Heritage homeowners cherish history and community

By Laureen F. Guenther Times Contributor

Sproule Heritage Bed and Breakfast, located east of Strathmore, was built as a farmhouse in 1920 and in 1995 was designated a registered historical resource by the province of Alberta.
And it’s the home of Winston and Carrie Sproule, who operate the bed and breakfast.
When Winston Sproule was growing up in nearby Chancellor, his family often drove by the house.
“Grandpa would say, ‘Oh, isn’t that a nice house?’” said Winston’s son, Royal Sproule. “(Winston’s aunt) looked over at the fields and the house, and she said, ‘Ah, Winston, this is God’s country, isn’t it?’
Decades later, in the mid-1980s, when Winston and his first wife Vera were pastoring in Rosebud, the house he’d long admired went up for sale. They bought it with a plan to refurbish it, but it was a daunting task.
“I think dad had misgivings,” Royal Sproule said. “He’s like, ‘Oh, what have I done? This is too big of a job.’”
But they began the work.
“They just tore into it like teenagers,” said Sproule. “Every day. Dad renovated and mom cleaned up.”
Sproule and his brother Garth helped. “Dad taught us how to do it,” he said. “Drywalling and mudding and using a trouble light to make sure everything’s all smooth.”
A turning point came when a big windstorm blew off some asphalt shingles. How they replaced those shingles would give direction to the rest of the renovation. When the Historical Resource Society gave a grant for half the cost of cedar shingles, they shingled the house and barn with cedar.
“They got kick-started into making it historical,” said Sproule. “They collected old historical furniture and dad built the cabinets.”
The Sproule house and barn sits on land first settled by the Harry Scheer family from Illinois in 1909. The barn was built in 1916, four years before the house was completed, a pattern that was typical of prairie homestead development in this period.
“One day a car drove up and all these big shots came out. Mom called them ‘Hollywood big shots with sunglasses.’ They said, ‘Could we look around? We’re shooting a high-end commercial, a Hallmark Hall of Fame commercial.’”
The crew wanted a certain camera angle and they found it in the Sproules’ home. In two weeks, the crew painted, laid carpet, aged the wallpaper, replaced broken tiles, built a fireplace mantle and installed temporary kitchen cabinets.
“They needed the staircase to look gorgeous,” said Sproule, “and dad says, ‘Well, nobody can touch it but me.’ And they said, ‘We’ll pay you.’”
So, Hallmark paid Winston to finish his own staircase.
The commercial was about a very snowy Christmas, but southern Alberta wasn’t very snowy that November. The crew brought in five different kinds of fake snow and extra trees for the yard.
More than advertising Hallmark Hall of Fame, the commercial connected Vera and Winston with their community.
“People would come over and we’d play the video for them and they’d all end up in tears,” said Sproule. “It validated the house, because people could sit down and watch this commercial. They saw this perfect home-for-the-holidays moment in this house.
“It was just a nice way for mom and dad to be introduced, to get into the community. I think mom and dad also saw, hey, that’s what this place could be.”
Sproule saw his parents flourish in that role. His mom gave guests a warm and genuine welcome, and his dad liked to chat with guests. Vera also won over the community with fruitcake, crafts and friendliness.
Sadly, Vera passed away about 10 years ago. Winston now operates the bed and breakfast with his second wife, Carrie, who’s created her own community connections by inviting women over to drink tea and talk about their faith journeys.
“The Crowfoot community is just amazing, amazing to us,” Sproule said, adding he experienced the community’s kindness first-hand while he was living at the house while receiving cancer treatments.
Half of the musical duo Lewis and Royal, Sproule has used music to show his appreciation for the community. Two years ago, he and Lewis Frere performed their first Christmas concert in the Crowfoot Community Hall.
This December, they hosted their second sold-out concert in that tiny hall. “It’s a love for the community,” he said, “and it’s their Christmas concert.”