The East Wing of Saint Mary's

Saint Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church dates back to 1914 with additions in 1920 and then again in the mid-50's.  The photos here were taken in the latter addition completed in 1956.  I felt quite at home there in the east wing...me and it being the same vintage and all.

Photographed in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on December 17, 2019.

Saint Aidan and Saint Hilda at Rexboro

Tucked into a dense grove of trees is Saint Aidan and Saint Hilda Anglican Church and Cemetery.

The church was originally constructed of logs in 1910 with a belfry on the front corner of the building.  In 1914 a vestry was added, and three years after that, the original belfry was dismantled and a prominent central porch entrance and belfry was built.  

Also of note in the early years were the addition of horizontal tongue-in-groove boards to cover the interior walls and horizontal drop-siding on the outer walls.  As it now stands, you'd never know is was of log construction.  And something of a personal favourite is the cedar shake roof...a little something that adds a touch of charm to this handsome historical building.  

And last but not least, and as is seldom the case, the church was established before the cemetery with the earliest burial in 1912.

Information courtesy of Canada's Historic Places.      

Photographed at Rexboro, Alberta on February 22, 2021.

Holy Ascension at Wasel

The area between Smoky Lake and Two Hills is rich in Ukrainian pioneer heritage.  Holy Ascension Russo Orthodox Church and Cemetery near Wasel is one of many I like to visit when in the area. 

The churchyard is a mile and a half north of the North Saskatchewan River and covers about eleven acres of land, making it one of the larger churchyards I've seen in my travels.  In most cases, the cemetery is directly beside the church but here it is on a raised plateau five hundred feet northwest of the church...just a nice walk on a fall day.  I love the view across the cemetery, past the church and over the vast prairie landscape.    

In past times being a member of a church congregation was an important part of life for most everyone...

...and since there were only monthly services conducted at Holy Ascension, a little girl named Matushka Vasylyna Ungurian would walk barefoot with her family over four miles north to Saints Peter and Paul at Dickie Bush to worship most every other Sunday.

Not many years later and all grown up, she married Vasyl Ostashek at Holy Ascension.  They homesteaded, farmed and raised a family near the church...and later on in life Vasyl became an ordained priest and he and Matushka served Holy Ascension along with several other nearby temples for the rest of their natural lives.  

Then at the age of one hundred and five years, Matushka joined Vasyl, who had passed away twenty years earlier, at her home church of Holy Ascension.  God bless them.  I love a happy ending. 

Walking barefoot all those miles?  That was in order to save her "Sunday best shoes."

Information courtesy of the Canadian Orthodox History Project.

Photographed near Wasel, Alberta on September 19, 2021.

Madoc School

The former school in Madoc, Montana.

Had a nice visit with a father and son who were repairing a truck in their garage a little ways down the street.  

There's not much left in Madoc; some abandoned buildings, vehicles and machinery, a pair of old grain elevators, the train hasn't passed through town in decades...and that's just the way they like it.

I took my leave just as they were being called in for lunch by the head of the house.

Photographed on September 16, 2023.

A Beautiful Place out in the Country

Known locally at "The Little Stone Church."

Holy Trinity Anglican Church was photographed at Deer Creek, Saskatchewan on July 16, 2023.

Two Weeks in September

My end-of-the-year post focuses on one two week long trip from this past September...one photo from each day of the trip.  Enjoy!

September 12, 2023

Windcrest S.D. No. 3938 near Crestwynd, Saskatchewan.

This abandoned schoolhouse always seemed to be a little elusive on previous road trips but "today was the day," as they say, so I went a little out of the way for a look.  It's been a long time since anyone went to school here but it still looks pretty handsome out on the open prairie. 

September 13, 2023

Federal Grain Elevator at Moreland, Saskatchewan.

Built by the Golden West Company in 1916-17 and later operated by Federal Grain.  At the time of my visit it had been closed for sixty years...several years longer than it had been in service.  

September 14, 2023

Tonset Church and Cemetery near Lignite, North Dakota.

