Blenkinsop Valley and Gordon Head 1951
This picture shows the Blenkinsop Valley and Gordon Head in 1951. Note that Gordon Head is almost all farmland. Madrona Farm is located on the lower slopes of Mt Doug. The Farm was purchased in 1951 by Ruth and Lawrence Chambers. At that time the upper fields were still forested. Between 1951 and 1955 Lawrence and his sons cleared the land for farming.
A Brief History
Ruth and Lawrence Chambers purchased Madrona Farm in 1951. Over the years the Farm went through three phases: cows, vegetables and hay. Lawrence was the resident farmer and a jack-of-all-trades; he was well known for helping his neighbors. He helped construct many of the buildings in the area, including the old lower Borden Mercantile building (now Bottle Depot) and Blenkinsop Valley barns.
Lawrence had a vegetable stand in almost the same location as the one David and Nathalie operate today. He became a 'legend' within his community and family for holding the record for selling 100 dozen cobs of corn in one day - Labour Day Weekend of 1970 - a record his grandson David has yet to beat.
Ruth Chambers was educated at Oxford and was one of the founding members of the Victoria Naturalist Society. She loved the land and the community she lived in and was involved in the protection of farmland and nature at the municipal level. Ruth was also a historian and an early columnist for the Colonist.
It is often said that farming skips a generation in families and the Chambers were no exception. Lawrence and Ruth had three sons; after spending their childhoods picking up rocks, removing stumps and milking cows everyday, they couldn't leave the farm fast enough. When Lawrence died in 1982, the 27-acre Madrona Farm was turned over to haying and the forces of nature. Its roads became overgrown with blackberries, broom and ivy and the soil became degraded after 14 years of haying with no amendments.
Then, in 1999, David Chambers – the grandson of Lawrence and Ruth – moved to Madrona Farm to care for his aging grandmother and to try his hand at farming. A former snowboarder and mountain climber, David was what farmers refer to as a "greenhorn." He knew nothing about farming and owned no machinery but he was a hard worker and eager to learn. Many local farmers pitched in to help and support him, giving him farm jobs that enabled him to both learn and earn money for machinery.
During the early restoration of Madrona Farm, David and Ruth would find stray chickens, a goat or other animals dropped off at the farm gate with no clue as to where they came from or how to return them. Ruth was thrilled to see the Farm being brought back to life again and loved to tell of the evening the goat broke into the house while David was away. The goat, found peacefully sleeping on David’s bed, hadn’t reckoned on the feisty 90-year-old, who wrestled him down the attic stairs with the hook of her cane.
Ruth and David loved to share stories and outwit each other. It was a gift for Ruth to see the land she loved restored to a productive state and for David to learn about his heritage, his grandfather and the farm. The spirits of Lawrence, Ruth and other Blenkinsop pioneers permeate Madrona Farm. The ashes of family, friends and many neighbours have found their final resting place under the protective branches of the big Maple Tree. This tree is a focal point and landmark of the farm; it is visible from all the old aerial photograps.
Ruth Chambers died peacefully in the farmhouse in January 2002 - her home of fifty years. The protection of Madrona Farm forever follows the wishes of Ruth and Lawrence Chambers for the land they loved.
