I worked with a Canadian engineer here in Detroit about 30 years ago. He grew up in the wheat growing areas of western Canada. They used an enclosed wagon to go to town. It was so cold that the wagon had its own heater to burn wood (I think coal too). He was in the Canadian Air Force in ww2 in England. He was a really smart guy with an incredible memory. He told me many interesting stories about Canada and England.
It's amazing to think how the houses, the schools, the cars, the tractors, the machinery, all cost people their lives in time and money, and are now abandoned...
Thank you for making this. I am fascinated by abandoned towns in the prairies. These old houses that had children running around barefoot, mothers cooking over wood fired stoves, men coming in for lunch from working. I cant describe the feeling it gives me.
You're going back way over 100 years with thoughts like that. Just because people were rural doesn't mean they're living in abject poverty ffs. Some of the wealthiest people you will meet are farmers...maybe not back then, but these days.....
@@minkorrh dumbest reply I’ve ever seen. The scenario I described was the daily life of my father as a child. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t over 100 years ago. Plenty of central albertans in the 50s lived that way. The way you blast stupidity with such confidence might be sign of a malignant tumour. Go get checked out.
That is exactly the imaging running through my mind. Where have all the children gone… the smells of fresh break… chicken dinners…. Vibrancy and hope. Oddly sad and lonely, yet intriguing and warm. I love these historic throw back videos.
It really makes you feel like you're livin' on a ball. I took a guitar building course 30 years ago in a small town in Saskatchewan, and it has since become a town full of artisans. Because you can buy a house for $60,000, and put a kiln in the back yard if you want to. People have time to explore their creativity, not distracted by lots of other people, and things.
We use to have our 4-H meetings at the old community hall in Robsart and that riding arena behind those swings is where we would ride. That was only 20 years ago.
Nice video..i've been in Saskatchewan in 1981. I was picked up from the Regina airport by my Canadian uncle who married my Dutch aunt just after Workd War 2. I my memory we came trough Assinaboi(?) were we did some shoppings and went on to Rockglen(n?) were they lived. I enjoyed Saskatchewan in the summer and worked on several farms(most milking cows) while the farmers were harvesting the crops. Cornelis Morees, The Netherlands🇨🇦🇳🇱
Things have changed a lot since then. Most grain elevators are now gone. Thanks for watching, pretty exciting you are from The Netherlands and watching!
The church at 5:50 is mint. That's what you want to buy dirt cheap. The structure is probably still good if you replace the roof and address any water leak issues, then pressure wash the old paint off tbe wood, and re paint the wood. New Windows probably, then the building will not continue to degrade into a pile of shit. Then you address the interior, it's probably high quality custom wood. Sand and stain it. Then build interior units that have upper levels within the church, so it's all non structural interior additions. And you got yourself a 4 plex.
I've lived in SK my whole life and can't understand how people don't find it beautiful, From Leader to Moosomin, Estevan to La Ronge its an amazing province. Growing up around Moose Jaw, Briercrest, Avonlea and Leader was the best childhood I could have ever asked for, thanks for the video, more places to shoot up next spring!
You see beauty, but others see a baren landscape devoid of trees! Flowers etc,except for Northern Saskatchewan, trees lakes ,something to look at and appreciate! The praires are like seeing your Breafast pancake everyday!I So if you see a pancake as beutiful,we'll,you need to broaden your horizons,go see the mountains, get off the pancake 😅!!! Well there is some beauty out there,but you have yo get used to staring at open fields, and a few animals.
@@davidrussell8795that’s what I love about Saskatchewan. The northern lakes and forests all the way down to the open grasslands. It’s my home and always will be.
As a young geologist with SaskOil Corporation in the early 1970's I well sat many oil wells in this area. One would get use to people talking about you at the local cafes and wondering what the drilling rig will find on someone's land. Winters were brutal as there was usually no snow and strong blustery winds. As a geologist the area surrounding the Cypress Hills is mind boggling and with landform-expressions like the Ravenscrag Valley tells of the mighty affects of continental glaciation. I truly enjoyed this video and my days in this part of the province. One must not miss the restaurant in Eastend (Jack's; we use to drive for hours to eat at this establishment) and the T-Rex Museum!! What I do not miss is the grasshoppers!
My dad, Rev. Kenneth Robins, was raised on a farm outside Ponteix. When we were children (early 50's) dad and mom brought us to his old home. And my father who was an ordained minister held meetings in the church in Aneroid every night for a whole week. My sister, brother and I were the "special music" at each of the church services. Many years later, I returned to Aneroid with my cousin to attend the funeral service of her father, Gerald Robins. My dad spoke at his funeral service in that church.
Thanks so much. My grandparents met in Star City in southern Saskatchewan...both new immigrants, Grandpa from the states and grandma from Norway. My dad was born in star city on Easter Sunday in 1939. They met at a dance hall. It is nice to see my roots in Canadian history.
I know only of a Star City in the north-central area of Saskatchewan near Melfort., off highway 3, along highway 681. Amazing that your grandparents from so far apart met in small-town Saskatchewan. Maybe at a school dance?
I was born & raised in Saskatchewan. East of Regina. I joined the Royal Bank in 1961 and started in Aneroid , SK. Last I was through over 10 years ago it was a ghost town but the old bank building was on main st as was the old hotel, to bad you hadn’t filmed them. I recall so many of those towns, Kincaide, Vanguard , Gravelberg and so many more. So many fond memories of playing hockey along that line. Also had relatives at Robsart spent many good times there.
I'm lucky enough to live in Sask and visit many old ghost towns while trompsing around the back roads. Just bought a piece of history myself: The Nolan School House that earlier this year was at the intersection of Hwy 4 North and the hamlet of Hamlin Rd. Moved it three miles down the road to my property. Glad I got to save a bit of history :)
Chris, thanks for another ride along. Great to see, and sad at the same time, the general area where my Mom's side of the family is from. It's amazing to think how nature takes its toll and slowly returns things to their original state. If the walls in all these areas could speak of the brave souls/pioneers/families who made their lives in such places before "moving on". 😢
Did you forget Govenlock? There is only a sign and one building the last time I was there, maybe 1992? My dad and I had sold oats and hay to lodge creek ranch. My neighbor (see RUclips: Riverview Ranch) sold hay to another place down there and I delivered it
That was fascinating: you have a good eye for framing a picture. The emptiness of the flatlands twixt Winnipeg and the Rockies was tangible throughout. Over 50+ yrs ago and as a penniless bum from Britain and fresh from a winter trawling for fish out of Reykjavik, and hitchhiking my way across Canada in '64 looking to find a fishing boat out of Vancouver, a work crew from a Manitoba grain company picked me up, and I ended up for a couple of months working, shingling the company's grain elevators in Alberta S of Calgary down to the U.S. border. It was interesting in the sense that you didn't want to fall off, and like deep sea fishing where you were fully engaged in not drowning, there was a wee bit of danger too: If you slipped there was only a rope to grab if you were quick enough. I don't think Health and Safety had quite the power back then it has today.
Great video-- I thoroughly enjoyed it. I downloaded it to show my 92 year old neighbor (he does not have internet access), hence the download. He will enjoy this video as he once lived and farmed in Sask. many years ago as youngster. I bet he will recognize a lot of the towns in this video.
