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In 1992
the Canadian Romanian Society held the official opening of the
Boian Museum. The event was a huge success with large crowds
coming out to witness this occasion. Many people will remember
this as the event where the Boian Ladies Auxiliary ran out of
food as the attendance was larger than expected.
Lazar Fedorak and his wife, Anna Sandulac, were both from the
Village of Boian in Romania, which was then part of the
Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Anna emigrated with her family in
approximately 1900. They settled in the Shalka District (near
Hairy Hill). Lazar came to this area three years later and
they were married. They homesteaded, living in a small shack
for ten years before the house was built.
The house was built in 1915 by Stefan Semanovitch. The house
is constructed in typical Romanian style, although it was
never thatched. It is a squared log house. Anna Fedorak
originally plastered the whole house herself. The plaster was
made of local clay and straw. The walls were kept whitewashed.
The Fedoraks lived in the house until 1955 when they retired
from the farm and moved into Hairy Hill. They had farmed the
160 acres as a mixed farm operation. They had six children,
Katie, Velma, Metro, Vera, Mary (who was the first born in the
house) and Lucy. Velma and Vera died during the Spanish
flu epidemic of 1919. Katie married Arthur Mihalcheon
and moved to Lac La Biche and raised a family of fourteen
children, many of whom are still in the Lac La Biche area
today. Metro was a carpenter by trade, but was known
for his skill at playing the violin. He remained a bachelor,
and retired in Lac La Biche. He passed away in 1988. Mary
married Fred Munawych and farmed on land next door to
Katie and Arthur on the north shore of Lac La Biche. They have
four children. Lucy married Alien Grewer, also a
carpenter by trade, as well as a World War II veteran, he
served in the Paratroops and landed in Normandy on D-Day. They
have three children and now reside in Calgary.
Lazar Fedorak died in March 1956, and Anna in September 1959.
There are many grandchildren and great grandchildren living
across western Canada.
The house owned by John Euchuk was generously donated to the
museum site. Ted Prescott was the project coordinator for the
Boian Museum. A lease between the Canadian Romanian Society of
Alberta and St. Mary's Orthodox Congregation of Boian was
executed for a period of 25 years, from January 1, 1986 to
December 31, 2011, for the sum of $1.00 per annum. John J.
Toma registered this lease with the County.
Photo Gallery
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