Oakner 
includes Eden, Kerr schools
Updated - 02 June 2006

This area was settled in 1880. Early families were: J. Allan, W. Anderson, W.J. Cowan, J. Howie, P. Kerr, W. Leary, A. Leslie, J. Milne, J. Park, George Rankin, J. Riddell, Mrs. Roberston and sons, D. and W. Whyte.  The area was initially called Eden after the school house on SE 18-13-23 W1.  The village of Oakner which sprang up beside the railroad on NE 8-13-24.  It was named alphabetically when the Grand Trunk Railway late the Canadian National was built in the area. Oakner was not listed in the 1891 Henderson Directory.

Map of Township 13 - Range 23 - Oakner area

Map of R.M. Hamiota

Hamiota Hustler Report "Our Municipality[Oak River]"
(June 29, 1894, page 1)
"Tp 13, Rg 23, has 3,637 acres under cultivation.  The assesed value of real property amounts to $78,720 and personal property $27,900.  A population of 168, with 64 children of school age.  161 horses, 438 head of cattle, 323 sheep and 126 pigs.  The assessed value of livestock is $22, 035."

Oakner United Church

Oakner United Church Opened: Octoer 31, 1909 Closed: June, 2000 Moved to Hamiota Fairgrounds

The church services were held in homes, primarily Phillip Kerr’s home on 31-13-23 until a bee was held and the "Old Hall was built on the SE ¼ of 32-13-23. This building served at church, school and general meeting until the building of the Eden and Kerr schools about 1888. The south half of the township attended church at Eden school.
Oakner Presbyterian Church was built on the townsite of Oakner and opened on October 31, 1909.  This church was closed in June, 2000.

Eden School No. 510

The main settlers of the Eden school were: Allan, Steven, Brimacombe, Robertson.  The school opened 1888 on SE 18-13-23.  It closed in 1919 when Oakner Consolidated School opened.  A cairn was erected in 1978.

School was first held in a log building on farm of James Park, SE 32-13-23, ca 1881.  It moved to a frame building on SE 4-14-23 within a year or so, this was also the location of the original townsite of Hamilton, which became Hamiota in 1884. Hamiota would be relocated 2 miles north after the railway came through in 1891.  Kerr school closed in December, 1913 with its Hamiota Consolidation.  A cairn commemorates this spot, August 22, 1971.  Kerr school No. 220 is listed in the 1886-87 Henderson Directory with Sec. Tres being Philip Kerr, Hamiota. [page 83]

Oakner Consolidated School

Children from the area attended Eden school until the school was built in Oakner and opened January 5, 1920 on NE 8-13-23.
The Oakner Consolidated School newly numbered 290 was formed from parts of Maple Shade S.D. No. 832, Oakner S.D. No. 510, part of Scotia S. D. No. 290. There were 84 students in Grades 1-11.
Oakner school was closed in June, 1967 after consolidation with Hamiota.

Oakner School and then looking down to the hamlet ca 1944

Post Office: 
Mail was initially delivered to Logoch which closed in 1932.   Unsure of date that mail started to come to Oakner.  The post office closed in 1975 at Oakner with Ida Routledge as the last postmistress.

Elevator
Rail service began in 1906 with the Grand Trunk Railway late called the Canadian National Railway being completed.  Unsure of date of first elevator being built in Oakner.  By 1979 large Cargill and Manitoba Pool Elevators had been built as a result of rail line closure for Hamiota, Kenton and McConnell.  The elevators are the main industry of Oakner.  Manitoba Pool became Agricore in 1999.

Oakner Scottish Co-opertative elevator in Oakner.  Later bought by Manitoba Pool Elevators and closed in 1979.  In the process of tearing it down it burnt on July 9, 1980.	Manitoba Agricore elevators in Oakner.

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), page 88-90, 91-92,  100-105

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

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

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)