Michelsen Farmstead Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Michelsen Farmstead
The restored Michelsen Farmstead.
General information
Architectural style	Victorian
Town or city	533 2nd Ave. & 6th St. Stirling, Alberta
Country	Canada
Coordinates	49°29′53″N 112°31′30″W / 49.498°N 112.525°W / 49.498; -112.525
Construction started	1902
Completed	1912
Demolished	Provincial Historic Site Museum
Client	Stirling Historical Society & Village of Stirling
Technical details
Structural system	Wood

The Andreas Michelsen Farmstead is a special historic place in Stirling, Alberta. It started as a small two-room house in 1902. Later, in 1912, more rooms were added, making it a seven-room home. Not much has changed about the house since then!

This old farm includes a beautiful Victorian-style farmhouse with a porch that wraps all around it. There are also many other buildings like a barn, a place to store grain, and sheds for coal and machines. You can also see corrals for animals and an outhouse. Outside, there's a dugout, a water filter, and a garden. The farmstead is located in the northwest part of Stirling's National Historic Site of Canada.

The Michelsen family lived here until 1995. Then, the village of Stirling and the Stirling Historical Society bought the farm. They wanted to turn it into a place where people could learn about the past. The farmstead is now a Provincial Historic Resource. It's also a museum that shows what life was like from 1900 to the 1930s. Every summer, the Historical Society hosts fun day camps for kids. They also have an old-fashioned harvest dance in October.

Discovering the Farmstead's Past
Meet the Michelsen Family
Fun Events at the Farmstead
See also

Discovering the Farmstead's Past

The Michelsen home was a popular spot for people to gather for many years. The family often hosted lively house parties with lots of dancing. A fiddler would stand by the doorway and play any song the dancers wanted. If there were too many people, or if the weather was nice, the dancing would move to the barn's hayloft. These barn dances were famous for over 75 years!

As time went on, a train service to Lethbridge opened up new chances for people in Stirling. But the Michelsen Farmstead stayed a favorite meeting place. Its purpose changed a little, though. Farmers from nearby areas would often drive their horses and wagons to Stirling. They would then leave their teams at the Michelsen farm, sometimes for several days, before catching the train to Lethbridge.

The farm was not just popular with adults. Youngsters loved the hayloft, which was a perfect place for "sleepovers." The young Michelsen boys and their friends played endless games of "Cops and Robbers." The Michelsen boys were always the "bad guys" in these games. One neighbor worried about this "unlawful play." It's funny because Glen Michelsen was the first person from Stirling to join the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Two of his three brothers also became law enforcement officers!

The Michelsen Farmstead is still important today, even though no Michelsens live there anymore. In 2001, the Andreas Michelsen Homestead was named a Provincial Historic Resource. The house and other buildings have been restored to look like they did in the 1930s.

Meet the Michelsen Family

Andreas Michelsen was born in Sleth, Denmark, on September 20, 1857. His wife, Kirsten Marie, was born in Aarhus, Denmark, on April 3, 1854. They had a big family with four boys and four girls. Their oldest daughter, Lena, was born in Denmark in 1880.

The Michelsens joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Around 1882, they moved to Monroe, Utah, to be closer to their church. They had seven more children while living in Monroe.

In 1900, the church asked some of its members to move to Alberta, Canada. There was a lot of land there, but it was very dry. Andreas and Kirsten took their two oldest children by train to Stirling, Alberta. Andreas wasn't sure about moving to Stirling permanently at first. But his four sons saw all the great opportunities the area offered. So, they decided Stirling was a good place for their family. The four of them went back to Utah to get the rest of their family and their belongings. By 1901, Stirling was their new home.

Soon after arriving, Andreas and his sons were hired by the church. They helped build a canal from Kimball, Alberta to the Stirling Siding. The family first lived in a small tent near Cardston and Magrath. Once the canal was finished, the family moved to their land in Stirling. The Michelsens officially got their land in Stirling from the church in 1904. This was for the work they did on the canal. In 1902, a small two-room house was built on this land. A local carpenter, George Oler, added more rooms in 1912. Andreas was very involved in church and community activities. He was part of the Stirling Town Council in 1909, and again from 1913 to 1914.

Andreas and his four sons – Niels, Sirn, Dan, and Drace – farmed and raised cattle. They worked around the Stirling area and also near Wrentham. They used horses for farming until tractors were invented. Eventually, they even had their own Threshing machine.

Andreas (Drace), Niels, and Dan were great basketball players in Stirling. They won championships for several years! Lena married James Austin and had a son. She later married Sam Lessard. Andreas (Drace) never married. Annie married Urbann Young and had two boys. Sadly, Hulda died as a child.

Carrie married Alfred Hirsche and had five boys and one girl. Niels married Verda Spackman and had two boys and a girl. Daniel married Lulu Barton and had four boys and two girls. Soren (Sirn) married Elva Lybbert and had three girls and two boys. Sirn and his wife Elva raised their family right there in the Michelsen Farmstead. Sirn passed away there in 1978. One of Sirn's cowboy friends, Earl Bascom, was his wife Elva's first cousin. Earl Bascom was a famous cowboy artist. He often stayed with Sirn and Elva at the Michelsen Farmstead. It became a temporary art studio where he created some of his amazing artwork.

Fun Events at the Farmstead

The Michelsen Farmstead hosts many fun events throughout the year!

Summer Fun: July and August

Old fashioned day at the Farm: Kids can enjoy day-camps during the first and third weeks of July and August.
Music on the veranda: Listen to music on the porch during the first and third weeks of July and August.
Stirling Settler Days: Get free tours of the Michelsen Farmstead during this special event.

Fall Festival: September

Fall Festival Village Market: Find homemade crafts, delicious baked goods, and unique gift items.

Spring Events: May

Historic Lethbridge Week: The farmstead takes part in this week-long celebration of history.

Michelsen Farmstead facts for kids

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