Or what remains of Frenchville.
This is from the cemetery looking down the road where the church stands and the school is directly opposite.
You can type Frenchville, Saskatchewan into Google Maps and it will show you exactly where this is.
There is a plaque near the church. From it this place was founded by Peter Filiatrault. He built a two storey inn that had a post office, store, dining room, and bedrooms for travellers. It was also a stopping place for the Northwest Mounted Police (which became the RCMP). Homesteaders arrived in 1909, the Catholic Parish of St. Joseph was founded in 1912, the current church in the photo replaced the old church in 1940. The first mass was June 5, 1940, the last mass was May 10, 1987.
The church and school remain.
There is a plaque near the church. From it this place was founded by Peter Filiatrault. He built a two storey inn that had a post office, store, dining room, and bedrooms for travellers. It was also a stopping place for the Northwest Mounted Police (which became the RCMP). Homesteaders arrived in 1909, the Catholic Parish of St. Joseph was founded in 1912, the current church in the photo replaced the old church in 1940. The first mass was June 5, 1940, the last mass was May 10, 1987.
The church and school remain.
The figure of Christ is hand carved. I would have loved for this to show up better in a photo.
The Roman Catholic Church has the fake brick tarpaper covering it. The steps are unsafe and it appears that the doors are locked so I did not attempt a look inside. The last service was in 1987. The church is not small so there must have been a fair number of people in the area at one time.
I have seen similar school designs, not one exactly like this. I did not see a sign on the school so I do not know the name or when it operated. It is unique.
Another sad story from the plains.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post - both the description of the town and the photos - especially the first photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteDid you ring the bell in the little kiosk?
ReplyDeleteI never thought of doing that.
DeleteI love these old places, they are a testament to those who went before...
ReplyDeleteThanks. Trying to find places like this to post.
DeleteJust the kinda place I like! Nice find.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these pictures. My grandmother was post mistress at the post office from 1945-1948. I would love to explore the area as it has family history going back to the 1800's. Lived in BC all my life and time to discover my roots. Gull Lake, Cadillac and Ponteix.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that it was established so far from the railway, most unusual compared to other schools and churches you have visited.
ReplyDeleteA little historical stuff(en francais; Google Trans. works)
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1431336/frenchville-filiatrault-saskatchewan-village-fantome
/DW