Medicine Rock Café hits the road to new home

A historic log building in St. Francois Xavier with nineteenth century ties to Metis leader Cuthbert Grant has been uprooted and moved to new home.

A historic log building in St. Francois Xavier with nineteenth century ties to Metis leader Cuthbert Grant has been uprooted.

On Saturday, the building, more recently known as the Medicine Rock Café, began its journey by semi a short 40 kilometers away from its previous foundation, destined to be reborn as a six-bedroom home for its new owners.

“For me it brings back a lot of memories, some pretty fun times I had with friends and family at that place,” said John Friesen, who bought the building with his partner Christina Labossiere.

The Medicine Rock Café was once an upscale restaurant that has been left closed since the early 2000s.

When it first opened in 1991, it was known for its cozy cluttered décor.

Its name was in part reference to Cuthbert, who was trained as a physician, and whose administrative building is believed to have once stood on the same location, and a boulder found in a nearby field.

Built from old growth BC cedar logs, the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) said construction of the 3,000 square foot building was delayed when the foundation excavation turned up pottery and other artifacts.