The Jungle Farm Heritage Project
The Jungle Farm is thrilled to launch an exciting project and we need your help! We have always wanted to create a book that combines our wonderful recipes with our rich family history, but why stop there? We also want a section that will showcase the heritage stories of our fellow Albertans!
Please share your story by clicking below to answer a few questions. Your short family history may become part of this Heritage Project website, our Heritage Keepsake booklet or maybe part of The Jungle Farm’s Heritage Cookbook! We hope to include stories from settler families, along with newcomers and visible minorities – we want to hear about your homelands, too!
Gathering your Heritage Stories & recipes, and having a ball!
Coralie & Albert Bond Mary Verbunt Rita Kemp Marilyn Sinclair
… married for 70 years … Dutch heritage … documenting history. … everything was homemade.
Click here for their story! Click here for Mary’s story! Click here for Rita’s story! Click here for Marilyn’s story!
Unbroken Landscape
A important part of the Heritage Project is an unbroken portion of forested area that has been left untouched. Leona & Blaine are fifth generation direct-descendants of settlers on this land, and Leona’s great-grandfather began a vital tradition that has created a rich resource. We know this heritage area is a source for scientific, cultural and historical information. We are working alongside Knowledge Keepers who can identify the Indigenous significance of this plot of land and share the land-based lessons it still provides.
As we move forward, we will work with consultants and community members to determine the most effective way to interpret our findings with the general public. Our journey of discovery will be shared here on this webpage, so stay tuned!
Explore the Forest Walk with Leona Staples & Clare Butterfly at this link.
Or click here for the short version.
(Thanks to Red Deer County for sharing their video!)
Cultivating a Path
The Jungle Farm plans to cultivate an accessible path and create a small seating area at the protected area. There will be a series of interpretive plaques placed along the path to allow for self-guided walks and reflection on the early history of this land. As staunch stewards of the land, Leona & Blaine are ensuring this project will not compromise the natural beauty.
Visit this website often to see the project develop and learn alongside us as we explore the connection of our land to Indigenous history in the area. Leona’s great-grandfather J.D. Quantz started a legacy of protecting this little forest, which was continued through the generations. It is a treasure, and we are undertaking this project with utmost respect for the land and for the people who have walked upon it.
Heritage Project at The Jungle Farm
The Jungle Farm is embarking on a multi-step project that honours the long heritage of its Antler Hill area farm. The Jungle Farm is celebrating 126 years with the same family continuously farming the land and are committed to exploring the connection of the land to Indigenous history in the area. Leona and Blaine Staples are fifth generation direct descendants of the farm’s settlers, and Leona’s great-grandfather began a vital tradition that has created a rich resource. He, and all subsequent rewards of The Jungle Farm, left a patch of land completely untouched.
Read the full media release here.
Leona was keen to walk through the little forest with Knowledge Keeper, Clare Butterfly, during his first visit to the farm in early spring (photos at bottom). The Jungle Farm is thrilled to have Clare’s guidance, as we navigate this journey together. Updates will be provided on this page – stay tuned!
This project is funded in part by the New Horizons for Seniors Program and is expected to be completed in Spring 2025.