Robsart is where my wife's dad was raised; born on his grandparent's farm. My 5 year old son and I were with the last family members farming in the area. Aunt Rose and Uncle Frank were driving slowly through the old town telling stories about the old days. A small house had yellow curtains blowing through a slightly open window. We stopped. Looking through the window the place looked like someone had stepped out for a moment. We entered carefully, looking with respect at this two room shack that had been the home of a man named Manfred Smith. Uncle Frank said Manfred had felt unwell, went to the hospital and never returned home. The wood stove was ready to be lit, a handmade table cloth adorned the small table. A shaving kit sat on a shelf. The man had no family. A box of old photos was in the bedroom beside the bed. My son was amazed that someone lived in the little house. We left everything as is.
...I might add that I travelled through that particular part of Saskatchewan back in the late 70's and fell in love with it. I always promised myself I would return there when I retired...I'm months away from retirement...so time to fulfill my promise. 🙂
It does make me sad to see some of these towns like this. I knew these places back in the 1960's. As a teenager, life was so good in southern Saskatchewan.
Thanks Chris, looks like farming towns all over the western world. There are plenty of abandoned or semi-abandoned towns in Australia too, sadly. It has happened as farms got bigger and people moved into cities.
Wow! Thanks for the tour! I am from the Cowichan Valley, born and raised. I really got to get out there and cruise around and look for 1932 Ford car body parts and pieces. And enjoy the scenery of course! Thanks eh!
My Mom, Gisèle Beaudoin, was the one of the daughters of Arthur and Clara, who answered the call of Abbé Louis-Pierre Gravel,for whom Gravelbourg is named, to move from Québec to homestead in Saskathcewan circa 1911 shortly after their wedding. Mom told us about seeing dust storms blackening the sky sweeping away so much top-soil that fence-posts were left swaying in the wind. And locusts. Such was life in the 1930,S Dust Bowl. After his eldest son died of blood poisoning, a cut whilst haying, he gave up, moving his daughters and young sons to Québec. Thus uprooted, my Mom , age 14, was to miss her home for the rest of her life. Such is life.
This was wild to watch. I grew up on a ranch near Ravenscraig, went to school in Eastend, played football in Shaunavon, won the rodeos in McCord, Wood Mountain, and Val Marie, played hockey and volley ball in counsol, its weird seeing how much has changed in 12 years. Wood Mountain used to have an awesome bar that played live music and let me drink at 14 (lol its Saskatchewan). Ravenscraig was owned entirely by one family minus a couple plots of land. Dollard population has been the same. Great video 👍🏼
Excellent road-trip video of some interesting towns and landscapes. I'm from Montana, so some of these scenes look pretty familiar. Hope to see more of your work here.
As the radio personality, Bob Arnold said of Wood Mountain, "Our town was so small, on Saturday night we would go down to main street, and watch the GIRL" RIP Bob.
Thanks for adding your great video. I lived in a few of these towns through the 1950's and 60's . Admiral , Frontier and Shaunavon . It made for a great upbringing with good friends . It is sad to see a lot of towns returned to nature . Once were busy towns . It brings back lots of memories for me.
I toured that area a few years ago now. I'm from BC where mountains are the norm around here so being in southern Saskatchewan is like being on another planet for me. I really enjoyed it. I need to go back I think....
As someone who grew up in this exact area, trust me it goes both ways 😅. I get excited any time I see a decently-sized hill or a patch of trees. Driving through BC is absolutely mind-blowing.
Meanwhile, its the other way around for me. I'm so used to the flat prairies that after a few days in the B.C area I start longing for the prairie views again. Idk, I just find being surrounded by mountains on all sides a bit suffocating. But granted that I've seen nothing but flat lands for my whole life, it makes sense why its hard to adjust to a complete change in environment.
Great footage. The one thing that immediately stuck out to me in these towns was that there is no grafiti. One of the USA’s traits is to deface anything when possible. A demographic rundown would probably explain this. Thank you.
@@abrahamdozer6273 I think in Canada the culture is generally more reserved and respectful and not quite so self promoting. A nosegay from south of the border.
This is amazing! We moved to Medicine Hat last year and we have been exploring since we got here. I'll be driving us several of these locations in the next few weeks. Thank you for sharing this with us.
It's hard to believe these places must have been full of hope, newly settled barely over a century ago. These prairie towns are more significant than other places because those times must be so close from today that early settlers were still alive during my infant years. I thought rural Ontario was fun, boy was I wrong.
Just depressing and my whole family were basically from Waldron. After the war/ the railways disappeared/ the grain elevators were disused, and the whole place went back to what it once was. Wild grass is for buffalo and native Indian bands from hundreds of years ago. Your videos are great, for sure, but it saddens me when I used to visit the area. My grandparents were railway men from the turn of the century/ and homesteading.
False History Ever heard of Tartaria? A video essay on you tube title There are no Forests on flat Earth English dubbed version before @Spacebusters & John Levi & Michelle Gibson channels
We had a cowboy poetry gathering in Taber Alberta last spring. One of our board members suggested we do a benefit for a young bronc rider from Consul, who got his neck broken in a rodeo wreck at Brooks over the Christmas season. Cowboy poets, western story tellers and western musicians from all over the west, a wood carver and a children/youth author from New Hampshire and local businesses all sent merchandise to be auctioned off for the benefit for Sandy the cowboy from Consul
Dollard was Wanda's last name on Corner Gas. Most of the characters last names were towns and villages throughout the province. Val Marie is the birthplace of six-time Stanley Cup winner Bryan Trottier.
Wow! Great video! These little towns slowly die and just fade away. My dad grew up in Weldon, Sask. It was created just after the turn of the century and in its heyday had numerous restaurants, two pool halls, multiple stores, several implement dealers, two schools, and five grain elevators. My uncle ran one of two service stations. All that's left now is some residences, a post office and two decaying elevators.
Good day to you Chris' Again another epic trail across SK and those old cars and churches look amazing' Most of the churches there seem to have the same quality built theme and shape along with white paint also, This video is thrilling to watch and really enjoyed the walk around" So photogenic and serene... Take care Chris to yourself and your family and look forward to all the videos you post and many thanks for your time doing these....Best 73s from the uk 😊❤
I don't think you could find a handful of people who are tough enough to homestead that country today. Gives me shivers to think of that area on a January day.
Wow!!! So many photogenic places to visit, I would need another suitcase full of colour slide and black and white film to capture all these cool towns. Greetings from the U.K.
Thanks myol mate….I enjoyed the tour very much 😊👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍 So much place…so much land…wilderness…a huge blue sky….Canada is…like a giant planet on its own 😲😲😲 It makes the UK look like a miniature toy model 😄😉🇨🇦
Dude, it is a miniature toy model that punched way over its weight and spent a few hundred years trashing inhabitants all over the world. Right here in Canada we have the experience of the Acadians. Look it up. Your countrymen.
I lived in Wood Mountain from 1991-1994. I was a teacher in the school the last three years before it closed. At that time the hotel was still in business, and the church in town was still used occasionally. The old curling rink was used for storage, but a restaurant was in business at one end of the curling rink.
