported last week my wife and I have been picking huckleberries, the wild relatives of the blueberry. Here is another set of recent photos I took when taking a leisurely walk with my wife along the edge of the local golf course. Enjoy.
Last week I took my wife to one of our favourite huckleberry spots about a 1000 m above sea level. She was extremely grateful, as she is a passionate gatherer of all kinds of wild and garden berries. For those of you unfamiliar with huckleberries, they are a distant relative of the commercial blueberries. However, the huckleberries are superior in taste and nutritious value. The heat was bad and the mosquitoes even worse, but the extra pain was worth every minute of the ordeal. I used the opportunity to capture the scenery with my video camera. Enjoy.
Whether you believe it or not after a very wet spring the grasses along the edge of the Fauquier Golf Course grew up to two metres tall. Since I prefer the landscape format in photography there was no way that I was able to capture their full height. But I was generally very pleased with the results, especially with the setting sun shining through the luscious stalks. The bumblebee feasting on a wildflower – I am sure my blogging friend Steve would know its name – was the icing on the cake. Enjoy.
The Hart Creek provides almost all of Fauquier with fresh mountain water. It originates in the Valkyr Range southeast of our community of some 200 people. Many of the mountains tower over a vast area with a respectable altitude of over 8000 ft. In my younger years, I would take my boys up to Mt. McBride, where after a six-hour strenuous hike we could relax and enjoy the fantastic view. Sometimes, we would even set up camp and stay a day or two in the alpine meadows above the tree line. Today I present to you five photos near the mouth of the creek from a recent evening walk with my wife. Enjoy.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 