Lac du Bonnet's Latvian roots featured in new historical tour
Eastern Manitoba town had 'the largest Latvian population west of Toronto' before WW II, says local historian
Near the end of a long gravel road, close to the shores of Lac du Bonnet in eastern Manitoba, sits the Karklin farm — a lush piece of land that's been in the family since 1912.
Nestled in the little hamlet of Lettonia — a name that translates to "Little Latvia" — the homestead is part of what was once one of the largest Latvian communities in Canada.
"We're still growing beets and potatoes, onions and garlic," said Riva Karklin, who raises chickens in the same coop her great-grandparents built more than a hundred years ago.
"When you stop for a second and think how special it is to be the fourth generation doing that in that same building, it's pretty incredible," she said.
The Karklin homestead will soon be featured in a new self-guided tour curated by the Lac du Bonnet and District Historical Society that will highlight the history of Latvian-Canadians in Manitoba.
Karklin's ancestors came to Manitoba during a wave of immigration in the early 20th century, as people fled political unrest in Latvia.
Some set out specifically for the Lac du Bonnet area, in southeastern Manitoba, as word spread that scores of newcomers from the Eastern European nation were establishing homesteads in the province.
Riva's great-grandfather, Peter Karklin, was one of Lettonia's early settlers.
"He did the usual homesteading, where you clear land and you build a house and then you're given the title to the property," said Susan Karklin, Riva's aunt.
Now in her 70s, Susan grew up on the homestead, as her parents and grandparents raised cattle, grew vegetables and sold butter and eggs for extra income.
For a long time, the homestead, about 20 kilometres northeast of the town of Lac du Bonnet, didn't have running water or electricity.
"As soon as the bucket on the kitchen counter got low, my brothers would go down and get a bucket of water," said Susan.
"That [was] our running water — my brother's feet," she added with a chuckle.
At the heart of the property is the Karklin family's century-old barn. Built from hand-hewn logs, the building is mentioned in historical archives as a noteworthy site.
"No nails or anything — they're all dovetailed in," said Susan, pointing at the stacked logs that make up the barn's walls, painstakingly built by her grandfather with help from neighbours.
At the corner of the farmyard is a tiny, rustic building now used as a shed, but the 112-year-old structure was actually the Karklins' first dwelling in Canada.
"It was definitely a different life," said Susan. "They were probably thankful just to be warm."
Fleeing political unrest
The Karklin farm is featured in a recent book on Latvian migration to Manitoba.
Latvian Pioneers, Socialists and Refugees in Manitoba by Viesturs Zariņš features several chapters on settlements in the Lac du Bonnet area, including Lettonia and Lee River.
Susan's grandfather was one of many who left Latvia in the early 20th century to escape political unrest, as Russian Czarist forces cracked down on people they perceived as revolutionaries and socialists.
Thousands of Latvians were imprisoned, exiled and executed.
"He was under threat of his life being taken," said Susan, recounting her grandfather Peter Karklin's story.
"He stowed away on a ship and came to Canada."
WATCH | Exploring Lac du Bonnet's Latvian roots:
Peter sent for his Latvian wife, Olga, a year later and started a family, never expecting Manitoba to be their permanent home.
"He thought that it was going to be better in Latvia after the Russians took over," Susan said, but that wasn't the case.
"He lost a few friends that would go back to check out the situation," she continued. "He would never hear from them again."
The family couldn't send mail back home, for fear of reprisal. Letters from Latvia to Canada were sent with extreme caution.
"They never, ever wrote down the address of where Peter Karklin escaped to," said Susan. "They passed it down verbally."
The Karklins still have some of those letters. Riva paid a translator to read them.
"They were just amazed at how they were saying, like, 'My hand is so weak I can hardly hold the quill, I'm ill with whatever sickness,'" said Riva.
"It was just like these really haunting, beautiful letters."
Historical tour highlights Latvian landmarks
A new self-guided tour on the history of Latvian-Canadians in Manitoba is slated to launch in January.
A booklet titled Latvian Heritage Trail: Footprints from Winnipeg to Lac du Bonnet will feature sites of note in the capital city, as well as in Lettonia, Lee River and Libau.
"Prior to World War II, we had the largest Latvian population west of Toronto," said Terry Tottle, president of the Lac du Bonnet and District Historical Society, which is publishing the tour booklet with support from the Manitoba government and the Latvian National Federation in Canada's educational foundation.
Lac du Bonnet may not hold that claim anymore, but the numbers are still strong, said Tottle.
"There's still a large population of descendants, so be careful when you're driving — you might hit a Latvian," he said, laughing.
Thousands of European immigrants came in the early 1900s to find work as hydro dams were built along the Winnipeg River, but then learned they could get homesteads, said Tottle.
"They were able to acquire 160 acres for $10, and it was very similar to the land back home," he said.
The Karklin farm, which stands as a well-preserved example of one of Lettonia's earliest homesteads, has been visited twice by the Latvian ambassador to Canada.
On the second visit in 2022, Susan Karklin served as tour guide.
"We made him a typical Latvian brunch," she said, adding he "thoroughly enjoyed it."
"I think [his visit] made the whole community feel very special."
The ambassador also visited the nearby cemetery in Lettonia, where the Karklin ancestors are buried, and passed through Lac du Bonnet, where Latvian family businesses like Osis Building Supplies and Dancyt's Fine Foods still thrive today.
Many Latvian Canadian families have stayed in the Lac du Bonnet area because of its strong sense of community, said Susan.
"You know what your neighbour is doing, and you help when they need help, and they help you," she said.
"That's what this area is like."
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