According to the History of Holstein 1850-1996 book (available at the General Store – from which the one situated beside my computer is currently on loan), settlement of Egremont farmland began in the early 1850s. Originally known as Hols-a-Wood, in 1905 Grey County designated this hamlet the “Police Village of Holstein” (an odd-sounding ring to that name?).
I often wonder about the appearance of this country originally – before the nestling instinct of westerners scratched a new template from the wilderness. I’ve observed the endless prairies (absolutely breathtaking normally and even more so when lightning storms hit) – were the trees in this part of Canada as endless as the prairies? Instead of golden wheat field after wheat field shimmering into the horizon did the forests seem to go on and on and on? Was it terrifying - manufacturing sentiments of disparagement and that almost belittling sense you feel when standing in a place like the Grand Canyon and realizing just how little, and unimportant, you really are? Or was it jaw-droppingly stunning – an environment to embrace despite its untamed ferocity?
What did Holstein really look like when Europeans arrived? What did it smell like? Wouldn’t a time machine come in handy? (Especially when your husband has no desire whatsoever to aid in your living-life-like-a-pioneer vision. No blame – toilets can be particularly and luxuriously helpful, as can running water, gas heat, and those funny things called automobiles.)
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