Ya I live in Illinois too and I’ve been to Saskatchewan and your right the small farm towns on the plaines and prairies in North America are emptying out.
I honestly didn't know there were this many ghost towns in Saskatchewan, and I've lived in this province my whole life. Good to know that just when I think I know everything about my home province, something new presents itself.
I lived in Sask (PA & Regina) for 18 years (60's & 70's) and had never even heard of Ravenascrag valley! Looks beautiful, reminds me of the Quapelle valley area
My first home was Wood Mountain (mid-50's). It was a thriving little community back then. We visited 4 yrs ago. My father was the RCMP officer at that time and his detachment office as well as our home were still there across from the school.
My grandparents had a farm north of Crichton until they retired to Swift Current and and an aunt & uncle who farmed north of Admiral. I miss them so much.
Lol. good response to my comment! Both times lunch was on the tail gate of my truck. When you travel in that country you bring your own provender and spare gas. I wanted to avoid Shaunavan and Eastend and stick to the south roads. I have done the Dempster highway and there is always gas at three places. South west Sask is pretty thin for gas on a weekend and in that regard is more remote. The nearest is Milk River AB
The death of rural life. And it's not only in North America.....there are large parts of Europe going the same way, especially here in Spain. Abandoned villages and towns are everywhere as young people move to the cities......"sad" doesn't even begin to describe it. Great video, BTW, and nice camera work.....
Saskatchewan has an area of 694,000sq.km and 1.2 million people in 2023 Spain has 506,000 sq.km and 48 million people. Very much more isolated regions in Saskatchewan. Typical of Canadian distances.
I have been to most of the towns you have showed on this very great video. Some how I missed Robsart and Scotdale and Limeric. I enjoyed just travelling along exploring. Since our daughter moved to Moosjaw last year we made a few more trips south to the Big Muddy and Castle Butte. Our two favourite places on the video which we have been to are Caddilac and Eastend. Eastend has a great dinosaur museum , you did not mention that, and Caddilac has all the streets named after old cars, and a wonderful still in use school. Hope you have some new videos coming out.
most of these villages were built by immigrants from europe who came over between 1900 and 1920 in relation to the great migrations of the WW1 era...they came to free land and pristine unopened prairie and were pioneer homesteaders, most of them ..... all of Saskatchewan was a collection of farming villages identical to these every 20 miles grouped around a grain collection elevator attached to a railroad spur line ..... by 1950 you started to see widespread rural electrification and paved roads were starting to appear.....................the land was bountiful in grain if you were young and very hardy and didn't mind isolation, but the weather was brutal with long cold winters and short dry summers...a good safe place to raise a family but far away from the culture and thrills of fast paced urban life....much of Saskatchewan 120 years ago was like the garden of eden before the expulsion of adam and eve. now all this is gone, replaced by high intensity socialism and cookie cutter suburbia in a couple cities and a few centralized big towns
I've always said that Saskatchewan could do a booming tourist trade if they developed one day hikes along historic trails, overnight hikes and a four day hike where you start out on foot, switch to horseback, make it to a river, and canoe up one of the Saskatchewan rivers. Give people a camping, historic pioneer and trapper experience of the length of their choice.
As a storm chaser I’ve passed by many of these towns without knowing any history of them, or taking time to explore sadly. But I’m planning on definitely going to see some now.
Great vid Chris! My family farmed for more than a hundred years. 10 min away from Limerick. I still have fond memories of the original house my grandfather built out there.
I was born here in Cadillac. Ponteix was just down the road and also Willow Bunch nearby. There was a large French settlement along the road in various little villages. This was what we Canadians called the "baldass prairie".
@@merccrewlcab2385 Chemainus is such a beautiful place. If I had to choose between Chemainus or Cadillac I'm afraid that I would have to say goodbye to the birthplace and head for Chemainus. What does he do with the two places? With homelessness and the real estate market it's hard to know which way to jump. Enjoy the coast, both of you.
@@suefrench8721 Thanks again for the reply. Doug stores old car, tractor parts and other cool old keepsakes in one of the places and lives part time in the other. I enjoy the beauty of our island but not how busy and greedy it is these days. Really debating on moving out to Alberta Sask. Do you know of any 1932 Ford cars, bodies or pieces out your way? Haha
Yes the church still is used. The curling rink is open in the winter. We held my dads funeral in woodmountain and used the community service. I had many cousins go to school there in the 90s
Thanks for the tour. My Father was born in Wood Mountain. I have relatives who live near Consul. I am from BC but I get back to see Saskatchewan semi-regularly.
@@attrell Your videos are showing parts of western Canada and USA, that are so rarely talked about, or shown to the world. It's an under-appreciated service that you're doing, but I appreciate it, because these places are home.
Hi Chris. Thanks for the video tour of a part of my home province. The colour at that time of year may look bleak to some, but to me it is the colour of the season to come.
When I see a bright early springtime view of rural Saskatchewan, with just a bit of snow still on the ground, I'm reminded of that wonderful fresh smell of rich fertile soil, just after it has thawed for the first time of the year. There's nothing like it. I just don't get that in Vancouver.
I've had the chance to explore a couple of those towns in the video. Robsart, Fir Mountain, Wood Mountain and love being down there in the summer. My family is from LaFleche and Woodrow
Hi i was born in assinabioa sask in 1953. My parents farmed in palmer no longer there ( just outside of gravelbourg sk. My mom was born in lisieaux sk. ( ghost town now) just north of rockglen sk. My parents moved to halkirk AB just west of Castor AB where my moms parents moved shortly before we did. Both were farms. It is sad to see these places abandoned and i am glad you are recording what is left.
@@attrell my mom's dad my grandfather build the church in St. Victor. He also did all the finishing work inside. My grandmother was buried in the cemetery there and there was an angel monument over her grave. It was there in 1991 when I went back to my roots ( first time since I was baby.) My mom was a tel3phone operator in Palmer and since I was a baby she feed me while working. I believe she got fired because she was busy feeding me and didn't "work the board " speedily. My parents were married in church in Lisieux but it burnt down shortly after. I have many many relatives is this area especially in Rockglen. Last names of Lamontagne Perfontaine Fraser. My aunt married a gentleman from Willow Bunch.
Hi, I was born in Assinaboia in 1954. My grandparents ranched outside of Lisieux. We lived in Lisieux for a couple of years, then moved to Calgary. My mom says, life got better. My father had steady work. I still visit remaining relatives in the area, although a few years now. Always loved the area, and the people. I now live on Vancouver Island, but miss the beauty of the Prairies.
@@adeleg444 i was born on sept 24 1953. I visited Assinaboia in early 1990 and looked for original hospital but it was demolished. But i saw the plaque. My mom was a lamontagne and her mom was a Prefontaine. Both families were originally from Elie/ St Eustace MB.
Several years ago, my wife and I visited this area of Saskatchewan, visiting several of the towns in this video. Upon watching this video. I was saddened by the demise of so much of the area. Still a great place to visit.
Love this area. Travel it often. Even got to help out with the tourist train in Eastend. The locomotives there which are f7 and F9 are my favorite locomotives. Great video, thanks.
