Exploring CFS Dana/Sagehill - Old Abandoned Military Radar Base in Saskatchewan

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  • Опубликовано: 17 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 95

  • @strangenorth
    @strangenorth  2 дня назад +9

    This one was a lot of fun - I believe that the CFS Dana site has the most original buildings still standing abandoned out of all the Pinetree Line bases. Most of the other bases were demolished or repurposed. Some of the buildings on the CFB Dana site have been removed, demolished or repurposed. But most of the original buildings remain, and it was a blast walking through this piece of Cold War era history. Thanks for watching!

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 Час назад

      The miniature model of the place should be preserved in a museum. It should be a crime to waste all those good resources.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 Час назад

      I remember going to parties in that old bar lounge back in the day when I used to drink alcohol.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 52 минуты назад +1

      My youngest uncle used to work there (now passed away) he used to also farm land and had so much energy that his greed drove him to be a part time criminal. For some reason every time he got caught doing crime they would always leave him go with a warning. He used to steal lots of odds and ends from that place when he worked there especially during the eventual closure of the facility. He was so too faced to the point that he expected to use my dad's farm equipment for free and when it would break down he would rarely repair it in a timely matter and my dad had to repair it or he would have no machinery to use. He also got his oldest son to bribe me with threats to give him a big bag of antique coins that my mom was keeping that her father had collected over the years. I used to also be a criminal and guess who got me into it ?

  • @ThunderPantz01
    @ThunderPantz01 6 часов назад +1

    My family lived there in one of those mobile home trailers in about 72-74 I believe. My dad was stationed there and i was a military brat. Dad and i drove through there on the way to moose jaw in around 94 i believe. we found our old trailer still sitting there. was a trip down memory lane for sure. The Base was wide open we just drove right in and around. We also attended in around 85 i think some kind of anniversary i think. Dad's gone now but i sure would have liked to have shown him this video. Thanks' for making and posting this.

  • @jarrettaustin1602
    @jarrettaustin1602 День назад +7

    Wow, what a great video! The model at 7:58 is one of the coolest things I've ever seen found in an abandoned building. The heating plant at 9:21 with all of the vegetation is neat as well. It gives me Last of Us vibes. Nature truly does reclaim everything.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Yeah that model was one of my favorite finds as well, very unexpected. Overall it was a lot of fun and it was a random twist of fate that led to me talking with the property owner, I'm looking forward to visiting Alsask in the spring and I plan on visiting more old radar sites. Thanks for watching!

  • @Gary_and_Linda
    @Gary_and_Linda День назад +9

    I farmed South of Dana, North of Colonsay. Back in the day we would have jet fighters fly over us in the field just above the trees. They often dropped foil mesh similar to a curly kate pot scrubber but made from aluminum. We would find this stuff occasionally across our land. They used this foil in an attempt to sneak up on the radar. As an amateur radio operator and member of the Saskatoon amateur radio club we arranged a tour of the Dana base. I was so disappointed we did not get to see inside the domes as it was still operational. The antenna arrays were still top secret. We drove by Dana many times on number 2 highway to northern lakes. The radar base was always a mysterious place. Thanks for the update. Gary.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Interesting, thanks for sharing! It was a lot of fun exploring this base, I would have like to have had more time though and I hope to return next year. It's been really interesting learning about this place and Canada's Cold War history in general. Cheers

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 38 минут назад +1

      I live 10 miles from that place and back when I were about five years old some people that worked there stole a twin motor aircraft and chopped it up into parts. They used the two wheels to make a Bale wagon lol. They Sold the motors the props and miscellaneous other items to other people. They use the scrap metals to build numerous other projects , a metal boat , pieces and patches for buildings. I always find it strange that people have lots of energy good job and they still choose to do crime. Greedy.

  • @CrosscutFilmsSask
    @CrosscutFilmsSask День назад +7

    Great video! Boy, I wish you had taken me up on my offer of second camera and drone when you did this shoot. BTW, that model of the station belongs in a museum!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад +1

      Thanks for watching - I didn't know the offer was on the table! I'm just a rookie running around with a Cannon M50 and a cheap gimbal lol. A drone would have been very useful at this site - there are actually a couple places that I'm not going to visit until I have a drone camera, the Majorville Medicine Wheel in Alberta for example. Maybe we can team up for a Saskatchewan video next year! I plan on doing a couple road trips there spring/summer 2025. Cheers!

