From Farm Roots to Scrap‑Metal Art: Don Engbrecht’s Journey

by: Jennifer Beard

Don Engbrecht’s story is deeply rooted in the Turtle Mountain region, shaped by hard work, creativity, and a lifelong connection to the land and the people around him. Born in Deloraine as one of six children, Don grew up in a busy household with one sister and four brothers. After graduating from MCI in Gretna, he headed north to Lynn Lake, where he spent seven months working in the mines and learning nearly every job they had. The work was tough, but it taught him skills he carried for the rest of his life.

Don married Betty, the love of his life, who grew up in Boissevain and was working as a dental assistant in Winnipeg while he studied music and agriculture at the University of Manitoba. In 1969, they returned to the Turtle Mountain area, and a year later they bought a farm with more than 450 acres. Their children arrived in 1971 and 1972, and like many farm families at the time, they faced tough years with the economy and poor crop conditions. In 1982, they made the hard choice to sell everything at auction. Don bought back 40 acres, and together they started again. Betty took a job at the local credit union, and after a short stint at Double Diamond, Don moved into a role with a family manufacturing company from North Dakota, helping set up dealerships across Canada.

In 1991, Don became the Executive Director of the Boissevain Association for the Handicapped, now known as Prairie Partners. He stayed in that role until 2007, supporting people with disabilities and strengthening community connections across the region.

The Anchorage Gardens began taking shape in 1995 on their property. The name came from the old Anchorage Stone House, built in 1898 by a British sailor. Don and Betty tried to save the house in the early 1970s, but it couldn’t be restored safely, so they took it down in 1976. They kept as much as they could—stone, wood, and other materials—and used those pieces to restore their own stone house and create the paths and features that became part of the gardens.

The gardens quickly became a true labour of love. Don and Betty added new features every year, always weaving in an agricultural touch to honour the land and the region’s farming roots. Their mix of perennials and annuals created colourful displays that drew people in, and what began as casual visits soon grew into regular tours. Over fifteen years, thousands of people walked the paths and saw Don’s sculptures. Folks arrived from Brandon, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota, guided mostly by word of mouth and stories shared in The Recorder and the Brandon Sun. When Betty’s health declined, they made the difficult decision to end the tours in 2015.

Don built most of the garden structures and sculptures himself, often using recycled farm equipment and scrap metal. In 2012, he and Betty opened four outdoor scrap‑metal art galleries within the gardens. They created about forty sculptures, each one telling a story through old agricultural parts. Some designs took months to plan, especially when Don wanted a piece to capture a specific meaning or memory. When the gardens eventually closed, many of the sculptures found new homes in Boissevain, the International Peace Garden, and Killarney. Alongside the pieces made for the gardens, Don also completed many private commissions, each with its own story and purpose.

His work led to commissions across Manitoba. Killarney now has around twenty‑seven of his sculptures, and Boissevain features his pieces in the Arts Park and at Cherry Creek Place. One of his most striking works, Life’s Journey, sits at Cherry Creek Place. Made, in part, from two caterpillar chains which he received from Jim Fluker Construction.  Each chain weighed about 1,400lbs and it took 1,000 welding rods to weld them into shape.  Other agricultural parts were used to complete the rest of the sculpture.  Gord Turner and Murray Austin helped move the pieces into place, and a Manitoba Arts Council grant supported the installation.

Today, Don still creates art and stays active in the community. He visits Betty every day at Evergreen Place and, when the weather allows, wheels her around town. As an Anabaptist Mennonite, he leads worship and remains involved in his church. He also volunteers on the boards of the International Peace Garden and Cherry Creek Place. Over the years, he has written several books about the gardens, along with a collection called Vignettes: The Art and Faith of a Central Canadian Couple, which explores the connection between creativity, community, and faith.

Don’s story reflects resilience, imagination, and dedication. His work has become part of the Turtle Mountain region's cultural landscape, and his sculptures continue to share stories of the land, the people, and the history that shaped him.