Thank you for this video Chris. I was raised on a farm just outside of Robsart from 1950 to 1970. All of the area from Consul to Shaunavon was my stomping grounds. This video sure brought back a lot of good memories. It is sad to see these places now but there is a lot history around that whole region.
@@attrell Yes it sure was Chris. It was very vibrant then. There was a nice community hall. We had our wedding reception and dance in the hall in 1979. There was a modern school from grade 1-8 and then we bussed to Consul for high school. There was a very active curling rink. There were three grain elevators. The General Store was a store that had Everything as well as the Post Office. The garage was an International Harvester dealer, a blacksmith shop, a repair shop and a seniors hangout bench where I used to love to listen to many stories. The Beaver Lumber had already closed by then. Oh, the great memories. Thank you again.
I worked pipeline construction early 80s Burstal to Val Marie and Swift Current to Momarte. I stayed in Maple Creek, Moosejaw, Regina. Drove through in 96. Miss Cypress hills, Fort Walsh, Shaunivan, Frenchman River valley. Retired and looking to visit again.
Great shoots! Thanks. Also could you please note when you are getting off the highway, either turning left or right or making a loop around the center square or something; was a bit disorientated but loved your narrative and pics.
Great day for a drive to the small villages, towns, and ghost towns. My dad grew up on a farm near Truax. It has probably been 50+ years since I was out there (I was just a little kid). The 'house' was already gone by then, so I would have no idea where to look for the farm. We have a grainy, old b&w photo of the two-room farmhouse. I know how bad our winters are, but being born and raised in the provincial capital, I have no idea how miserable life was. I only heard a few stories. It seemed that no one wanted to talk about that. This is the first of your videos I have watched, but I have already subscribed and look forward to seeing more drives through my home province!
The grain elevator was built long ago. The people saw it was large on the horizon. They decided to build a town by the grain elevator. They called the town Wood Mountain. I guess.
Have you been out to that weird museum/old "town" that old guy made near whitewood SK? -old George's place? I've fantasized about doing a slightly spooky quiet slow (non narrated) video of that place in the evening - fall maybe. creepy but beautiful place.
Consul was a godsend when I was driving the Red Coat Trail from Alberta into Saskatchewan - that last swath of it unpaved, and my fuel light on. The GPS just indicated I was in the middle of nowhere, so when paved road returned it was Consul. I recall there being a great cafe & bakery there, too. As for Robsart when I visited there were more deer in the street than people. I did see a couple of residents, who waved. That car was in the same garage several years ago.
@@attrell I stopped at the marker on the road that read "Welcome to Saskatchewan". It was an unpaved road, and you couldn't see anything in any direction beyond wide open space. Couldn't help but chuckle.
I have cycled that route a couple times and always go off the beaten path to get pictures of the old grain elevators. They were such a integral part of prairie life.
I worked with a Canadian engineer here in Detroit about 30 years ago. He grew up in the wheat growing areas of western Canada. They used an enclosed wagon to go to town. It was so cold that the wagon had its own heater to burn wood (I think coal too). He was in the Canadian Air Force in ww2 in England. He was a really smart guy with an incredible memory. He told me many interesting stories about Canada and England.
1:40
It's amazing to think how the houses, the schools, the cars, the tractors, the machinery, all cost people their lives in time and money, and are now abandoned...
That's why they call it earthly things. Some people worked their whole live just to afford only one of those things.
Yes, the passage of time has a way of being unpleasant
I find these small Saskatchewan towns so peaceful. My dad grew up just north of there. In a small town called Gouldtown on a farm. Rest in Peace Dad.
I been there!
Thank you for making this. I am fascinated by abandoned towns in the prairies. These old houses that had children running around barefoot, mothers cooking over wood fired stoves, men coming in for lunch from working. I cant describe the feeling it gives me.
Glad you enjoyed it
You're going back way over 100 years with thoughts like that. Just because people were rural doesn't mean they're living in abject poverty ffs. Some of the wealthiest people you will meet are farmers...maybe not back then, but these days.....
@@minkorrh dumbest reply I’ve ever seen. The scenario I described was the daily life of my father as a child. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t over 100 years ago. Plenty of central albertans in the 50s lived that way. The way you blast stupidity with such confidence might be sign of a malignant tumour. Go get checked out.
That is exactly the imaging running through my mind. Where have all the children gone… the smells of fresh break… chicken dinners…. Vibrancy and hope. Oddly sad and lonely, yet intriguing and warm. I love these historic throw back videos.
As someone with roots in SK, my eyes are filled with tears . RIP Mildred SK
My roots are in Dauphin, Manitoba. But my eyes have also filled with tears.
It really makes you feel like you're livin' on a ball. I took a guitar building course 30 years ago in a small town in Saskatchewan, and it has since become a town full of artisans. Because you can buy a house for $60,000, and put a kiln in the back yard if you want to. People have time to explore their creativity, not distracted by lots of other people, and things.
"Small town Saskatchewan" is quite vague. Just say the place.
@@TheMrCC21 pick one buddy. You can be free to walk around naked. Winter sucks though.
Sounds like a wonderful place. Don't say the name; you'll be inundated with so many new neighbors that your magical place will change forever!
The homeless people should be relocated here
A friend of mine went to that school in around 2000. He currently lives in Mortlach Sk
Really interesting trip through these Sask. Ghost Towns however, it leaves an ache in the pit of my stomach!
We use to have our 4-H meetings at the old community hall in Robsart and that riding arena behind those swings is where we would ride. That was only 20 years ago.
Wow I was there my first time in 2003
Nice video..i've been in Saskatchewan in 1981.
I was picked up from the Regina airport by my Canadian uncle who married my Dutch aunt just after Workd War 2.
I my memory we came trough Assinaboi(?) were we did some shoppings and went on to Rockglen(n?) were they lived.
I enjoyed Saskatchewan in the summer and worked on several farms(most milking cows) while the farmers were harvesting the crops.
Cornelis Morees,
The Netherlands🇨🇦🇳🇱
Things have changed a lot since then. Most grain elevators are now gone. Thanks for watching, pretty exciting you are from The Netherlands and watching!
The church at 5:50 is mint. That's what you want to buy dirt cheap. The structure is probably still good if you replace the roof and address any water leak issues, then pressure wash the old paint off tbe wood, and re paint the wood. New Windows probably, then the building will not continue to degrade into a pile of shit.
Then you address the interior, it's probably high quality custom wood. Sand and stain it.
Then build interior units that have upper levels within the church, so it's all non structural interior additions. And you got yourself a 4 plex.
A four plex for what? Electrical source? heat? food? medical issues? transportation? gas and vehicle maintenance? Etc, etc,eEtc.
@@billfarley9167 Hey, let a guy dream!
I've lived in SK my whole life and can't understand how people don't find it beautiful, From Leader to Moosomin, Estevan to La Ronge its an amazing province. Growing up around Moose Jaw, Briercrest, Avonlea and Leader was the best childhood I could have ever asked for, thanks for the video, more places to shoot up next spring!
Thank you!!
You see beauty, but others see a baren landscape devoid of trees! Flowers etc,except for Northern Saskatchewan, trees lakes ,something to look at and appreciate!