  • @uncleal13
    @uncleal13 День назад +7

    I was at CFB Penhold 1982 - 1986 when we tore it down. One of my classmates went to Dana.
    Both sites had the same FPS-27A search radar systems. Of the various systems the military operated, this was the most impressive equipment wise.
    15 million watts of radar energy, 50,000 volt power supply at 1,200 amps, the main klystron tube was water cooled requiring a large cooling tower outside.
    The old systems the designers thought that better range was achieved with more power. But they found more sensitive receivers were a better solution.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  21 час назад

      Interesting, thanks for sharing! It's been interesting learning about the history of this site and I'd like to return in the spring. I just learned about the old GATR building to the southeast of the main base, it would be neat to explore that as well. Cheers

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 31 минуту назад

      @@strangenorth there is also an old concrete building southwest of the place , lt used to house the big generators. Can you imagine how much underground copper wire there is going from that building to the main site. I also remember going to that building back when I were younger in my drinking days , it was one of many places lots of people partied at.

  • @rotaxtwin
    @rotaxtwin День назад +7

    Cool place, I'm glad you got permission to go on-site. It's refreshing to see a naturally deteriorating building that is not vandalized.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching - yeah no doubt eh, nice change to not be assaulted with vile graffiti during an abandoned exploration. Cheers

  • @CanadianCivilDefenceMuseum
    @CanadianCivilDefenceMuseum День назад +7

    Very well done!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Hey thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed this one! I'm a big fan of the work you guys do preserving Canada's cold war history, definitely a topic I've become more interested in. I actually featured you guys a lot in a little video I did on the old cold war bunkers in Edmonton, I love the pictures of the old underground bunker on 142 street. Cheers!

  • @murmac7856
    @murmac7856 День назад +7

    Good stuff! There is so much untold military history in our province. Have you heard of the British Commonwealth Air training program for WW2? There are several former training stations and air strips around the province and Western Canada. The WDM in Moose Jaw has a very informative display. Keep up the good work.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching - this was a lot of fun to explore. I don't know too much about that but I do recall that the program had a training facility at the downtown airport in Edmonton during WW2. Maybe I'll check out the museum in Moose Jaw when I visit in the spring, I still haven't been inside any of the WDM locations. Cheers

  • @skully0078
    @skully0078 2 дня назад +8

    I think this is my favorite discovery of yours. Great job, as always.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching - this one was a lot of fun to make, one of Saskatchewan's many surprises!

  • @restandrelax8065
    @restandrelax8065 День назад +6

    I lived there as a child from 1983 to 1986 a year before it closed. It was a great place to live. Great video, it is hard to see how bad it's deteriorated when you remember it in it's prime.

    • @roycowden7571
      @roycowden7571 День назад +2

      So did I at this time, I went to the school in kindergarten 1986

    • @MultiWinelover
      @MultiWinelover День назад +1

      I would have been in grade 2

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching - it's interesting to see how much the buildings have decayed since 2008. This one was a lot of fun to make, this site has a really interesting history! Cheers

  • @smitty554
    @smitty554 День назад +5

    I went to summer camp here in the early 90's. Thanks for this!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching - sounds like an interesting spot to have a summer camp! It was a lot of fun exploring this base, I hope to visit again. Cheers

  • @FanaticalKilla
    @FanaticalKilla День назад +5

    Awesome video! I helped my uncle farm in the area and have hunted a fair bit out near. Always wanted to know what was all up there. Eye opening what’s all up on the hill!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed this one! I'm glad I happened to drive by this site randomly, it was a blast exploring the base and I hope to return next spring. Cheers

  • @roycowden7571
    @roycowden7571 День назад +6

    Thanks for the video, well done! I lived and grew up on CFS Dana until it closed. Some great people were part of the community and I still have a fond connection to that place.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching, it was a lot of fun exploring this base. I have enjoyed going through the CFS Dana Facebook group to see the interesting memories people have shared, seemed like a neat place. Cheers!

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 30 минут назад

      What's sad is the fact that a wealthy person got hold of it and left it go into ruins!

