Kayville, SK

We drove through Kayville this past June and were surprised to see a grain elevator still standing, a church that looked to be well-maintained, and only a few houses. I checked online and Kayville closed it's remaining businesses in 2004. Apparently there are only 6 adults and one child still residing there. This is likely an example of the urbanization of Saskatchewan, very much like the rest of the country and the world. There are farms around but they, too, have dwindled in numbers as they became bigger and bigger. The history of homesteading in the area is typical of western Canada at the turn of the last century.
The one plus, I suppose, is that I got another Saskatchewan grain elevator photo to post and to treasure.  As you can see from the photo of the elevator it is totally isolated and, were it not for the neighbouring grain farmers, there'd be nothing left to see other than the flat prairie landscape.

Gravelbourg, SK

Gravelbourg was established in 1906 and at one time had nine grain elevators to serve the many farmers in the area. Here's a link to the history of this very French town in south central Saskatchewan. It apparently has been dubbed "little Europe" due to the strong European influence of the original settlers.
I've included two photos I took in June (2012) when we drove to Gravelbourg to see the Cathedral and to have dessert and coffee in "Little Paris" Cafe.

Davidson, Saskatchewan

Davidson sits about half-way between Saskatoon and Regina. It used to be a fairly major trading centre before transportation improved and the four-lane highway was built, by-passing the town. The population is dropping and is below 1,000 inhabitants as of 1996. There are still some wooden grain elevators standing that are being used. I've posted photos of Davidson's elevators before on this blog, but thought I'd post the one I took this summer by "painting" it using a photoshop plug-in.

I'm also posting a photo from the restaurant at the south-end of Davidson where we usually stop for coffee. It's a great pit-stop when traveling between the two cities. I like the way they've decorated the restaurant by placing older furniture and items in various corners to give the impression of times past.

Craik: Friendliest Place by a Dam Site

My title is the title of a book written about Craik in 1985 and posted online. Click here if you'd like to have a look. Craik is a village located about an hour's drive north of Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan. Drive another hour and a half and you're in the largest city in Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. Craik's elevator is still standing and looks to be in use by the local farmers. We drove by it on our way from Saskatoon to Regina in June and quickly grabbed this photo before this grain elevator, too, disappears.
(I need to pay more attention to my previous posts, as I see I've already included this one.)

Rockglen

We stopped to eat at Rockglen on our way through southern Saskatchewan this past June. First, we had to take some photos of the grain elevator that still stands there. The countryside was more rolling just around the village, giving the small hills prominence on the otherwise flat prairies. I've added a link to go to if you wish to learn more about this village and its history.
I've discovered a neat photo editing program that's free online. I played with my photo of Rockglen and quite like the results. See if you agree.

Coronach, Saskatchewan

This past June we made a point of traveling through part of southern Saskatchewan. Any grain elevators we saw along the way meant stopping to take their photos. The town of Coronach is probably the furthest south we got as this town is only 10 kms north of the Canada/US border. The link I've included tells how this small town almost died out but was rejuvenated when the Poplar River Power Project began nearby in 1974. The countryside is wide open and prone to high winds and dry, hot weather. I'm glad I didn't have to farm there, but I admire those that settled there and those that are still there. There are two elevators in Coronach and they look like they're still in use. Just like the "old days".

Chamberlain, Saskatchewan

Chamberlain is the only town or village on the way from Regina to Saskatoon that one has to drive through. All the other places are routed past the populated centres. I don't know the reason for this, but it certainly is of benefit to the small village of about 100 residents. It's also at the junction of the highway to Moose Jaw. And, it still has its wooden grain elevator. It's as though time has stopped still here. And, since it forces traffic to slow down to 50 kmh many travelers, including truckers, stop there for a coffee or a pit stop.
I finally got a photo of this elevator this past June. I'm posting it for the first time on this blog. It's obvious by the whited out area on the side of the elevator that it's no longer a POOL elevator. It's not clear who owns it but SaskTel either owns it or pays someone to advertise on it. Interesting "billboard".

