Road to Beulah

My father's family farmed in Isabella, Manitoba from the mid 1800's. A town near them, was Beulah. This area of Manitoba was the best farmland in the province. Deep dirt was deposited from the prehistoric flooding of the area by the Assiniboine River. The pioneers came to northern Ontario as part of the Clearances in the earlier 1800's and then homesteaded in Manitoba later, in search of more and better land. My dad often made fun of Beulah with us, because in the heyday of these towns, Isabella always had a better hockey and baseball team than did, hapless Beulah. Isabella has disappeared with the changing times. It has a couple of vacant buildings and a small farm museum. I think Beulah is in the same boat. The first pioneers who homesteaded in Beulah would have named it as the community developed. It must have seemed like heaven to the landless, who built the first sod house on the property. I have a picture of my great grandfather by his sod house. He doesn't look like he is in heaven! The road to Beulah is long and winding with many side roads. There is not a lot of people on the road these days. The pianist and I are on the road to Beulah. We have taken a lot of side roads at one time but there are fewer roads now we wish to travel. After 52 years of marriage we are not interested in playing hockey or baseball. The deep dirt is still there, and the sod huts are gone. I'm just hoping that there is still a place for gardening in Beulahland!