In 1900, Andreas and Kirsten Michelsen and family, originally from Denmark, immigrated from Monroe, Utah to what was then known as
Pothole Coulee in southwestern Alberta, taking work on the railroad and the canal project which was underway. The family soon moved to the newly incorporated village of Stirling, he and his elder sons filing for homesteads there. In 1902 he began construction of the house on the Michelsen Farmstead, enlarging it in 1912 as the family grew. The large barn on the property, as well as other outbuildings, soon followed, the farmstead eventually becoming what we see today. In all, eight buildings survive, together comprising one of the most complete turn of the century farmsteads to be found in Alberta. In fact, the village of Stirling has been designated a
National Historic Site, being the best surviving example of a Mormon agricultural village in Canada.
In the early twentieth century travel was both slow and difficult, resulting in small town residents having to create their own entertainment. This consisted largely of gatherings in resident's houses to play games, play cards, sing or dance. Given that both the Michelsen home and the family were larger than the norm, the Michelsen home became a popular gathering place. In the summer, when gatherings became too large for the house, the hayloft of the large Michelsen barn became a favourite site for barn dances. In fact, it hosted barn dances for 75 years or more.
Now an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource, the farmstead is managed and maintained as a museum by the Stirling Historical Society. The house and outbuildings are furnished with artefacts depicting typical living conditions in Southern Alberta from the 1900s through the 1930s. As well, several appliances and pieces of farm machinery complete the image of a homestead. Buildings on the site include the 1912 house, which incorporates the original 1902 house in the rear, the large barn, blacksmith shop, coal shed/summer kitchen and a two story granary which doubled as a summer bedroom for the boys, as well as some smaller storage buildings. The museum is open Tuesday — Saturday from 10 am-12 noon and 1 pm-5 pm from late June to early September and by appointment during other times of the year. The homestead is a fine place for an afternoon picnic, too, with several picnic tables arrayed under the mature trees beside the Michelsen house.
ANDREAS MICHELSEN FARMSTEAD
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Andreas Michelsen Farmstead consists of a one-and-a-half storey farmhouse at the south end of the property; outbuildings including a barn, granary, calving shed, coal shed, machine shed, corrals and pens, and an outhouse; and landscape elements such as a dugout, cistern and filter, storage cellar, and plantings. It is located on the west half of four blocks in the northwest corner of the Village of Stirling.
HERITAGE VALUE
The historical significance of the Andreas Michelsen Farmstead lies in its excellent representation of a pre-1950 Mormon farmstead in southern Alberta.
Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) played a critical role in settling the arid grasslands of southern Alberta after 1887, bringing an expertise in irrigation and dry-land farming from Utah. The Michelsen family immigrated to Stirling from Denmark via Utah in 1900, and were among the earliest settlers in the area. In 1902, the family constructed a house (expanded in 1912) on a property that originally encompassed 2.5 acres, a typical lot size for a family homestead in Stirling's village plan.
The farmstead is one of the best remaining examples of a Mormon homestead and an integral element of the town grid plan that was adopted by several Mormon communities in southern Alberta. Based loosely on the "Plat of Zion" envisioned by Church founder Joseph Smith, the village plan sought to create closely-knit rural communities through clusters of residences facing the village streets, with parcels of farmland located outside the town boundaries. With its distinctive large lots and wide streets, this settlement pattern differs from the widespread practice of establishing isolated homesteads on quarter sections.
The Andreas Michelsen Farmstead is an important contributing element within the National Historic District of Stirling, which is considered to be the best surviving example of a Mormon agricultural village in Canada.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places