Bladworth, Saskatchewan

We drove by Bladworth again this June (2012) and I thought I'd update my photo of the elevator still standing. I like the gravel road and the telephone poles all leading towards the elevator. I took this shot from a ways back to give a sense of perspective and relative distance that's so common on the wide open prairies.
In my research of Bladworth I found a history book of the village that's been scanned and put online. It's a fun read with lots of photos. If you're a history buff it's an interesting find. It's easy to navigate by using the drop-down menu to pick a section or photos, etc.

Bengough, SK

 Bengough is another southern Saskatchewan town that still has an elevator remaining to mark its existence along the flat rolling plains. We stopped in Bengough to ask how to get to the Big Muddy Badlands. We only had to drive another 20 kms south and we were there. If you want to see part of the world that seems to be in the middle of nowhere, this is worth the drive. Only an hour and a half south of Regina and about half an hour north of the Montana border and you're in Begough.
Here's how the grain elevators looked in June, 2012.

Avonlea, SK

We were surprised to find an elevator still standing at Avonlea on our travels south of Regina this past June (2012). I searched online for Avonlea and found a great historical site about this small town and area. I would highly recommend going to it by clicking here. After reading the history of the town and area, click on Gallery and view the old photos and videos as well as listen to audio recordings of some pioneers.  I once again gained an appreciation for the hardships the first Europeans endured in order to begin life there. There were up to four elevators in Avonlea at one time! Now only one remains.

Assiniboia, Saskatchewan

On our recent travels to Saskatchewan we drove south of Regina, stopped at the Big Muddy Badlands to see Castle Butte, and stayed overnight in Assiniboia. Even though I was born and raised in Saskatchewan I still marvel at the wide open areas in this part of the province. The joke about being able to watch your dog run away from home over the period of a few days comes to mind. We got the impression that time has stood still here in many ways, even though the farm equipment is modern and the internet is available. Fascinating to visit, but not sure I'd want to live here. They still have a standing wooden grain elevator. We stayed in a motel just across the street from it. I took this photo as the sun was sinking in the western sky. Sunsets are often grand on the prairies. This time there were too many clouds but the sun peaked through enough to cast a pink light. It had rained quite a bit so I was able to take advantage of a puddle to reflect the name of the elevator.

Craik, SK

I haven't entered a new grain elevator photo for some time, mainly because we didn't get back to good old Saskatchewan for two years. We finally were in Saskatchewan this month and I managed to add eleven more elevators to my list. That makes about 125 photos of elevators from different locations. Today I'm adding the Craik elevator. I've included a link to Wiki to give the reader the size and location of this village. It's just off the Saskatoon to Regina highway. It's one of the few still standing.

Vanishing Elevators

I imagine there aren't many wooden grain elevators left standing in Saskatchewan these days. We haven't gone looking lately. I took this photo of Parkbeg elevator in 2009, just off the TransCanada Highway about 60 kms. west of Moose Jaw. I read a book by Walter Stewart recently, called "My Cross-Country Checkup" (2000). He and his wife travel across Canada as they did in the '60's and revisit places they did then and make comments. His comments re the vanishing elevators is particularly telling. To quote: "An inland grain terminal can store, on average, about ten times as much grain--wheat, canola, flax, soya beans, peas, whatever--as one of the wooden elevators. It is thus more efficient to operate. This efficiency can be increased by making the farmer truck his crops farther and farther to a few huge terminals, rather than allowing him to drive a few kilometres down the road to a local elevator, where he probably wastes time chatting with the operator or even, God forbid, drinking a cup of coffee.
Of course, the cost to the farmer for trucking goes up, and so does the cost of road maintenance, in direct proportion to the reduction in costs for the elevator firms and the railways, but these are not matters that concern the people who make the decisions....as long as the costs are borne mainly by the farmers, a less and less significant proportion of the voting population with every passing year, this is not an important consideration.
The same phenomenon that is wiping the elevators off the face of the prairie is observable in every sector of the agricultural economy." (pp. 189,190).

Too, too true!

