Getting a bird’s eye view

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2017 (3293 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans will soon have the chance to see what rural Manitoba used to look like from the air in a series of photographs taken over 23 years.

Kim Bessette and Eileen Deringer, the owners of Homestead Aerial Photo in Calgary, are bringing a collection of about 30,000 photos to Elie, Winnipeg, Teulon, Stonewall, St.-Pierre-Jolys and Morris in the hopes of having people identify their family’s homestead, church, school or business, then order a framed enlargement of the photo.

Bessette said he and Deringer bought the aerial photos from the original business owner who began taking them in 1953. He used an overhead wing-style plane to fly fairly low over the Canadian countryside and take photos of landmarks on the ground. He then grouped the photos into a flight that consisted of 36 photos shown in 4×6-inch proofs.

“If you are looking through them, you are going to recognize your neighbours’ properties, then yours,” Bessette said.

He said the business owner had salespeople who went door-to-door in the winter months trying to sell the photos taken the previous spring, summer and fall to those whose farms and businesses were shown.

“It was a speculation business.”
Bessette said, because there wasn’t much in the way of flight regulations in the 1950’s, the

pilot was able to fly low enough to capture human activity such as farmers working in the field.
“People don’t realize that these photos are still around,” he said.

For some hoping to locate their property or business, it’s best if they have the legal property description, the land owner’s name or at least driving directions from the closest town. Bessette said he and Deringer will have aerials maps available to help locate a site, then match it with the photos they have.

The couple will have a booth in Elie’s Vet’s hall, 34 Main St. on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in Kildonan Place, 1555 Regent Ave W from June 19 to 22.

For more information on Homestead Aerial Photo, see www.homesteadaerial.com

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