House-moving wasn't uncommon in the early era of photography. When you've spent years building a nice, roomy home for your family, you'll do whatever it takes to save it. For some, that meant moving the entire house with horse power. Maybe it was an urban renewal project. Maybe the railroad was coming through your land. In one case, the railroad came, but not close enough.
In the 1920’s Lake Saskatoon was a bustling little community. When the railway bypassed the town by a few kilometres, that meant the end for Lake Saskatoon as a regional hub. The residents did what any sensible community would– put their houses and shops on sleds and had teams of horses pull them a few kilometres up the road.
See pictures from the history of house-moving, both before and after the switch to engines, at Messy Messy Chic.