The praires are like seeing your Breafast pancake everyday!I
So if you see a pancake as beutiful,we'll,you need to broaden your horizons,go see the mountains, get off the pancake 😅!!!
Well there is some beauty out there,but you have yo get used to staring at open fields, and a few animals.
R.I.P SASKATCHEWAN!
I absolutely love Saskatchewan. It’s my home and always will be.
@@davidrussell8795that’s what I love about Saskatchewan. The northern lakes and forests all the way down to the open grasslands. It’s my home and always will be.
As a young geologist with SaskOil Corporation in the early 1970's I well sat many oil wells in this area. One would get use to people talking about you at the local cafes and wondering what the drilling rig will find on someone's land. Winters were brutal as there was usually no snow and strong blustery winds. As a geologist the area surrounding the Cypress Hills is mind boggling and with landform-expressions like the Ravenscrag Valley tells of the mighty affects of continental glaciation. I truly enjoyed this video and my days in this part of the province. One must not miss the restaurant in Eastend (Jack's; we use to drive for hours to eat at this establishment) and the T-Rex Museum!! What I do not miss is the grasshoppers!
Grasshoppers are bad this year!
My dad, Rev. Kenneth Robins, was raised on a farm outside Ponteix. When we were children (early 50's) dad and mom brought us to his old home. And my father who was an ordained minister held meetings in the church in Aneroid every night for a whole week. My sister, brother and I were the "special music" at each of the church services. Many years later, I returned to Aneroid with my cousin to attend the funeral service of her father, Gerald Robins. My dad spoke at his funeral service in that church.
Very nice town, Aneroid is much smaller now
@@attrellI understand, as only a fellow PK could.
Thanks so much. My grandparents met in Star City in southern Saskatchewan...both new immigrants, Grandpa from the states and grandma from Norway. My dad was born in star city on Easter Sunday in 1939. They met at a dance hall. It is nice to see my roots in Canadian history.
Thanks for posting, glad you enjoyed the video!
I know only of a Star City in the north-central area of Saskatchewan near Melfort., off highway 3, along highway 681. Amazing that your grandparents from so far apart met in small-town Saskatchewan. Maybe at a school dance?
Well my grandmother only had grade one back in the early 1900s so I doubt it was a school dance but it was a dance lol
My aunt and uncle lived in Star City 1940s to 1970s and I visited there as a child. My aunt taught school there to a couple of generations.
Who cares…
I was born & raised in Saskatchewan. East of Regina. I joined the Royal Bank in 1961 and started in Aneroid , SK. Last I was through over 10 years ago it was a ghost town but the old bank building was on main st as was the old hotel, to bad you hadn’t filmed them. I recall so many of those towns, Kincaide, Vanguard , Gravelberg and so many more. So many fond memories of playing hockey along that line. Also had relatives at Robsart spent many good times there.
My best friend growing up was from Aneroid, my wife is from Vanguard, we went to school in Kincaid and my dad is from Gravelbourg 😁
I'm lucky enough to live in Sask and visit many old ghost towns while trompsing around the back roads. Just bought a piece of history myself: The Nolan School House that earlier this year was at the intersection of Hwy 4 North and the hamlet of Hamlin Rd. Moved it three miles down the road to my property. Glad I got to save a bit of history :)
wow! amazing!
Chris, thanks for another ride along. Great to see, and sad at the same time, the general area where my Mom's side of the family is from. It's amazing to think how nature takes its toll and slowly returns things to their original state. If the walls in all these areas could speak of the brave souls/pioneers/families who made their lives in such places before "moving on". 😢
Way back in teh day I got so many stories, I wish I had written them down!
@@attrell No kidding. You might have been able to write a book that could have sold well; at least locally.
Did you forget Govenlock? There is only a sign and one building the last time I was there, maybe 1992? My dad and I had sold oats and hay to lodge creek ranch. My neighbor (see RUclips: Riverview Ranch) sold hay to another place down there and I delivered it
That was fascinating: you have a good eye for framing a picture. The emptiness of the flatlands twixt Winnipeg and the Rockies was tangible throughout. Over 50+ yrs ago and as a penniless bum from Britain and fresh from a winter trawling for fish out of Reykjavik, and hitchhiking my way across Canada in '64 looking to find a fishing boat out of Vancouver, a work crew from a Manitoba grain company picked me up, and I ended up for a couple of months working, shingling the company's grain elevators in Alberta S of Calgary down to the U.S. border. It was interesting in the sense that you didn't want to fall off, and like deep sea fishing where you were fully engaged in not drowning, there was a wee bit of danger too: If you slipped there was only a rope to grab if you were quick enough. I don't think Health and Safety had quite the power back then it has today.
Safety was not a huge concern that is for sure, I believe that!
Great video-- I thoroughly enjoyed it. I downloaded it to show my 92 year old neighbor (he does not have internet access), hence the download. He will enjoy this video as he once lived and farmed in Sask. many years ago as youngster. I bet he will recognize a lot of the towns in this video.
I hope he enjoys it!
Robsart is where my wife's dad was raised; born on his grandparent's farm. My 5 year old son and I were with the last family members farming in the area. Aunt Rose and Uncle Frank were driving slowly through the old town telling stories about the old days. A small house had yellow curtains blowing through a slightly open window. We stopped. Looking through the window the place looked like someone had stepped out for a moment. We entered carefully, looking with respect at this two room shack that had been the home of a man named Manfred Smith. Uncle Frank said Manfred had felt unwell, went to the hospital and never returned home. The wood stove was ready to be lit, a handmade table cloth adorned the small table. A shaving kit sat on a shelf. The man had no family. A box of old photos was in the bedroom beside the bed.
My son was amazed that someone lived in the little house. We left everything as is.
Respect.
...I might add that I travelled through that particular part of Saskatchewan back in the late 70's and fell in love with it. I always promised myself I would return there when I retired...I'm months away from retirement...so time to fulfill my promise. 🙂
Kind of thinking about that myself.
Happy retirement!!
@@ItsNotMeItsYou007do it guys! It’s so worth it! She’s a harsh but beautiful land.
It does make me sad to see some of these towns like this. I knew these places back in the 1960's. As a teenager, life was so good in southern Saskatchewan.
I agree.
Saskatchewan produced a lot of NHL players back in the day. Learned how to skate and play shinny hockey on sloughs before they hit the big time.
Some of the most desolate, almost lonely places I can imagine. Beautiful relics.
Thanks Chris, looks like farming towns all over the western world. There are plenty of abandoned or semi-abandoned towns in Australia too, sadly. It has happened as farms got bigger and people moved into cities.
More than enough vacant farm land in Canada to feed the world!
Some folks are moving back to small towns now here
False History real history @ Spacebusters Comets and Cataclysyms series @ John Levi & Michell Gibsonn channels. Ever heard of Tartaria?
@@spectrumofrealityexcept Justin won't let yall have enough fertilizer for something like that to much climate change lol
Cool video. I love old, abandoned places, especially churches.
