John and his 3 brothers standing in the massive snow fort they built they built on their farm. Submitted photo.

 

Having fun in the snow with your siblings was one of the best ways to enjoy Manitoba winters growing up, and some of those days included building a snow fort or two... but probably not to the extent it did for John Martens and his three brothers.

 

The foursome, back in the winter of 1960, built a fort that included a 22 foot tall tower and a ten foot high wall that ran at least that length. The fort was constructed from snow blocks from drifts in their yard east of Gretna (Silberfeld to be exact), and cut with John’s dad’s carpentry saws.

 

John was inspired to share his memory after hearing Jackson talk about the fun he had.

 

We also asked him why he and his brothers built this massive fort, and what they turned it into at the end of the season.... we’ll give you a hint, it was a giant snow sculpture!

 

Thank you, John, for sharing this story! It brings back memories for many of us.