The Loni Beach Residents’ Association (LBRA) recently put the finishing touches on a four-year project to enhance and recognize a unique feature in the Loni Beach subdivision, north of Gimli.
Residents can now read about the history and significance of the last remaining public artesian well in the area after the LBRA had an interpretive panel installed by the well last month. The association had protected the well with a stone cairn that was built in the summer of 2021.
“We wanted to pay tribute to the well and its function and recognize the significance of site where the first people to live here – Margret Brynjolfsdottir and Gisli Sveinsson – later sold land for cottage developments, which was how Loni Beach was formed,” said Carol Klein, who sits on the LBRA’s executive board and coordinated the artesian well project.
There were several artesian wells in Loni Beach that used to provide fresh water to cottagers, but they were eventually shut down.
“Artesian wells were the main water source for people way back in the 1900s. There used to be wells here for every five cottages or so. It’s a wonderful source of water,” said Klein. “This well comes in handy when I open my cabin in the spring and I can’t get a plumber out right away, and in the fall if I shut everything down too soon and there’s still some beautiful weather to enjoy.”
The Loni Beach Residents Association is a non-profit organization formed in 1992 to pursue the concerns of Loni Beach residents and act as a liaison between residents and the RM of Gimli.
With a background in art, Klein created an illustration for the interpretive panel that shows how artesian wells work. She researched how they work and included textual information. The wells are formed when layers of heavy rock or clay press down on an underground aquifer or stream, forcing the water up to the surface without the aid of a pump. The panel also has a circa 1920 photograph of cottages standing near the site of Margret Brynjolfsdottir and Gisli Sveinsson’s two-storey farmhouse.
Express Photos by Carol Klein
Klein said there were different groups of community members who worked on the cairn in 2021 and the interpretive panel, and it was “wonderful how it all worked out.”
The cairn was constructed by Cheryl Hahlweg, Richard Hurak and Klein herself, and the interpretive panel was completed by Andy Blicq (historical information, photo), Leanne Squires (information overseer), Ron Lambert (QR code) and Klein (illustration). It was installed last month by General Signs from Selkirk.
The QR code on the panel will allow people to share stories about what they know about the well, which will contribute to a more robust history of the neighbourhood.
The project was made possible with funding support from the RM of Gimli.
“We got two grants from the municipal government and we were able to complete the project,” said Klein. “I think this will bring the community closer together. I go by it all the time and I think it’s wonderful for the little well and for Loni in general.”
She added that the LBRA may possibly hold an official unveiling ceremony next summer.
For more information about Loni Beach and events, visit www.lonibeach.org
