Free Sod to Turn and Till Virtual Tour – For Adults

“Free Sod to Turn and Till: History of Kronau” is the permanent exhibit at the Kronau Museum documenting the settlers and their struggles coming from Europe to Canada.

Our family heritages and histories are important reflections of ourselves. This exhibit explores the triumphs and struggles of the different groups of people settling in the newly-founded country of Canada.

This exhibit features all of the original furniture from the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, built in 1912 a few miles away from Kronau. The building was moved to town in 1950 and decommissioned in 1996.
All of the furniture except for the organ, pictured above, are original to the church. Even the carpet is from 1912. The choir loft and alter were added onto the building when it was moved into Kronau in 1950.
This is an oil lamp from the church in 1912 before there was electricity in the building. It was salvaged and donated to the museum by a former church member.
From Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada:
The impact of treaty making in Canada has been wide-ranging and long standing. The treaties the Crown has signed with Aboriginal peoples since the 18th century have permitted the evolution of Canada as we know it. In fact, much of Canada’s land mass is covered by treaties. This treaty-making process, which has evolved over more than 300 years between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada, has its origins in the early diplomatic relationship developed between European settlers and Aboriginal people. As the two parties made economic and military alliances, Canada began to take form. These diplomatic proceedings were the first steps in a long process that has led to today’s comprehensive claims agreements between the Crown and Aboriginal groups.
From https://www.cpr.ca/:
Incorporated in 1881, Canadian Pacific Railway was formed to physically unite Canada and Canadians from coast to coast and the building of the railway is considered to be one of Canada’s greatest feats of engineering. The CPR played a major role in the promotion of tourism and immigration, as well as Canada’s war efforts and through the years, the railway grew and diversified to include steamships, hotels, airlines, mining, oil and gas exploration, delivery and telecommunications companies.
Here is the Rural Municipality (or RM) map that we have on display. On it, you can see which families owned specific pieces of land in the Kronau area.
At the museum, we have some assorted family history books. Many different people with relations to these families have contacted the museum for genealogical information. If you have a family relation to Kronau, the museum could help you find out more about your heritage!
Below are some names of the founding families of the Kronau community, along with other images featured in our exhibit (click to enlarge).

That’s the end of our tour. Make sure you check out our other virtual exhibit by clicking here. To learn more about the exhibit, click here. Thank you!

Sources:
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/ (Government of Canada)
https://www.cpr.ca/ (Canadian Pacific Railway)

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