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 29 минут назад

      What's sad is the fact that a wealthy person got hold of it and left it go into ruins!

  • @davidmoyles2990
    @davidmoyles2990 День назад +7

    Wow...at 2:04 in the Video...can't believe they used the picture where I had my eyes closed.....

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching - I didn't even notice that, I just picked some random pictures that looked cool. I have enjoyed going through the CFS Dana Facebook group and looking at all of the interesting memories people have shared. Canadian cold war era history is an interesting subject! Cheers

    • @ZOMBHUNTR
      @ZOMBHUNTR 7 часов назад

      I'm pretty sure the person behind you is my grandfather.

  • @shelleygiesbrecht4759
    @shelleygiesbrecht4759 2 дня назад +6

    Great videos, I enjoy the tour and history of these places. Keep em coming.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching, this one was super interesting. Looking forward to visiting Alsask in the spring. Cheers!

  • @donaldmcclung2109
    @donaldmcclung2109 2 дня назад +7

    Thank you that was enjoyable and interesting. Old memory makes me wonder if you encounter anything underground?

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  2 дня назад

      Thanks for watching - great question! I didn't notice anything like that this time but I had limited time during this visit. I'd like to go back again, I'm going to be up there May 2025 and I'd like to do a more thorough exploration. Cheers

    • @TheCanada1
      @TheCanada1 День назад +1

      Howdy. There is nothing underground there. We were posted there for a few year till 86.

  • @wcm231
    @wcm231 День назад +6

    Was there 70/72, great people, fun times, worked on the radars. You should check out CFS Yorkton, some of there building are in really good shape, since they got repurposed

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching - this one was a lot fun to make. I was actually thinking of visiting the old CFS Yorkton site as well next spring, isn't it some sort of correctional facility now? I'll be in east SK next year and might make a trip up there. Cheers!

    • @matterhaz2980
      @matterhaz2980 День назад

      It's an adult male reduced custody facility. It's used to reintegrate inmates coming off of lighter sentences or addictions into society but it's a broken system. The original buildings remain in great shape at former YFS Yorkton the chapels no longer used but the recentre/gym is and remains is great shape with the bowling alley the main building is where the inmates housed under all the units there's access points and tunnels that run the length of the building. The kitchen is still used as well as all the power house buildings for maintenance and other things. The trailers where military and or civilian personnel lived on the base were there until a few years ago long with the school playground but they've since been removed. There's a GATR site down the road that's part of the base that's abandoned it's pretty cool. Great video thanks for sharing!

  • @CanadianCivilDefenceMuseum
    @CanadianCivilDefenceMuseum День назад +7

    We are excited for you to visit our facility!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +2

      Looking forward to it - I watched a RUclips video someone had posted with footage of your radar tower tour, looks awesome!

  • @DonsaiRoadsOfficial
    @DonsaiRoadsOfficial День назад +5

    Very, very cool! I had no idea.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching, this was a really cool spot! Might post another video with more footage, I have a lot more and I wasn't sure how long to make this one. Cheers

  • @stevemay4180
    @stevemay4180 День назад +6

    Got married in the chapel in 1972, and received a Saskatchewan marriage certificate, a Canadian Armed Forces marriage certificate and probably the last Royal Canadian Air Force marriage certificate. Brings back a lot of good memories. So sad to see the decay. Time waits for no one.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  21 час назад

      Thanks for watching - that's really interesting, it was so cool going through that old chapel. Really fun making this video and I've become more interested in Canada's Cold War history. Cheers

  • @gamblinramblinab
    @gamblinramblinab 2 дня назад +6

    cool video!

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      This one was a lot of fun, thanks for watching!

  • @RandomTrinidadian
    @RandomTrinidadian 2 дня назад +6

    We have a similar site in my country.
    It was built by the Americans in the 1950s and was in service until 72.
    Some of the buildings are still there, including the tracking dish. But yea... they have all seen better days.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  2 дня назад +1

      Thanks for watching - that makes sense, they had these sites everywhere! Have you ever explored your local abandoned base? Cheers

    • @RandomTrinidadian
      @RandomTrinidadian День назад +1

      ​​@@strangenorth.nah thats the only one that abandoned.
      Search "Chaguramas Tracking Station". If have a few vids here on YT about it

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Interesting, I'm gonna look that up!

