Tommilas in Manitoba

Eric Tommila was born in Viborg, Finland in 1864, coming to Montreal, Canada in 1894. Finland was very crowded with not nearly as many opportunities as Canada. He arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1897, and moved on to Brandon in 1898. Helena Sakuri was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1875 and immigrated to Canada by herself in 1903. She knew Eric Tommila from the old country and they were married in Brandon on the 11th day of February in 1904. Four boys were born there to Eric and Helena: Henry (Kirkland Lake, Ontario), Bill (Vancouver), Fred (Elma) born Jan. 8, 1911, and Harold (deceased in 1935).

In 1916, Eric decided to leave Brandon and take up farming, as farming looked good.
Prices of wheat and other grains were excellent, and besides he was getting on in age, and it was time to settle down. Land as available in Elma, so he purchased the N.E. quarter of section 21, township 10, range 12 E. The farm was covered with dense bush. Eric made a resolution to clear ten acres per year with axes and grub hoes. He lived up to his expectations; he cleared his 160 acres in 16 years. Fred remembers that it was a happy occasion when the last acre was cleared.

As Fred was growing up in Manitoba, he remembers the town of Elma, and how it also grew. In the early days, before 1920, only trails led to town. John Gilewich had a store, and was a shoemaker who made two pairs of shoes for Fred. August Ceck bought hay, grain, potatoes, and other farm produce from the farmers which he re-sold in Manitoba. Fred remembers August as being a very honest man, whose word was always good.

Fred attended school in Elma, attaining his grade 9. The old school was located directly north of where the last school (flow Elma Community Center) now is located. The school grounds were taken out of two different farms on the outskirts of town, because the farmers wanted to donate the land for the school; this was the best way to settle the discussion. One day, in 1922, Fred, Mike Lysecki, Oscar North, and Lily Neva were camped out in the hand built log “fort”, located on the far south side of the farm. The next morning, they walked through town to school and saw that the whole main street was burned down. All that remained of the stores that had stood on the main street was the chimney of August Ceck’s store. The children found some melted silver coins in the ruins. Needless to say, they were late for school. After school, they picked through the ashes and took as many nails as possible home to build their “forts” with. Fred remembers cutting his toe on some broken glass in the ashes. The children always went barefoot in the summer, even in school.

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