Wow! Thanks for the tour! I am from the Cowichan Valley, born and raised. I really got to get out there and cruise around and look for 1932 Ford car body parts and pieces. And enjoy the scenery of course! Thanks eh!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My Mom, Gisèle Beaudoin, was the one of the daughters of Arthur and Clara, who answered the call of Abbé Louis-Pierre Gravel,for whom Gravelbourg is named, to move from Québec to homestead in Saskathcewan circa 1911 shortly after their wedding. Mom told us about seeing dust storms blackening the sky sweeping away so much top-soil that fence-posts were left swaying in the wind. And locusts. Such was life in the 1930,S Dust Bowl. After his eldest son died of blood poisoning, a cut whilst haying, he gave up, moving his daughters and young sons to Québec. Thus uprooted, my Mom , age 14, was to miss her home for the rest of her life. Such is life.
Still 30% Francophone in Gravelbourg with associated cultural services according to Wikipedia. Definitely not a ghost town here
TOo bad she had to move, it was really bad in that area of Saskatchewan
Thanks for the ride! Loved the tour. Makes one appreciate the ones who came and paved the way before us.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was wild to watch. I grew up on a ranch near Ravenscraig, went to school in Eastend, played football in Shaunavon, won the rodeos in McCord, Wood Mountain, and Val Marie, played hockey and volley ball in counsol, its weird seeing how much has changed in 12 years. Wood Mountain used to have an awesome bar that played live music and let me drink at 14 (lol its Saskatchewan). Ravenscraig was owned entirely by one family minus a couple plots of land. Dollard population has been the same. Great video 👍🏼
Thanks! Yes it has changed a lot since I moved to Shaunavon in 2006
Excellent road-trip video of some interesting towns and landscapes. I'm from Montana, so some of these scenes look pretty familiar. Hope to see more of your work here.
I used to live in Sidney. Montana is my fav state!
As the radio personality, Bob Arnold said of Wood Mountain, "Our town was so small, on Saturday night we would go down to main street, and watch the GIRL" RIP Bob.
Ha ha!
Thanks for adding your great video. I lived in a few of these towns through the 1950's and 60's . Admiral , Frontier and Shaunavon . It made for a great upbringing with good friends . It is sad to see a lot of towns returned to nature . Once were busy towns . It brings back lots of memories for me.
Glad you enjoyed it
I toured that area a few years ago now. I'm from BC where mountains are the norm around here so being in southern Saskatchewan is like being on another planet for me. I really enjoyed it. I need to go back I think....
I am glad you enjoyed your trip!!
me too! born and raised on the bc coast, the ocean of rolling grass on the prairies was a revelation. cant wait to go back!
As someone who grew up in this exact area, trust me it goes both ways 😅. I get excited any time I see a decently-sized hill or a patch of trees. Driving through BC is absolutely mind-blowing.
Meanwhile, its the other way around for me. I'm so used to the flat prairies that after a few days in the B.C area I start longing for the prairie views again. Idk, I just find being surrounded by mountains on all sides a bit suffocating. But granted that I've seen nothing but flat lands for my whole life, it makes sense why its hard to adjust to a complete change in environment.
Great footage. The one thing that immediately stuck out to me in these towns was that there is no grafiti. One of the USA’s traits is to deface anything when possible. A demographic rundown would probably explain this. Thank you.
There isn't many people who live in these areas, that might be why.
I hadn't noticed, but yes, no graffiti! How refreshing! Alas it's a worldwide phenomenon.
Canadian culture is generally a bit different and for the most part, the urban areas are much cleaner and safer in Canada, too.
@@abrahamdozer6273 I think in Canada the culture is generally more reserved and respectful and not quite so self promoting. A nosegay from south of the border.
@@devoniangardens2974 Are you really a grown man?
This is amazing! We moved to Medicine Hat last year and we have been exploring since we got here. I'll be driving us several of these locations in the next few weeks. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Have a fun trip!
It's hard to believe these places must have been full of hope, newly settled barely over a century ago. These prairie towns are more significant than other places because those times must be so close from today that early settlers were still alive during my infant years. I thought rural Ontario was fun, boy was I wrong.
Curling rinks ‘used to be popular’ in rural Saskatchewan! News flash, they still are!
Not as popular as they were in 1950.
Just depressing and my whole family were basically from Waldron.
After the war/ the railways disappeared/ the grain elevators were disused, and the whole place went back to what it once was. Wild grass is for buffalo and native Indian bands from hundreds of years ago.
Your videos are great, for sure, but it saddens me when I used to visit the area.
My grandparents were railway men from the turn of the century/ and homesteading.
It is kind of sad, especially when you read the local history book and see photos from the towns heydays!
False History Ever heard of Tartaria? A video essay on you tube title There are no Forests on flat Earth English dubbed version before @Spacebusters & John Levi & Michelle Gibson channels
We had a cowboy poetry gathering in Taber Alberta last spring. One of our board members suggested we do a benefit for a young bronc rider from Consul, who got his neck broken in a rodeo wreck at Brooks over the Christmas season. Cowboy poets, western story tellers and western musicians from all over the west, a wood carver and a children/youth author from New Hampshire and local businesses all sent merchandise to be auctioned off for the benefit for Sandy the cowboy from Consul
Dollard was Wanda's last name on Corner Gas. Most of the characters last names were towns and villages throughout the province.
Val Marie is the birthplace of six-time Stanley Cup winner Bryan Trottier.
Oh yeah I forgot about that!
Wow! Great video! These little towns slowly die and just fade away. My dad grew up in Weldon, Sask. It was created just after the turn of the century and in its heyday had numerous restaurants, two pool halls, multiple stores, several implement dealers, two schools, and five grain elevators. My uncle ran one of two service stations. All that's left now is some residences, a post office and two decaying elevators.
Kind of sad how some towns just faded away like that.
Good day to you Chris' Again another epic trail across SK and those old cars and churches look amazing' Most of the churches there seem to have the same quality built theme and shape along with white paint also, This video is thrilling to watch and really enjoyed the walk around" So photogenic and serene... Take care Chris to yourself and your family and look forward to all the videos you post and many thanks for your time doing these....Best 73s from the uk 😊❤
Thank you so much!
I don't think you could find a handful of people who are tough enough to homestead that country today. Gives me shivers to think of that area on a January day.
I grew up on a farm in this area, about 20 minutes from Aneroid, shown in this video. Can confirm it gets cold as hell in the winter.
Wow!!! So many photogenic places to visit, I would need another suitcase full of colour slide and black and white film to capture all these cool towns. Greetings from the U.K.
Masefield is the prettiest ghost town i have visited. The nature and the old buildings to together so nice.
Thank you so much! You have very interesting videos! I really enjoyed exploring Saskatchewan. I've never been there, but I had a great tour with you!
Thank you!
this was an impressive view into a part of Canada I have never been but always wanted to go. Thank you.
I hope you get to visit!
Thanks myol mate….I enjoyed the tour very much 😊👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍 So much place…so much land…wilderness…a huge blue sky….Canada is…like a giant planet on its own 😲😲😲 It makes the UK look like a miniature toy model 😄😉🇨🇦
THank you! Yeah you can see storms 300 kms away from here.
Dude, it is a miniature toy model that punched way over its weight and spent a few hundred years trashing inhabitants all over the world. Right here in Canada we have the experience of the Acadians. Look it up. Your countrymen.