  • @howardbutler4878
    @howardbutler4878 2 часа назад

    Thank you! Well done! I used to live near there when it was operating. Curled there once or twice!

  • @AK4.7.47Cossack
    @AK4.7.47Cossack 2 дня назад +7

    Theres actually a crazy amount of bunkers in Sask. Have you heard about "The bunker" in Rosetown? Always been curious as to what it is exactly

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад +1

      Thanks for watching - I haven't but I'm gonna look that one up. Anything to do with bunkers is interesting to me. Cheers

  • @milesjohnson8927
    @milesjohnson8927 2 дня назад +8

    Have a look at Alsask

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  2 дня назад

      Thanks for watching - I plan on visiting Alsask May 2025! Cheers

  • @kmilton1593
    @kmilton1593 19 часов назад

    Very interesting. A great video. Never knew about Dana. In about 1974-75 I did fly in to Shingle Point Radar Station on the DEW Line, and stayed there for a week. It was fully operational at the time. (an Air France jet liner flew in on the wrong sector of the sky, and two F-4 Phantom jets were scrambled from Fairbanks to intercept it.) We also did fly over Stokes Point which was the next one down the line to it (and saw it was fully abandoned and removed for the most part). Those were located at north shore of Yukon and near north shore of Mackenzie Delta.

  • @jimstadnyk5092
    @jimstadnyk5092 3 часа назад

    Thanks!

  • @MrChimo624
    @MrChimo624 День назад +6

    I got married in the chapel there in 1981

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Thanks for watching - that's pretty interesting, it was really cool exploring that old chapel. Cheers

  • @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w
    @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w 19 часов назад

    Cool I live in Bruno Saskatchewan, I drove the town or village of Dana last week

  • @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w
    @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w 19 часов назад

    Cool I live in Bruno Saskatchewan, I drove the town or village of Dana last week. my family owns the Bruno Car Wash, which used to do the laundry for the base at Dana at one time so it was plumbed for six washer and dryers. I believe they have the contract for the bedding for the base at Dana anyways that’s what we were told by the old timers in town

  • @patrivard9229
    @patrivard9229 20 часов назад +2

    Theirs an old radar base in souix lookout Ontario you should look into.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Thanks for watching, I'm gonna look that one up! I've become really interested in Canada's Cold War history and I'd love to explore more old bases like this. Cheers

  •  День назад +4

    On the second day of WW3 the living will envy the dead😢

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  21 час назад

      Here's hoping we can all avoid that!

  • @Manoau2002
    @Manoau2002 6 часов назад

    Interesting video. Driven down this highway many times and I wondered what the strange building on the bison ranch was -I guess I know now. I have heard there is also an abandoned recreation site in that area. Would like to explore that sometime.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 18 минут назад

      If my guess is right and the abandoned recreation site you're thinking about is the same one I know about , there's nothing left on that site except for the short length of pavement that was obviously the entry point off the main highway. Had a few good parties out at that place back in my younger days when I used to drink.

  •  День назад +2

    This is a perfect example of the enormous amount of government waste in Canada, facilities like this one cost millions of dollars to construct and should be re purposed instead of abandoned before more tax dollars are given to the military

    • @garywagner2466
      @garywagner2466 Час назад

      Yawn. Until you see the invoice for “repurposing” hundreds of obsolete facilities, then that would be “waste” to you. Most of those buildings were insulated with asbestos tiles and pipe wrap. Our beloved federal government, for the past 80 years, has never set aside enough money for military operational requirements, let alone decommissioning those old facilities. But there is plenty of money to send overseas.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 5 минут назад

      @@garywagner2466 I've cleaned out a number of buildings filled with asbestos , no mask. I'm 55 and still alive! Just so though lol. Just get the real bad criminals to go in there and clean out all the asbestos!

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 4 минуты назад +1

      That's basically all the governments! They only care about themselves and the ride while it lasts!