River Ferries

One of the thrills I experienced while living on a farm in Saskatchewan was getting a ride across the Saskatchewan River on a ferry. At the time the roads were gravel so one had to drive carefully when descending to the river's edge to wait for the ferry. The river was narrow enough that one could see where the ferry was. If the ferry was on the other side and the operator saw you coming he would immediately start the ferry towards the other side to load you. The operator and his family lived in a house near the ferry as he had to be available during daylight hours to operate the ferry. I've included a photo I took of the ferry near Wingard, Saskatchewan a few years back. I still enjoy going on these ferries whenever I get a chance. If you click on the heading you'll be directed to some history of river ferries in Saskatchewan. I believe that the stats indicating the number of horses pulling vehicles indicates horse-drawn wagons, many of which I'm sure were hauling grain to the local elevators. Prairie elevators provided the "stations" to which many a farmer went and the river ferries provided access to the other side of the river for many a farmer who lived near the mighty Saskatchewan Rivers.

Asquith, SK

Asquith is a small village not too far from Saskatoon. By the looks of their website the elevators may no longer be standing. Can anyone confirm this? I've added some effects to my original photo of these elevators to give them a "ghostly" appearance. That may be very appropriate as most elevators are gone and remain only as memories, or ghosts of the past.

Holiday Greetings

Christmas is fast approaching and every year I make up a simple greeting using one of my elevator photos. I liked the bright red colour of this elevator I took of the Springside, Saskatchewan grain elevator. Red is associated with Santa's red suit, and many of the decorations are red or have red in them.
Merry Christmas everyone, and if you don't celebrate Christmas may you enjoy the festive period coming up, including New Year's which many celebrate on January 1.
Traditions are both comforting and cumbersome. Why not add spice to tradition and enjoy the moment.
I noticed that the link to Chris Attrell's grain elevator site had changed so I've updated it in "My Links". I hope this didn't frustrate too many of you.

Yorkton, Saskatchewan

Yorkton is a large centre on the Yellowhead highway that I used to drive to and through quite often when I lived and worked in Saskatchewan. The Pool elevators were a common sight across Saskatchewan. Unfortunately they went out of business in 2007 when they were bought out. The history of the Pool elevators is in Wikipedia, if you're interested.
I added some special effects using Photoshop to dress up this prairie icon. I took this photo in 2001, if I remember correctly.
Live long enough and many things come and go, as has been the case with Pool elevators.

Wakaw, Saskatchewan

I'm not sure any more if this grain elevator still stands. Perhaps someone from the area could let me know. In any case I've given the original photo a different look to show the colours and lines of these massive structures. Click on the title to go to Wakaw's web page. The story of the origin of Wakaw is of interest.
The history of prairie grain elevators is also interesting. Click here to find a great overview of grain elevators in western Canada. They do a nice job of describing the reason for the shape of grain elevators and how modern design is changing grain elevators.

Wet Prairies

When we left Saskatchewan to retire on the "wet coast" as it's sometimes called we were convinced that the prairies were about to go into an extended period of drought. We experienced many dust storms and saw grain crops that barely produced enough grain to make harvesting worth while. This year's been totally opposite. Constant rain and even some flooding is happening on the prairies in Canada. Farmers are hoping that they can get the crops off this fall. They could have bumper crops or as sometimes happens, frost could come early and wipe out the promising yield. Only time will tell. Who wants to be a farmer these days when the climate is so unpredictable?
I found this photo that I took a while back showing water right next to a ripening wheat field. I thought of the farmers this year when I came across it and decided to post it here. Whenever I take photos on the prairies I'm always been fascinated with water next to grain . It's likely due to the anxiety we used to experience on the farm when the grain was testing too humid during harvest. We had to stop and wait for nature to dry the grain. Otherwise we risked it overheating in the grain bins and catching fire, or at the very least, spoiling the whole bin full of precious grain.
The old buildings in this photo are also a reminder of different times when more farms existed and each farm was reasonably self-reliant. Mixed farms were common when I was a child. Now farmers tend to be grain farmers or cattle farmers. Specializing can be riskier when the one thing they're farming doesn't do well that year.

Prelate, SK

We drove through another small village, pop. 164, while travelling through part of Saskatchewan we hadn't seen before. This is the only elevator still standing in Prelate. If you click on the title you'll be directed to a book that's been placed online re the history of Prelate. I've linked the title to the first page regarding the history of the grain elevators. Very interesting history. It looks like they had five elevators there at one time. This book is a reminder of the decline of the rural communities because farms got bigger as machinery became larger and more efficient. Farmers than sold and moved to the nearest large towns or cities to retire or to work.