Monday 31 May 2021

Christ Lutheran Church Francis, Saskatchewan 1926 - 1960

I have had five people in the last six weeks contact me about where this church is located. I find this kind of funny since I do not live in Saskatchewan. It is an abandoned church northeast of Francis, Saskatchewan. It is not that hard to find. I made a stop here on my recent road trip. The entrance has a locked steel gate. The last time I was here it was a few years ago in winter. There is really nothing around for miles.





Sunday 30 May 2021

Mystery elevator

South of Summerberry, Saskatchewan there is an abandoned elevator in a field. South down a gravel road from the highway you will eventually see it on the east side of the road. Some weeks prior a person that I correspond with gave me the location and I got photos from the road last Thursday. The solitary elevator stands in a private field with no town nearby and no name that I could see. No evidence of a rail line either. There was nothing to identify it on Google Maps.

After taking photos I headed north back to the highway. After a few miles on a whim I waved down a pickup headed in the opposite direction. I asked the farmer if he knew anything about the elevator. I just happened to meet someone who informed me he lived a half mile from the elevator and gave me the name and a little history. Back in the day it was a rail stop. Now it is a home for skunks, mice, raccoons, and other creatures. 

The sits on an abandoned rail line that was known as the Peanut Line because it was a small line. It ran from Wolseley, Saskatchewan to Reston, Manitoba, a distance of one hundred twenty-two miles. The stops from Wolseley were Adair, Deveron, Baring, Kaiser (now known as Peebles), Windhorst, Neelby, Bender, Kennedy, Dumas, Wawota, Walpole, Fairlight, Maryfield, Ebro, Ewart, and Reston. The last three are in Manitoba. Most of the places on the line do not exist anymore. The line existed from 1906 to 1961. The elevator in this post is the Deveron Elevator. 



Saturday 29 May 2021

Linkage

Some great stuff at:

michaeltruman.blogspot.com

Moose Jaw, Broadview, Moosomin too

Quick road trip Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from my home outside Leduc, Alberta to the Manitoba border. I drove about a mile or two into Manitoba to where I found a spot where I could turn around on the four lane highway. Now I can say I have been to Manitoba. I was not going to stay anywhere in Manitoba because they have COVID restrictions so it was overnight in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. 

You cannot go to a restaurant in Alberta or Manitoba but you can in Saskatchewan. That made the trip worthwhile.

Now I need to organize some stuff and put up some posts.



Unimpressed owl

Spotted on a church roof last weekend.

Thursday 27 May 2021

Wednesday 26 May 2021

Old Red Garage


An old red garage just off the highway near Kelstern, Saskatchewan.

I've always liked this old-fashioned style of building with the prominent front facade.


- Michael Truman

Tuesday 25 May 2021

Flowerdale / May Pole School 1914 - 1953

North of Bodo, Alberta. I recently discovered this and was a little irked as I had been in the area several times before and somehow missed it. The school is quite small.




Monday 24 May 2021

And then everything was green

A couple of days of rain and greenery appears. 


 

St. Donatus Church 1915

Lone church in Saskatchewan close to the Alberta border. There is no town nearby. I think the church might still be used on occasion. It is well kept and someone recently taped off the pews. It look ready for a service.

Was here May 22, 2021.





Sunday 23 May 2021

Friday 21 May 2021

The long weekend awaits

Last day of work at the current job. Of course that means that the computer system has to have multiple crashes and there has to be a few complaints with a few angry clients. Soon it will not be my problem. I get to go to a different job and deal with a different set of problems. I will have a week to myself before I start anything.

For some reason I am being spammed again. I might not mind so much if it was interesting spam.

It is the Victoria Day Weekend and I am looking to take a trip somewhere. The problem is that most places I want to go have rain in the forecast. This weekend in Canada is always hit and miss.

Onward.

Wednesday 19 May 2021

Utopia School 1904 - 1950

May 15, 2021 southeast of Pincher Creek, Alberta.

Today there is a snowfall warning for the area.



Tuesday 18 May 2021

Oats


The "oat stem" landmark in Ituna, Saskatchewan.


Constructed of welded steel and weighing in at over 2000 pounds. 

The three bottom stems represent the prairie provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.


- Michael Truman

Monday 17 May 2021

Random Waterton

Waterton National Park in Alberta May 15, 2021.

There was a fire in September 2017 that forced the evacuation of the town in the park. The fire was stopped just short of the town. A lot of the spots were closed in the last few years as infrastructure was being repaired. Most of it is open now.

Photos are of Waterton and the roads to Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Lake.










Sunday 16 May 2021

Bear with me

Saw a mother bear with two cubs yesterday in Waterton Park, in Alberta. I could not get a shot of mom. I did get some shots of the kids that I really wish were better. The cubs are not that big, pretty young.





Saturday 15 May 2021

Quick barn post

Hard to find a classic barn where you can get onto the property and get a decent photo. For this one I happen to know the owner. Unfortunately it started to rain when I was here.

I am looking forward to hopefully getting back into the swing of posting.

Friday 14 May 2021

1936 Ford Fire Truck


A "caged" 1936 Ford fire truck at the Melville Heritage Museum in Melville, Saskatchewan.

The building is the former Luther College built in 1913.


- Michael Truman

Thursday 13 May 2021

Return to Gregg

 

I like going back to places I've been. The light is always different, it might be a different season, things may have changed.

The only time I don't like going back to a place is when I know something beloved is gone, like a grain elevator. There are a few towns in Manitoba that I haven't been back to because I know their elevator was demolished, and I don't want to see the empty space where the elevator used to be.

Anyway, I returned to Gregg, Manitoba recently. I hadn't been there since 2018 so it was time for a revisit. Everything was still there.

I started with the Kerwood Church. This time I looked in the front door to see the interior. I don't usually do that but this church looked inviting and everything was unlocked. It looks very plain inside but that's OK. That's probably how it has always been.



I took the same shot of the old barn and grain elevator that I took in 2018 - view the other post to compare. The elevator is the same but the boards are disappearing from the barn. That old weathered wood is probably going to some other project.


Of course, I photographed the grain elevator a few times. Here's a different angle than 2018.


Many happy returns!

Steve Boyko