I have done both of these roads twice. hope to do it again. there is no one else around. many thanks for this video
Thanks for watching!
I lived in Wood Mountain from 1991-1994. I was a teacher in the school the last three years before it closed. At that time the hotel was still in business, and the church in town was still used occasionally. The old curling rink was used for storage, but a restaurant was in business at one end of the curling rink.
Wow that Church is in very very bad shape now
So quiet you can fall asleep standing in place. Very enjoyable trip, thanks for the ride. It is sad that the people left, wonder were they all went.
Glad you enjoyed it! They went to bigger towns and cities.
So cool and beautiful, and sad. This is happening in rural Illinois USA.
Yes it is kind of sad.
Ya I live in Illinois too and I’ve been to Saskatchewan and your right the small farm towns on the plaines and prairies in North America are emptying out.
@@harrytpkall per plan…..
That’s Canada not USA
@@Gfysimpletonsда😢. Это и в России происходит😢
I honestly didn't know there were this many ghost towns in Saskatchewan, and I've lived in this province my whole life. Good to know that just when I think I know everything about my home province, something new presents itself.
Thanks for watching!
I lived in Sask (PA & Regina) for 18 years (60's & 70's) and had never even heard of Ravenascrag valley! Looks beautiful, reminds me of the Quapelle valley area
I hope the passenger rail service will be up and ready for that trip next spring!
My first home was Wood Mountain (mid-50's). It was a thriving little community back then. We visited 4 yrs ago. My father was the RCMP officer at that time and his detachment office as well as our home were still there across from the school.
That is one of my fav towns!
That was cool to see and you got it right on. Never been there but with your channel I did. Thanks
Awesome, thank you!
Greetings from USA, I am liking these videos.
Awesome, thank you!
My grandparents had a farm north of Crichton until they retired to Swift Current and and an aunt & uncle who farmed north of Admiral. I miss them so much.
I think you are the first person I ever come across who knew about Crichton
@@attrell Thanks. My mom would tell me stories about how Crichton used to be and going to school there when she was little.
Thanks for the tour! Looks like a lot of great movie sets.
They are!
Great scenery. Really enjoyed the grain elevator during the thunderstorm. That is something worth spending time doing.
It's a really nice area!
10:54 Spent way to much time here when I was young. Hey Steve H and Don H. I miss this place. Great video Chris.
I'm glad you included Orkney. I stop for lunch there
Must have been a long long time ago!
Lol. good response to my comment! Both times lunch was on the tail gate of my truck. When you travel in that country you bring your own provender and spare gas. I wanted to avoid Shaunavan and Eastend and stick to the south roads. I have done the Dempster highway and there is always gas at three places. South west Sask is pretty thin for gas on a weekend and in that regard is more remote. The nearest is Milk River AB
Great video ......not a placeI would have thought of visiting but reconsidering
The death of rural life. And it's not only in North America.....there are large parts of Europe going the same way, especially here in Spain. Abandoned villages and towns are everywhere as young people move to the cities......"sad" doesn't even begin to describe it. Great video, BTW, and nice camera work.....
Thank you!
Saskatchewan has an area of 694,000sq.km and 1.2 million people in 2023
Spain has 506,000 sq.km and 48 million people.
Very much more isolated regions in Saskatchewan. Typical of Canadian distances.
I grew up in a very small town on the prairies. I was a great place to be as a child . So much is gone now sadly.
I have been to most of the towns you have showed on this very great video. Some how I missed Robsart and Scotdale and Limeric. I enjoyed just travelling along exploring. Since our daughter moved to Moosjaw last year we made a few more trips south to the Big Muddy and Castle Butte. Our two favourite places on the video which we have been to are Caddilac and Eastend. Eastend has a great dinosaur museum , you did not mention that, and Caddilac has all the streets named after old cars, and a wonderful still in use school.
Hope you have some new videos coming out.
THank you! I hope the train service in Eastend is able to get up and running this year!
most of these villages were built by immigrants from europe who came over between 1900 and 1920 in relation to the great migrations of the WW1 era...they came to free land and pristine unopened prairie and were pioneer homesteaders, most of them ..... all of Saskatchewan was a collection of farming villages identical to these every 20 miles grouped around a grain collection elevator attached to a railroad spur line ..... by 1950 you started to see widespread rural electrification and paved roads were starting to appear.....................the land was bountiful in grain if you were young and very hardy and didn't mind isolation, but the weather was brutal with long cold winters and short dry summers...a good safe place to raise a family but far away from the culture and thrills of fast paced urban life....much of Saskatchewan 120 years ago was like the garden of eden before the expulsion of adam and eve.
now all this is gone, replaced by high intensity socialism and cookie cutter suburbia in a couple cities and a few centralized big towns
Small towns are making a comeback!
What the hell is "high intensity socialism?" You one of those "high intensity fascists?"
wow, it has been years since i have been to climax where my sister lived at one time
thanks for a tour Chris, alot of this brings back memories 👍🏼🎶🎶⛩🦉
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've always said that Saskatchewan could do a booming tourist trade if they developed one day hikes along historic trails, overnight hikes and a four day hike where you start out on foot, switch to horseback, make it to a river, and canoe up one of the Saskatchewan rivers. Give people a camping, historic pioneer and trapper experience of the length of their choice.
I agree
As a storm chaser I’ve passed by many of these towns without knowing any history of them, or taking time to explore sadly. But I’m planning on definitely going to see some now.
Hope you get some great storms!
Great vid Chris! My family farmed for more than a hundred years. 10 min away from Limerick. I still have fond memories of the original house my grandfather built out there.
Thank you!
I was born here in Cadillac. Ponteix was just down the road and also Willow Bunch nearby. There was a large French settlement along the road in various little villages. This was what we Canadians called the "baldass prairie".
A friend here in the Cowichan Valley (Chemainus) owns a house and a church in Cadillac.
@@merccrewlcab2385 Chemainus is such a beautiful place. If I had to choose between Chemainus or Cadillac I'm afraid that I would have to say goodbye to the birthplace and head for Chemainus. What does he do with the two places? With homelessness and the real estate market it's hard to know which way to jump. Enjoy the coast, both of you.
@@suefrench8721 Thanks again for the reply. Doug stores old car, tractor parts and other cool old keepsakes in one of the places and lives part time in the other.
I enjoy the beauty of our island but not how busy and greedy it is these days. Really debating on moving out to Alberta Sask.
Do you know of any 1932 Ford cars, bodies or pieces out your way? Haha
Yes the church still is used. The curling rink is open in the winter. We held my dads funeral in woodmountain and used the community service. I had many cousins go to school there in the 90s
Thanks for the tour. My Father was born in Wood Mountain. I have relatives who live near Consul. I am from BC but I get back to see Saskatchewan semi-regularly.
Thanks for your channel. I'm glad that RUclips is finally giving some good recs.
WOW thank you!
@@attrell Your videos are showing parts of western Canada and USA, that are so rarely talked about, or shown to the world. It's an under-appreciated service that you're doing, but I appreciate it, because these places are home.
Derek Ace sent me here. Good stuff!!! Will watch more!
Oh wow, he does amazing work. Thank you!
