Decker / Lavinia
includes Arrowton, Lakeville and Orrwold (Ethel) schools.
Updated- 02 June 2006

Map of Township 15 - Range 24 - Decker, Lavinia area

Map of R.M. Hamiota

Hamiota Hustler Report "Our Municipality [Oak River]"
(June 29, 1894, page 1)
"Tp 15, Rg 24, has 1,740 acres under cultivation.  The assessed value of real property amounts to $83,200 and personal property $13,764.  A population of 79, with 25 children of school age.  78 horses, 164 head of cattle, 283 sheep and 35 pigs.  Value of livestock is $10,489."

Decker
Decker area's original settlers were William Bailey, W.H. Decker who arrived in the fall of 1881 settled 18-14-24. Canadian National Railway came through in 1909 when W.H. Decker sold 40 acres to the railway to be used as a townsite.  Note the town of Decker was not listed in the 1891 version of the Henderson Directory.

Named:- Village named after for W.H. Decker

Post Office
The Decker post office opened 1912, in John Clack’s store in Decker.  Previously  the mail for the area went to Arrowton.  In 2000 the Decker post office is still in use.

School
The Decker school was built in 1913 on NW 18-15-24 after the consolidation of the one room school houses of Arrowton, Orrwold and Lakeville forming Decker Consolidated School No. 320.  The Decker school was closed in 1968 when it was consolidated with Crandall, R.M. of Miniota.

Elevator
The first elevator was built in 1909 when the Canadian National Railway came through.  The last train through was on December 16, 1978.  The final two elevators closed in 1978 as well.  Farmers from the area now haul grain north to Shoal Lake or south to Oakner.

Church
The Decker church, which was rebuilt from the Knox Presbyterian Church from Hamiota, opened on October 14, 1934.  In 2000 it is still in use  being served by the Shoal Lake United Church minister.

Decker Hutterite Colony

Lavinia
The original settlers of Lavinia came to area in 1882. Named after the christened name of Mrs. Chars. Hoy believed to be a favourite at the time (1886). Lavinia was not listed in the 1891 Henderson Directory.

School
The Lavinia school was built in 1885 about 1/2 mile south and 1/2 mile west of the present Lavinia.  In 1911 this school was destroyed by fire, classes were held in various homes until a new building was completed in Lavinia in 1914.  This building became the High school when in 1920 Watson school consolidated with Lavinia.  The Watson school house was moved to Lavinia to become the "Little School".  As the years passed the higher grades were bused to Hamiota, leaving Grades 1-8 in Lavinia from 1957-1960. The school finally closed in 1960 with all the students going to Hamiota.  A cairn was unveiled on July 12, 1986.

Church
The church services were held in the school house until the church was built in 1903.  The Lavinia church closed in 1960, with members going to Decker and Hamiota.

Post Office
A post office has existed at Lavinia.  Despite the store closing in 1965, the Post office continued on until ?.

Elevator
Like their neighbors the local elevator closed in 1974 with the farmers trucking grain farther.  The railway track bed is all that exists of the Canadian National Railway that went through this community.

School
The Arrowton school was built in 1893, one mile south of the Correction line, south of Decker (25-14-25).  In 1913 the school closed and consolidated with Decker.

Post Office
The post office was located on 36-14-25 from 1884 – 1912.  After is closed area residents then changed to Decker.  In the 1885 Henderson Directory Arrowton is now listed as a post office on 36-14-25 W1 [no county listed] ( 343).  It was not listed in the 1884 Henderson Directory.

Lakeville School
Lakeville school opened ca 1911, located on SW 3-15-24, it closed in 1920 with students from the west side going to Decker, east side to Lavinia and the south to Hamiota.

Post Office
The Orrwold Post office was started in 1883 on NE 25-15-25 with Thomas Orr as postmaster.  This little rural post office closed in 1922.  The 1884 Henderson Directory listed Orrwold in the Shoal Lake County (365).

In the 1891 Henderson Directory Orrwold – "a post settlement on Sec. 30, Tp.15, Rg. 24, east, in the municipality of Miniota and county of Shoal Lake. Mail weekly, Railway, telegraph, and express Shoal Lake, distant 16 miles. Methodist services held twice a month. Has a public school.  Hugh Alexander, postmaster" (730)

School
The Ethel school was built in 1885 on SW ¼ 24-15-24, later moved to E ½ 30-15-24 to land donated by Norton Brother for a school and a church.  In the 1886 Henderson Directory Ethel School has H.S. Heise as the Sec. Treas. PO Arrowton (82).  The school became known as Orrwold in 1902, after early settler Thomas Orr, after church built.

Church
Orrwold church was built in 1902 by Thomas Orr, directly north of the school.  In 1939 the church was closed and members went to Decker.  A cairn has been erected on site of church

Community History:
Decker Women’s Institute, Decker Memoirs: A History of Decker & Community 1880-1970, Decker, 1970. (out of print)

Sources:
Hamiota Centennial History Committee. Hamiota, Grains of the Century, 1884-1984. Altona, Manitoba: Friesen Printers, 1984. 741 pages (available from R.M. of Hamiota, Hamiota, Manitoba, ROM OTO - $35 +postage), pages 77, 81-88, 92-93, 106-107.

Hamiota Women's Institute. A History of Hamiota Village and Municipality. Hamiota, Manitoba: Hamiota Echo, 1956. (out of print)

Henderson’s Directory of the City of Winnipeg and Town of St. Boniface, Winnipeg: Winnipeg Directory Publishing Co. 1884. (Manitoba Legislative Library – (dH) Reel #4)

Henderson’s Directory of the City of Winnipeg and Town of St. Boniface, Winnipeg: Winnipeg Directory Publishing Co. 1885. (Manitoba Legislative Library – (dH) Reel #4)

Henderson’s Manitoba and North-Western Ontario and Northwest Towns and City of Winnipeg Directory, Winnipeg: Winnipeg Directory Publishing Co. 1886-1887. (Manitoba Legislative Library – (dH) Reel #4) It is billed as "The Only Directory of the NorthWest published".

Henderson’s Manitoba and Northwest Territories and British Columbia Gazetteer and Directory, Winnipeg: The Henderson Directory. 1891. (Manitoba Legislative Library – (dH) Reel #9)

"Our Municipality [Oak River]", [Hamiota: Hamiota Hustler], June 29, 1894, page 1 – ( Reel 1 (NH2), June 23, 1893 – August 8, 1899, Manitoba Legislative Library)

"Lavinia School Cairn unveiled", (Hamiota: Hamiota Echo), August 27, 1986 - copy Elaine Taylor