East of Three Hills, Alberta

One of my summer hold over photos from last year. 

July 12, 2020.

Middle of the Road

 

This cute little church is in southern Manitoba on highway 75.

The odd thing is that it is almost literally ON highway 75 - it is in the middle of the four lane highway, between the southbound and northbound pairs of lanes.

This is the Union Point church, which together with the adjacent cemetery are the last vestiges of Union Point. You can read more of the history of the town here.

Steve Boyko

Traingeek Website

No Name Cemetery

The cemetery is located here:   51.969028, -111.539936

On an internet search it was referred to as No Name Cemetery/Sounding Lake Roman Catholic Cemetery. Sounding Lake is about thirty five miles away as the crow flies so that name seems doubtful. So I am not sure what the name is. It is a one acre plot with five marked graves. One grave is marked with a plain metal cross and no name. The most recent date on a headstone was 1934. I suspect it was a Catholic Cemetery. I could find no name posted anywhere to identify this place. There is a barbed wire fence surrounding it in good condition so someone might be looking after it. There is not much around.

Random Alberta barn

Avon School 1941 - 1962

A former one room school in very rural southwest Saskatchewan. This is the second location. Current use is as a community centre. The school faces west and there is nothing around for miles. 

Very neat and small inside.

Random ranch sign

Spotted last weekend.

Abandoned Alberta

Long abandoned farmhouse south of Fleet, Alberta.

Found this by chance by taking a road I had never been on.

The triumphant return of the bale post

March 20, 2021 along Highway 21 north of Camrose, Alberta.

Abandoned Lutheran Church

This is between Swift Current and Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan. I was a little disappointed when I got here. I had been wanting to see this church for some time. The problem was that I had seen photos of it posted but I did not know the exact location. After I finally found where it was I made a point to see it a couple of months later. Winter in Canada is not always conducive to travel. I got here on March 6, 2021 after a nasty cold snap subsided.

Internet photos made it look better than it was. The photos I had seen showed it intact. When I got there the steeple had been torn off, likely in a storm. The interior had some graffiti. Out of all of the abandoned churches I have encountered it seems that there are more abandoned Lutheran Churches than others. I have not kept track, it just seems that there are more of them.

The remains of the steeple.

The interior was in poor condition and empty.

Tireman

Tireman is an advertisement for Tireman Market Garden.  Spotted near Spalding, Saskatchewan.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Speeder in the Snow

Where I come from, that being southeastern Saskatchewan, these little railway vehicles were known as speeders. Saw this one near Janow Corners, Saskatchewan.

Whenever one went by I instantly thought of "fun." That vision still applies.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Brownville School 1926 - 1960

This one is in the middle of nowhere in the corner of southwestern Saskatchewan. The roof is relatively new and my thoughts were that it was likely done to preserve it a little longer when I stopped at the side of the road. 

It was when I found it was open that I got a surprise. 

The Gray Homestead

I have posted this place in the past, usually as just a photo post. Glen Bowe has a well written and researched post about this homestead north of Cereal, Alberta. It is a great read.

glenbowe.home.blog/2021/03/11/the-gray-homestead

Evidence of another tree growing in Saskatchewan

Recommended reading

Michael Truman's blog is always worth a look.

michaeltruman.blogspot.com

Pella Mennonite Church

Long abandoned church in a little valley. There is a small cemetery nearby. The nearest town is Neville, Saskatchewan. This one had been on my list for some time.

Abandoned Saskatchewan cemeteries

Two cemeteries in this post since they are not that far apart. These are between the Alberta/Saskatchewan border and Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. Red Lake is on the south side of Highway 1, Kincorth is only a couple of miles away on the north side of the highway.

Red Lake United Church Cemetery

There are supposed to be two cemeteries on this quarter of land about one half mile apart. I managed to find one. There was once a church at this location and it was in use until the late 1930's then in 1939 it was moved into Golden Prairie, Saskatchewan. I did not find any evidence where a church once stood. It looks like there might be four to ten people interred here. There are no markers and badgers have done a lot of damage to this place.

At least one person has remembered this place.

Lutheran Cemetery Kincorth, Saskatchewan

I guess there once was a bit more to Kincorth at one time. Now there is only a one acre cemetery.

This marker is just off the highway. Up the road from the highway about a mile or two is the cemetery.

Highway 1 is just off in the distance just past where the road takes a curve.

Historical Society marker.

Unique marker.

Off in the corner is a child's grave.

At the foot of the grave is this marker.

Off in the corner is a fenced gravesite for a husband and wife. I am curious as to why the burials are so far apart.

Not much snow in early March. If you did not know these two places were so close to the highway you would never notice them driving by.