The property was first homesteaded by Charles Hopkins, and his spouse Anne (nee Alexander) in 1856. Not long after settling Charles passed away. Ann (Alexander) Hopkins carried on as a single mother of 6 children. The farm was willed to son George who was only 5 but he farmed it with his mother until his death in 1903. At that point it was willed to his children, including Jessica's grandfather William. The children settled the ownership on Robert Hopkins, who farmed it until 1962. He then sold the farm and retired, meaning that the property had been in the family for about 115 years. A log structure was built on the property by the well to begin the homestead. It was referred to as the "pig barn" and was still on the farm up until the last few decades. In 1889 a large barn was raised and it is still in use today. In 2016 we purchased the farm making us the 4th owner outside of the Hopkins' family. The farm will now be passed on through our family for generations to come. In the Autumn of 2017 a visitor at the farm informed me that she was a descendant (Great, Great, Great Granddaughter) of the initial homesteaders of the farm. Here is a photo of Jessica (Hopkins) Raposo and her father (Ross Hopkins) taken during a second farm visit in the Autumn of 2018.
Country living has always been a dream but we never thought it would ever be a reality. After much thought and sole searching it was decided that country living was going to happen. The part that took longer to decide was what to have on the farm. Randy wanted to make it a rescue but after discussion it was realized that a farm animal rescue would not turn into an income producing business. With a little research it was decided that our farm would be an "Alpaca Ranch". The day to day maintenance is minimal and can be done by just one person. We purchased this farm in the summer of 2016 with the intention of having another home built on the property in the future. We immediately began to convert the barn and paddocks from housing Horses to Alpaca. With some assistance from extended family and some hard work we were able to build 2 pastures to accommodate our future animals. In June of 2017 we purchased our foundation herd and through breeding and other purchases we have grown our herd to 30. Our pastures have grown as well, we have now built 5 in total. We will continue to grow our herd and sell quality alpaca and the products made from their gorgeous fibre. This was by far an amazing choice as we love the alpaca and the community we are now a part of.