ORKNEY / YORKTON - The McKen family gathered at the old Orkney stone school and church Saturday afternoon shovels in hand.
They were on something of a family mission.
In 1990 the family had been together too. At that time, they gathered photographs, cassette tapes, old newspapers and letters to the next generation of the family, all of which they put inside a plastic pail, wrapped the pail in a green garbage bag, and proceeded to bury the ‘time capsule’ in a corner of the property.
The family was commemorating John and Margaret McKen who came to the Orkney area from Scotland in 1910, explained Joyce Muir.
This Saturday it was time to unearth to capsule. It was supposed to have been 30 years after it was buried, but COVID-19 pushed it to 32 years.
But, it wasn’t as easy as the family had expected.
In 30 years a once clear corner was now in bush, some trees near six-inches in diameter.
And, memories fade, forgetting things such as the capsule was buried using a backhoe, and the cement topper was far, far larger than remembered.
But the younger generation of the McKen family persevered and with three lugging the cement topper emerged from the earth.
Next were buried 2x4s that were the base for the buried cement monument.
Then there was the sand to shovel, and finally, the pail peaked through and was extracted into the sunlight for the first time in three decades.
Wendy Schmidt was one of the family waiting and watching as the men worked. She was around 30, years ago.
“But I don’t remember it. It wasn’t a big deal. Mom didn’t make a big deal of it,” she said.
In that regard Schmidt said the capsule contains material from those in the family who thought it was a good idea back in 1990.
“It was whoever showed up. Not all the family was represented,” she said.
But, inside the pail was a letter for Schmidt from her mom, who has since died.
“I’ve got one from my mom. I’ll read it later,” she said, admitting she doesn’t want to cry in the rather public setting of the family gathering.
The capsule is going back into the ground, the plan similar to the one unearthed. Family members penning letters to be read, the date already set for 2045.
Schmidt said writing letters for her children and grandchildren knowing they will read them in 20-plus years, when she may well be gone has proven difficult.
“It was really tough,” she said.
