Milk River Valley Church of the Brethren

One of my favourite abandoned churches that's way out in the middle of nowhere.

The Milk River Valley Church of the Brethren is located northwest of Kremlin, Montana and west of the Fresno Reservoir in Hill County.  It is also known as the Kremlin-Gildford Church of the Brethren and has long been abandoned.

For those who aren't familiar with the area, this church is less than forty miles southeast of Comrey Cemetery in southeastern  Alberta.  And I'm sure everyone knows where Comrey is, right?!  

The inside-looking-out window views in the two photographs directly above are views of the cemetery across the road from the church and what may have been a parsonage.  The original parsonage burned down during the construction of the church between 1915 and 1918 and I believe this may have been its replacement.  Other than that, I could find no other online information about the church or cemetery.

Enjoyed my trip into the wilds of Montana that day and seeing this old abandoned church, well...made my day!

Photographed on May 21, 2017.

Quiet Nook School

The following quote is from William Peter Baergen's "Pioneering with a Piece of Chalk - The One-Room Country Schools of Alberta 1885–1982"

"The descriptive, poetic name was suggested by

Mrs. Perley, who said that, except for the occasional 

squeal of red river carts over the Victoria

Trail, or the shrill whistle of a steamboat on the

river, it was a relatively quiet nook. Opened in

fall 1912 in this cosmopolitan mix by Mr.

Coyne, who did not finish the term. Mr. Perley,

a trustee who had taught in the United States,

finished the term on a permit, as he had no

Canadian certificate. A two-room school was

built on NE 6 and the original one-room was

sold for use as a community centre. Closed in

1957 and the children were bussed to Vilna. It

also became part of the Quiet Nook

Community Centre. In 1964, it was donated to

the Shandro Museum of artifacts for its final resting 

place."

Photographed at The Historical Village and Pioneer Museum (now closed) near Shandro, Alberta on November 09, 2024. 

Fenster's Time Share

Fenster's Time Share in Hamlet, North Dakota.  

Don't forget to book your stay.

Photographed on June 20, 2023.

Post Office in Monitor

The abandoned post office building in Monitor, Alberta.  I love the facade and that the lettering is still legible after all these years.

Photographed on November 6, 2024.

Happy New Year from The Witch House

All the best in 2026!

Photographed near Dollard, Saskatchewan on November 18, 2021.

Happy Hallowe'en from The Witch House

Don't eat too much candy.

Photographed on October 30, 2025.

Return to the Witch House

Missed my annual spring road trip to the Witch House earlier this year but made up for it today.  Enjoy!

It had rained heavily the night before so the road (really just a graded trail) to the site was not worth the risk to drive so I parked the car and walked the mile round trip there and back through the ditch.  Managed to get plenty wet and muddy in the process but I definitely got my exercise for the day.  Back at the car I was off to Jack's Cafe in Eastend for lunch.  

Photographed near Dollard, Saskatchewan on July 18, 2025.

Saint Asaph's near Bangor

A look inside Saint Asaph's Anglican Church...

The church was established in 1905 by Welsh settlers.

To quote a plaque in the nearby Llewelyn Cemetery:

"To be born Welsh is to be born privileged, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but with poetry in your blood and music in your soul."

Love and appreciation with heart and soul.

The church hasn't been used in years but is still in reasonably good condition.  That new metal roof should keep it safe for many years to come.

A shot of the church from the Llewelyn Cemetery.

This is the trail that leads from the cemetery to the church.

And this is the sign just off the main road. 

Photographed near Bangor, Saskatchewan on July 22, 2022.

Technology Invades the Landscape

The old Congregational Church near Gros Ventre-Tothill has some new neighbours...and not the kind of neighbours anyone wants.

My usual jaunts southward on either Eagle Butte Road or Buffalo Trail used to have the most beautiful views.  Clear sailing southward with unobstructed views at they wound their way up higher and higher into the Cypress Hills.  

But now, these massive turbines have invaded the landscape as far as the eye can see.  They're just everywhere now.  

Progress? Looks like landscape pollution to me.   

Photographed near Gros Ventre-Tothill, Alberta on April 27, 2025.

Easter

Greetings from Hope Lutheran Church in Kayville, Saskatchewan.

Enjoy your Easter weekend.

Photographed on January 26, 2022.

The Old Shishkovchi Church

When settlers from western Ukraine arrived in 1903 they soon formed the parish community of Shishkovchi, Alberta.  Later that same year they secured forty acres of land from the government for the construction of a temple and establishing a cemetery, and over the next three years they worked hard to build their place of worship.  In 1906 the temple was complete.  Even though no official plans for the church building were ever drawn up they created a truly "Byzantine" temple in their new home in central Alberta.  

Of interest, the shingles for the roof were paid for with eggs. 

Years later...

When the new Shishkovchi church was completed in 1963 the old church building was donated to the Shandro Historical Museum, where it still stands.  Above is the plaque identifying the handsome old building at the museum.

A look inside the old church.  Still beautiful.

The new church...

Construction on the new Shishkovchi Church commenced in 1953 and was completed in 1963.  A brief history and some photos on the new church can be seen here: Shishkovtzy 

Shiskovchi has many different spellings including Shishkovtsi, Shishkovtzi, Shishkovtzy and most likely a few others.

Information courtesy of the Canadian Orthodox History Project.

Photographed near Shandro, Alberta on November 9, 2024.

A Few Days Ago at Zion Lutheran Church

Photographed near Horsham, Saskatchewan on February 13, 2025.

A Few Months Ago at Zion Lutheran Church

Photographed near Horsham, Saskatchewan on October 27, 2024.

A Beautiful Place Out in the Country

Greatly enjoyed my trip to the long abandoned Hurricane Lake Church.  I'd wanted to see it first hand for several years and wasn't even sure if it was still standing when I ventured out.  But, as you can see...   

Photographed north of York, North Dakota on September 16, 2023.

Snow at the Witch House

No trip to southwest Saskatchewan would be complete without a visit to the Witch House.  

It had been exactly a month since my last visit, and the views couldn't have been more unalike.  A month ago it looked like this: Sunrise at the Witch House

Photographed near Dollard, Saskatchewan on December 2, 2024.

Late Fall

Near Boian, Alberta.

Photographed on November 9, 2024.

Sunrise at the Witch House

On this occasion my visit to the Witch House was an illuminating experience. 

Photographed near Dollard, Saskatchewan on November 2, 2024.

Swaying in All Directions

Photographed north of Foremost, Alberta on October 17, 2024.

Elkhorn Township School #4

The largest of the four schools in Elkhorn Township and it's a real beauty.  The design is one of the grandest I've seen in all of northern North Dakota.

This handsome old school is only about four miles southeast of the third schoolhouse.  And, to see all four schools is only a seven mile trip through the countryside...and a beautiful countryside it is.  Time well spent.  

Little school out on the prairie...

...and bales.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota has done an excellent job of documenting the past, making their website invaluable when it comes to research.  I've spent countless hours "finding" new spots to visit on my road trips.  "Thank you" for all your dedicated work in keeping history alive.   

Photographed in Elkhorn Township, North Dakota on June 18, 2023.