Berthelote School on Willow Creek Road

Above is the view up Willow Creek Road. The school is on the right side of the road where it disappears at the base of the hill.

This abandoned one-room school is in north-central Montana. A very isolated location only six miles south of the Sweet Grass Hills. That's West Butte in the background rising over sixty-nine hundred feet above sea level.

The school windows face southwards opposite the hills. The kids had to wait for recess to take in the view.

The hills are known as island ranges on the great plains.

The hill with the pointed top is Gold Butte. Whenever I'm near the Sweet Grass Hills I always feel like I'm in good company . . . a very spiritual place.

- Michael Truman

Canola post

Near Hanna, Alberta.

Abandoned Farmhouse

I'm not entirely certain where this photo was taken . . . somewhere between Deloraine and Hartney, Manitoba. This old two story house sits on a farm, all boarded up.

- Steve Boyko

Tried To catch the prairie sunset

The dust in the air made for an interesting setting sun. 

Troll Falls

A short hike in Kananaskis Country in Alberta July 22, 2018. A walk of about one mile will take you into Troll Falls. 

Mactavish Homestead sign

A homestead sign in the Acadia Valley area of Alberta. Since 1911 . . . that's a long time in this part of the world.

Richview School

The Richview school is located on highway 3 in Manitoba, near Boissevain. It is set well back from the road and surrounded by a fence, so I did not approach it. There is a plaque mounted on a post that says "RICHVIEW SCHOOL No. 528 / 1888 - 1967 / Erected in honour of the residents of this district during the 79 years of operation."

The blank area just below the eaves used to say "RICHVIEW S.D. No. 528". More info here.

- Steve Boyko

Random barns

A few abandoned barns I have run across this summer in Alberta.

Fake news

Real hay bales.

The things I do to drive traffic to pictures of hay bales.

Near Airdrie, Alberta on July 8, 2018.

Location, location, location

I recently received an email from someone who read one of my posts and wanted a location of an old one room school. It would have helped if they were specific as I have posted a lot of old schools. From their vague description I was able to figure out which one they were referring to.

After I saw which one it was I did not give out the location. I usually have no problem telling people where some things are if they want to visit them to take their own pictures. If a place is fairly well known I will tell people where it is. If friends give me locations with the understanding that I will not divulge the location then I will keep it secret. Vandalism and trespassing is a problem in rural areas and some places are on private land. Some explorers are fanatical about keeping locations a secret. Not me. Personally I like it when people go out to see things for themselves simply because some of these places may disappear entirely in a short amount of time. If I do not give out a location there is a valid reason. If anyone asks, do not get offended if I cannot give out a particular location.

Since my earlier post was Canola related . . .

Hard to explain how this looks in real life. Near Airdrie, Alberta.

A different kind of Canola photo

Spotted this on July 16, 2018. Off in a Canola field was a fenced area and a sign. Zoomed in and saw that it is an abandoned cemetery. I will have to take a closer look in the fall when the crop has been harvested. A nice little place for a cemetery. 

The benefit of a telephoto lens. The sign says it is Parr Zion United Church & Cemetery 1931 - 1947. Located south of Hanna, Alberta.

Cabrea in Dunrea

Say hello to Cabrea the Snow Goose.

This giant statue of a snow goose was erected in Dunrea, Manitoba in 2000 to commemorate the year 2000. Dunrea is in the snow goose migration path. This statue apparently weighs 1200 pounds.

Its name is a combination of Cabri, SK (also in the goose migration path) and Dunrea.

It was an odd thing to see in small town Manitoba, but it seems like many small towns have their own little thing that distinguishes them . . . like the windmill in Holland, Manitoba, or the giant banana in Melita, MB.

Dunrea also has a large church.

This church is fairly unique in that it not named for one of the common saints like Peter or Paul, but rather for St. Félix de Valois. I didn't know anything about that particular saint, but there is a Wikipedia page about him.

The plaque near the church says "1887-1987".

- Steve Boyko

Pandora\Hutton Cemetery

A old abandoned cemetery south of Hanna, Alberta. The name of the cemetery is no longer on the sign. It has not been in use for at least eighty years. Someone made an attempt to mow part of it. Major work would be needed to clean it up.

You can see the remnants of the name on the ground. "Hutton" on one piece, "Pandora" on the other.

The cemetery is overgrown with Caragana.

Hard to see who is buried here. The two graves in the background had four pillars linked with a chain. The chain is no longer there.

Simple metal signs with welding for letters and dates.

A rock for a headstone. J.H. Rice 1856 - 1917.

Probably the nicest marker here.

Another rock for a headstone. E.M. Townsley 1847 - 1914.

Out in the Special Areas

I was out with Michael Truman (who contributes to this blog) on Sunday July 15, 2018 spending the day exploring the area around Hanna, Alberta. We had a great time checking out some local forgotten history. I learned a few things from Truman and we have a lot of the same interests when it comes to exploring. I was polite enough not to subject him to my tastes in Country music. While looking for an old cemetery we accidentally flushed out this owl. The owl flew to a pole off in the distance and perched there looking annoyed.

For some reason I have seen quite a few owls this year. These are not great pictures but I thought I would post them anyway.

Weekend note

Hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying the sun.

She's a Brick House

Ow, she's a brick house

Well put-together, everybody knows

- The Commodores

I stumbled across this old brick house on highway 3 near Medora, Manitoba. Our family was staying in Boissevain, Manitoba. I had a morning to take photos, so I was driving around, updating my grain elevator photos (see Medora's grain elevator). When I saw this house, I had to stop and snap a few photos from the road.

It looks to be in pretty good shape, and given its location right on a highway, it is very visible. I imagine someone keeps a close eye on this building.

Southern Manitoba has a lot of abandoned buildings. It's a good spot to drive around and see what you can see.

- Steve Boyko

Curious antelope

Usually you can never get one to stay long enough to get a photo. I got lucky a second time this year. Out and about in rural Alberta near Hanna last Sunday and managed to find one that was just as interested in me as I was in him. I managed to get a few photos. This is the best one.

Third Time's the Charm

Our gracious host has visited this pioneer school on two occasions, both those times being in the winter months.  I've decided to be a rebel and post photos of this stately old school taken in the summertime...in fact, these photos were taken just a few days ago on a big, blue and breezy day with lots of cloud action in the background.

Third time's the charm.

Not far away is a sign marking the original location of the school.

The original posts of Fairacres School can be seen here:
Fairacres School October 8, 2016
Fairacres School

- Michael Truman