About Us

A Brief History of my Time 

by Terry Doerksen

1961-1965: Born of pure Mennonite stock in Steinbach, Manitoba on October 31, 1961. That was 444 years to the day after Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door, 44 years to the day that Lawrence brought the Arabs into Damascus and 4 years less 4 days after the dog, Laika, was launched into space. Are these facts significant? Maybe. They show I like history and that my brain notices patterns like that. I lived the first 4 years of my life in my ancestral hometown of Blumenort, MB.

1965-79: Migrated west to Alberta with a 3-year layover in Gouldtown, SK. (No, you haven’t heard of it.) I grew up near the badlands where I loved to hunt for dinosaur bones.

1979-82: Studied at Winnipeg Bible College in Otterburne, MB. Decided that if I ever lived in a city, I hoped it was Winnipeg. Met Patty Wiens. One of us fell deeply in love; the other said she just wanted to be friends.

1982-85: Adventured my way from Tuktoyaktuk to Titicaca. Caught an infection with the symptom of wanting to see around just one more bend of the trail. It has never fully cured.

1985-94: Became an electrician with Jorey Electric in ... Winnipeg. Guess who finally married me in 1987? Leif was born in ‘92.

1994-06: Taught English in Mongolia. Drank lots of fermented horse milk. Sim was born in ‘95. Mischa in ‘97.

2006-23. Back to work with Jorey Electric. Read lots of Manitoba and Canadian history.  In 2023, together with Patty, took an ox named Zik and a Red River Cart down the Red River Trail from Winnipeg to St. Paul, MN.  The next year we did a reunion tour on the Dawson Road.

February 2024.  Had an idea to do a prayer loop around Canada - to all four compass extremes or at least as far as roads would take us.  Prayed on it for a month before presenting the idea to Patty at the James Ave Pumphouse Food and Drink.  She shouted, "Yes!"

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#1 A Single Step

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Laozi said that ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. In our case, the journey of 32,000 kilometers started with a date ... at the James Ave Pumphouse Food & Drink in Winnipeg. Adventures are my thing - not Patty’s. Her perfect holiday is visiting family at the end of a tried and familiar path. I thrill to the unknown. Our common ground is wanting to make our lives worthwhile. To walk by God’s leading. So when I get the idea for an adventure (and this happens regularly), the first litmus test to differentiate between a ‘Terry sparkler’ and ‘Divine calling’ is Patty’s response. I have learned that a good presentation doesn’t hurt my cause so I picked the setting carefully. The tables at the Pumphouse overlook a century-old collection of giant pipes and pumps – still covered in original grease. These were used to move Red River water to distant hydrants for fire-fighting. A restaurant with a combination of history (my love) and good food (Patty’s). P...
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#2 The Forks, Winnipeg: Iau Descends

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It felt to me like we were standing on holy ground. Probably the same feeling I’d get if I was to visit the location where Moses saw the burning bush and where the tribes of Israel gathered around the base of Mt. Sinai to feel God descending with shaking and thunder and smoke. If I’ve put together the clues correctly, something very similar seems to have happened at the Forks. On the Mountains of the Prairie, On the great Red Pipe-Stone Quarry, Gitche Manito, the mighty, He the Master of Life, descending, On the red craigs of the quarry, Called the tribes of men together. From his footprints flowed a river, Leaped into the light of morning, O’er the precipice plunging downward Gleamed like Ishkoodah, the comet. And the Spirit, stooping earthward, With his finger on the meadow Traced a winding pathway for it, Saying to it, “Run in this way!” An indication that something special had happened here first came to light when an Anishinaabe elder approached Sid Kroker, the head archaeolog...
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#4 Dominion City MB: That’s a Bit Audacious!

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A few people tagged along on the first leg of the journey from The Forks to Dominion City. We were hungry and I had promised a special lunch, but first I wanted to tell three stories from local lore. Countess of Dufferin In 1877, t ogether with her husband, the Governor General of Canada, the Countess of Dufferin was visiting Manitoba for diplomatic reasons. I hope she brought her rail-working clothes because she was roped into pounding in the first spike on the first railway in Western Canada. When finished, it would connect Winnipeg with St. Paul, MN. Having done the deed , the Countess and the Governor General boarded a paddlewheeler heading south up the Red River on their way home. En route they passed another paddlewheeler heading north and carrying the Countess of Dufferin. Confused? This particular C of D was a locomotive named after the lady in the other boat. They waved at each other (actually I’m not sure about that) never to see each other again. T he locomotive ...
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