Thomas Powell came to the Virden/Elkhorn area in the fall of 1882. He married Elizabeth East in December of 1886. Elizabeth came to the area from Ontario with Mr. and Mrs. John Norsworthy. Their homestead was at NE ¼ 12-10-29 in the Wallace district. Thomas Powell was known for buying the first team of horses in the area. Sadly, these horses were later killed when the stable they were in collapsed. It seemed to affect Tom’s health, and he was never the same again. Thomas and Elizabeth had five children: Ella Hannah, William Charles, Lena Grace, Ethel May, and Frank Osborne Powell. Thomas was born in 1858 and died in 1933. Elizabeth was born in 1869, and died in 1944. 

 

Frank Osborne Powell left school with little education to help his father on the farm. He spent all of his life around farming, and helped out several local farmers. He later retired to his house in Elkhorn. Ella Hannah Powell married John Roach. John was born in 1879 and came to the area from Cornwall, England with his mother and father in the late 1880s. He farmed at Antler, Saskatchewan for a short time before moving back to the Arawana district and marrying Ella Hannah in January 5, 1910. They moved to NW ¼ 7-10-28 where they farmed successfully for years until they retired into Elkhorn in 1941. Ella died in 1944, John died in 1965, and are both buried in the Elkhorn cemetery. They had two daughters, Mabel and Grace. William Charles Powell married Gladys Chapple. Gladys was born in 1891, and grew up in the Arawana district. She was employed in Brandon as a dressmaker, and spent 1910-1911 in Chicago. On December 25th, 1915 she married William. They moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and had two sons, William and Ross, and two daughters, Betty and Winona. William was an engineer on the railroad working for C.N.R. He passed away in 1956. Gladys lived in Prince Albert until 1974 and then moved to Red Deer. She lived in the Twilight Lodge, Red Deer, and at the time Steel and Grass Roots was written she was still alive. Lena Grace Powell married Percy Tapp. She was a teacher and they farmed North of Virden. Ethel May Powell married Don Campbell. They farmed near Caronport, Saskatchewan. 

 

Mabel Roach is the daughter of Ella and John Roach. Mabel went to school in Arawana and Elkhorn, and trained at the Regina General Hospital from 1930-1933. She married William (Bill) Ogilvie in 1937, and they farmed at the home farm for approximately 25 years. They moved into Elkhorn in 1965, and Bill worked driving a gravel truck for his brother for ten years, until 1975 when he retired. They had three children, a son who died in infancy, Marie and Wilma. Grace Roach, the second daughter of John and Ella Roach was born in 1916. She went to school in Arawana, Elkhorn, and Virden. She taught school in Butler, and Jeffrey where she met her husband, Bobby Walker. They farmed in the Jeffrey district. Grace died in 1948 when their only son, J. Douglas was born. Mabel and Bill raised Doug, since he was only seven days old. 

 

Marie Ogilvie is the older daughter of Bill and Mabel Ogilvie. She went to school in Arawana and Elkhorn, and worked at the Bank of Commerce in Elkhorn. In 1958, she married Joe Huculak. Joe was born in Round Hill, Alberta, and came to the Elkhorn area in 1954. He and Marie moved back to Alberta with oil rigs in July of 1958. They lived in a mobile home in various Alberta oil towns. In the spring of 1960, they moved back to the farm owned by William and Mabel Ogilvie. They had two children. Lori was born on May 29, 1960, and their son Billy was born on February 23, 1962. Lori went to Keewatin College in The Pas and graduated as a dental assistant. Lori married Jeff Price from McNamee, New Brunswick. Billy graduated from the Assiniboine College in Brandon as a welder. Wilma Ogilvie went to school in Arawana and Elkhorn as well. She took a hairdressing course in Winnipeg. In 1966, she married Lloyd Leslie of Elkhorn. They now live in Creston, B.C and have four children. The children are Wanda, Angela, Trevor, and Trisha. J. Douglas Walker is the only son of Bobby and Grace Walker. He went to school in Arawana and Elkhorn as well. In November 1970, he married Barbara Hey. They live in Brandon, where Doug works for the Department of Highways. They have two children, Ricky and Kathy.