Mayfield Cemetery

Mayfield Cemetery is located south of Alsask, Saskatchewan in the R.M. of Chesterfield No. 261 and northeast of Empress, Alberta.

According to information on Canada Gen Web's Cemetery Project site this cemetery was established when a pioneer named Zach Leach lost his daughter 

May to tuberculosis in the winter of 1913.  It was too cold to make the trip to Alsask so he donated a piece of his land for the cemetery which is named in 

her honour.

As you will see in the photos above, I had some company during my visit.  When I reached the far end of the grounds I suddenly heard a loud rattling.  I had disturbed a rattlesnake that was sunning itself and it was giving me fair warning not to come any closer.  After the initial surprise I got a few photos of it returning to its den underneath a large headstone.

This well tended cemetery sits on top of a hill and offers a panoramic view of the surrounding prairie and coulees.  It's a particularly appealing spot, rattlesnake included.  Everyone should be so lucky to end up in such a lovely setting.

About six or seven years later I made a return trip to Mayfield Cemetery and it looked much the same as in the photos shown here.  Someone is taking good care of it and that's always a good thing to see.  And I also met another rattlesnake sunning itself just down the road from the cemetery.  Nice to see some things don't change.

Photographed on June 2, 2017.

Happy!

Winter has returned to the prairies!  Windy, blowing snow and freezing cold.  

These shots of sunflowers were just what I needed to cheer me up.  Hopefully they'll do the same for you.  Enjoy!

Photographed west of Hilda, Alberta on August 11, 2017.

Ogema B.A. Gas Station

A vintage service station in Ogema, Saskatchewan that I've had the pleasure to visit over the years, and hopefully for many more years to come.  

Photographed on October 26, 2017.

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church

This is Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

During my visit here on July 23, 2022 I met Ernie, the fellow in charge of the restoration and general maintenance of the church and grounds.  He and his crew have done a remarkable job of returning the church to its former glory.   

The church was built 1921 and is located in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin.  There is also a bell house on the church grounds and the associated cemetery is just a couple of miles down the road.

While the exterior of the church has been extensively restored, the interior has been left virtually untouched and just as it was over one hundred years ago.

Kudos to everyone involved in keeping our history alive. 

Photographed on July 23, 2022.