Hi Chris. Thanks for the video tour of a part of my home province. The colour at that time of year may look bleak to some, but to me it is the colour of the season to come.
Thanks for watching!
When I see a bright early springtime view of rural Saskatchewan, with just a bit of snow still on the ground, I'm reminded of that wonderful fresh smell of rich fertile soil, just after it has thawed for the first time of the year. There's nothing like it. I just don't get that in Vancouver.
I've had the chance to explore a couple of those towns in the video. Robsart, Fir Mountain, Wood Mountain and love being down there in the summer. My family is from LaFleche and Woodrow
I like LaFleche, charming town
Truly the land of the big sky....beautiful in it’s sad emptiness.....❤️
Dollard was founded by the father of novelist Gabrielle Roy. It was originally called Valroy, valley of the Roys but renamed,
I did not know that. thank you!
Hi i was born in assinabioa sask in 1953. My parents farmed in palmer no longer there ( just outside of gravelbourg sk. My mom was born in lisieaux sk. ( ghost town now) just north of rockglen sk. My parents moved to halkirk AB just west of Castor AB where my moms parents moved shortly before we did. Both were farms. It is sad to see these places abandoned and i am glad you are recording what is left.
Thank you! I been to that town, it is making a comeback. Really nice spot!
@@attrell my mom's dad my grandfather build the church in St. Victor. He also did all the finishing work inside. My grandmother was buried in the cemetery there and there was an angel monument over her grave. It was there in 1991 when I went back to my roots ( first time since I was baby.) My mom was a tel3phone operator in Palmer and since I was a baby she feed me while working. I believe she got fired because she was busy feeding me and didn't "work the board " speedily. My parents were married in church in Lisieux but it burnt down shortly after. I have many many relatives is this area especially in Rockglen. Last names of Lamontagne Perfontaine Fraser. My aunt married a gentleman from Willow Bunch.
Hi, I was born in Assinaboia in 1954. My grandparents ranched outside of Lisieux. We lived in Lisieux for a couple of years, then moved to Calgary. My mom says, life got better. My father had steady work. I still visit remaining relatives in the area, although a few years now. Always loved the area, and the people. I now live on Vancouver Island, but miss the beauty of the Prairies.
@@adeleg444 i was born on sept 24 1953. I visited Assinaboia in early 1990 and looked for original hospital but it was demolished. But i saw the plaque. My mom was a lamontagne and her mom was a Prefontaine. Both families were originally from Elie/ St Eustace MB.
@@adeleg444 2/ both my grandparents use to farm just outside of Lisieux. It originally was called Joeville after my great grandfather.
Several years ago, my wife and I visited this area of Saskatchewan, visiting several of the towns in this video. Upon watching this video. I was saddened by the demise of so much of the area. Still a great place to visit.
Some places are making a comback
Love this area. Travel it often. Even got to help out with the tourist train in Eastend. The locomotives there which are f7 and F9 are my favorite locomotives. Great video, thanks.
I can't wait until that train is running!
@@attrell You should see the inside of that gas station where that old truck is parked. It is like a 50s diner! So cool!
Thank you for this video Chris.
I was raised on a farm just outside of Robsart from 1950 to 1970.
All of the area from Consul to Shaunavon was my stomping grounds.
This video sure brought back a lot of good memories.
It is sad to see these places now but there is a lot history around that whole region.
Wow must have been different back on those days. Robsart especially!
@@attrell Yes it sure was Chris. It was very vibrant then.
There was a nice community hall. We had our wedding reception and dance in the hall in 1979.
There was a modern school from grade 1-8 and then we bussed to Consul for high school.
There was a very active curling rink. There were three grain elevators.
The General Store was a store that had Everything as well as the Post Office.
The garage was an International Harvester dealer, a blacksmith shop, a repair shop and a seniors hangout bench where I used to love to listen to many stories.
The Beaver Lumber had already closed by then.
Oh, the great memories.
Thank you again.
My dad was a teacher in Dollard in the '30s ,very solid school, next to the classic church
Awesome video thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for watching!
I worked pipeline construction early 80s Burstal to Val Marie and Swift Current to Momarte. I stayed in Maple Creek, Moosejaw, Regina. Drove through in 96. Miss Cypress hills, Fort Walsh, Shaunivan, Frenchman River valley. Retired and looking to visit again.
Wow neat, everything is very different now. Few grain elevators.
You should do a video on the communities between Kindersley and Unity and don't forget Tramping Lake. That is where my mom and step dad are from,
Great idea! Next time I am out there.
Like the CPR, the Grand Trunk place names (all of them) come from measurements. They were using the Haversine Formula.
Great shoots! Thanks. Also could you please note when you are getting off the highway, either turning left or right or making a loop around the center square or something; was a bit disorientated but loved your narrative and pics.
Thanks, will do!
Great day for a drive to the small villages, towns, and ghost towns. My dad grew up on a farm near Truax. It has probably been 50+ years since I was out there (I was just a little kid). The 'house' was already gone by then, so I would have no idea where to look for the farm. We have a grainy, old b&w photo of the two-room farmhouse. I know how bad our winters are, but being born and raised in the provincial capital, I have no idea how miserable life was. I only heard a few stories. It seemed that no one wanted to talk about that. This is the first of your videos I have watched, but I have already subscribed and look forward to seeing more drives through my home province!
Thanks for joining!
Just found your channel loving it ❤ please keep these videos coming so interesting to watch ….
Thank you!
The grain elevator was built long ago. The people saw it was large on the horizon. They decided to build a town by the grain elevator. They called the town Wood Mountain. I guess.
that was cool, recognising some mightily enchanting North Dakotan Painted Canyonesqueness towards the beginning here 🍸
Thanks for this! Im definitely going to take a drive down this way soon.
It's a fun trip, hope you get to make it!
To-day is June 9, 2024. I'll be touring all these towns this summer. Thanks for the video. I'm from Moose Jaw, SK.
wow magical I could watch this for hours :) *BUT* gotta get some work done lol thanx and keep up the great work! love my prairies.
Thanks for the visit
Have you been out to that weird museum/old "town" that old guy made near whitewood SK? -old George's place? I've fantasized about doing a slightly spooky quiet slow (non narrated) video of that place in the evening - fall maybe. creepy but beautiful place.
WELL done. Truly.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Consul was a godsend when I was driving the Red Coat Trail from Alberta into Saskatchewan - that last swath of it unpaved, and my fuel light on. The GPS just indicated I was in the middle of nowhere, so when paved road returned it was Consul. I recall there being a great cafe & bakery there, too. As for Robsart when I visited there were more deer in the street than people. I did see a couple of residents, who waved. That car was in the same garage several years ago.
Oh yes that road after consul. I wisht hey would pave it at least to US border :)
@@attrell I stopped at the marker on the road that read "Welcome to Saskatchewan". It was an unpaved road, and you couldn't see anything in any direction beyond wide open space. Couldn't help but chuckle.
I have cycled that route a couple times and always go off the beaten path to get pictures of the old grain elevators. They were such a integral part of prairie life.
Still lots in SW Saskatchewan!
top demais esse canal..cheguei a pouco tempo e sempre posso assisto alguns videos...