Photo of the three mink pens on the Westman property in Tollendal in the winter of 1949-50. The unique octagonal house is visible in the background. Owner Jack Westman originally started a small mink operation with one shed before expanding to three sheds in 1949. Jack and his wife Fran worked this labour-intensive job for many years feeding, breeding, harvesting, and selling minks. They were able to pelt approximately one thousand mink per year, with larges ranches being able to reach around 2,800 per year. A bout of distemper among the mink hit the Westman farm particularly hard, but even after a vaccine had been developed it was costly and difficult to inoculate each mink. The property pictured is located on what is now known as Cox Mill Road. This photo was given to Bill Warnica by Jack Westman's daughters Beverly, Janet, and Valerie.