  • @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w
    @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w 19 часов назад

    Cool I live in Bruno Saskatchewan

  • @DarkRumAgain
    @DarkRumAgain 20 часов назад +1

    My brother was stationed here on the day JFK was killed. They were immediately placed on alert. He spent endless hours on the roof of a building. The only firearms on the base were WWII Lee Enfields. They were bored for 22 calibre for indoor range practice. He claimed they had no rounds for the weapons, and based on my own experience based at CFB Moose Jaw during the same period, we had no weapons, defensive or offensive. If we had been invaded, I guess we would have sicced the Canada Geese on them.

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  20 часов назад

      Thanks for watching - I'm surprised they weren't better stocked with guns and ammunition! You'd think they would be required to keep a certain amount of weaponry on site. Really interesting spot to explore, I hope to return in the spring. Cheers

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 Минуту назад

      I find it highly strange that they make such a big deal out of nothing! One guy gets killed and it's the end of the world lol. It's almost like they're playing a role for the rest of us!

  • @garywagner2466
    @garywagner2466 Час назад

    Great video. Well done. I hope you wear suitable safety gear, especially heavy boots and a respirator (didn’t see one in the reflection) to protect yourself. Those buildings are probably full of asbestos. The flaking paint is likely lead based. If there are dead animals there may be airborne pathogens, mold, spores, and God knows what else. Keep your inoculations up to date, especially tetanus, in case you get punctured by a rusty piece of metal. Stay safe and healthy.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 2 минуты назад

      Just like me it would seem that the guy in the video isn't too concerned about that stuff!

  • @fredwood1490
    @fredwood1490 4 часа назад +1

    Too bad you couldn't make it to the family housing area, those places were the seat of sanity for remote bases like this. The wives had their own sub-culture and pecking order and it all went toward maintaining civility and reducing the amount of savagery isolated soldiers develop over long deployments out in bumfugh. The houses were all simple, 1960s single family dwellings, all alike, plain and uniform so it was up to the women to make them a home fit to raise children in. Individuality would be found in the things the family made to decorate the house, things that couldn't be bought and transported to a highly secure location, like picture walls of photos from "Home", wall painting in the children's rooms, repurposed packing into useful, even attractive furnishings, almost all done by the women and helped more by the kids than the Daddy. (Not to put the Daddy down, carrying the fate of the world on your shoulders can be very tiring.) The lack of permanence with occasional bright spots are the common memories of the Army Brats I have met over the years, but there is always that one place, usually where they stayed the longest, that holds the sweetest memories. Small stories left behind in base housing are sometimes magical.

  • @lawrencetierney3697
    @lawrencetierney3697 День назад +6

    I Remember Testing the Dana Base Defense Force as part of an Exercise in the winter of 1979, I was a reservist with the North Saskatchewan Light Infantry, B Coy, Prince Albert. Our Company's Tasking was to Assault the Main Radar Domes. I remember Trudging through the snow carrying a Ladder and a FNC2 for about 2-3 Km, when we finally got to our objective I was told by one of the Umpires that I would not be allowed to shoot through the Chain Link Fence, while the assault team climbed the ladders. I then proceed to ignore the umpire, I stuck the barrel of my C2 through the fence and proceeded to lay down Cover Fire. LOL

    • @strangenorth
      @strangenorth  День назад

      Thanks for watching - sounds wild, pretty interesting that there were exercises like that to test base defense! How often did those happen? Cheers

    • @lawrencetierney3697
      @lawrencetierney3697 22 часа назад

      @@strangenorth; I don't know how often this was done, I was only18 at the time, so I wasn't concerned about how often.

    • @carmichaelmoritz8662
      @carmichaelmoritz8662 11 минут назад

      @@lawrencetierney3697 those were the days 18 young and foolish and the rest of the so called adult fools allow an 18 year old to hold a firearm. The people that are allowed to hold firearms are the people that shouldn't be allowed to hold firearms lol

  •  День назад

    Norad has the lamest coat of arms of all services, a kindergarten class could have done better

  • @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w
    @CHRISCRAZZ-t7w 19 часов назад

    Cool I live in Bruno Saskatchewan, I drove the town or village of Dana last week. my family owns the Bruno Car Wash, which used to do the laundry for the base at Dana at one time so it was plumbed for six washer and dryers. I believe they have the contract for the bedding for the base at Dana anyways that’s what we were told by the old timers in town