I'd stopped here some years ago but relished the idea of once again traveling the winding one-lane road through the countryside for another visit.  I liked this photo of the church partially hidden by trees and shrubs, lending it to a slightly mysterious air.  The church and cemetery served the area from 1916-1968...and are both still lovingly cared for.   

    

September 15, 2023

Ralph Allen Railway Museum in Oxbow, Saskatchewan.

Heading east from Estevan on an overcast and cool Saturday morning, a cup of coffee in the cupholder and no particular place to go.  Along the way I passed through the Town of Oxbow where I found this fine old train station on main drag.  I wish they could all be as well-kept as this one which now serves as an historical museum.   

September 16, 2023

Salem Lutheran Church and Cemetery near Kelvin, North Dakota.

Had spent the better part of the day exploring north-central North Dakota, an area rich in Scandinavian pioneer history.  But, before crossing the border into Manitoba for the night, I wanted to make one last stop to see this lovely country church in the Turtle Mountains.  The church was originally built at another location in 1914 but years later when the highway was established it was moved  to its present location in 1939 for easier access by the church parishioners.  Looks ever so good in the early evening light.               

September 17, 2023

A threshing machine on a hill overlooking some cows by a pond near East McHenry, North Dakota.

Another day out seeing the sights in north-central North Dakota.  Ample amounts of winter snow, spring rain and summer showers kept the landscape green and lush well into fall.  Lots for the domestic and wild animals to eat and drink...good for them.  Sometimes a simple view like this really does make my day. 

     

September 18, 2023

Stone and concrete sculptures near Brandon, Manitoba. 

Saw these last year but just had to take a few more photos of them.  As it turned out, this was my only photo stop of the day as I spent the remainder of it visiting my sister in Brandon.

September 19, 2023

Old Saint Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery near Gardenton, Manitoba.

A revisit I had been looking forward to since I first saw it last fall.  Old Saint Michael's was built 1897-1899 and was the first Ukrainian Greek Church in all of Canada.  My previous visit had been in the morning so, in order to get a different view of things, this time I stopped by for a late afternoon perspective.  A beautiful historic site that looks good anytime.      

September 20, 2023

Old Saint Elias Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Cemetery and Bell House at Sirko, Manitoba.

Deep in southeast Manitoba, only a mile north of the border, stands Old Saint Elias Church.  As well as the log church built circa 1908, there is a log bell house of traditional design and a large cemetery on the grounds.  It is said that the church is one of the best examples of Bukovynian architecture in all of Canada.  Definitely a "must-see" when traveling along Sunbeam School Road.   

September 21, 2023

Saint Peter Dynevor Anglican Church and Cemetery near East Selkirk, Manitoba.

A huge stone church built 1853-1854 on the eastern bank of the Red River that replaced a smaller church built nearby in 1836.  The new church faces towards the river, which would have been the main thoroughfare of the day.  Chief Peguis called this his home church.

  

September 22, 2023

Beach scene near Camp Veselka, Manitoba.

I had a few hours to explore the Gimli area before lunch with a friend in Winnipeg Beach.  My first stop was just north of town at a summer camp where there was an old church.  After taking some pictures I traveled a little further east where I could hear water splashing.  Soon a beach scene came into view...I was on the shore of Lake Winnipeg. 

     

September 23, 2023

Saint Michael's of Archangels Roman Catholic Church near Meleb, Manitoba.

A country church built in 1917-1918 by Polish settlers.  The church was named after the chief builder, Michael Gottfried and all the other pioneers named Michael.  That was a very popular name at the time.  The church closed to regular services in 1960 but is still maintained by a heritage committee.

September 24, 2023

Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery at Maryville, Saskatchewan.

It seems I can't get enough of this old beauty.  Anytime I'm within a hundred miles of it I'll gladly make the detour to see it once again.  Mysterious, lonely, magnificent, solemn, abandoned...and all but forgotten.  

 

September 25, 2023

Carrot River Valley Lutheran Church and Cemetery near Carrot River, Saskatchewan.

The last photo stop of my trip...only about a mile off the main highway was this spartan but welcoming country church in a lovely autumnal setting.  Regular services every Sunday morning at 11:00.  Then I was on my way home.        

Happy trails to you!

Long Shot near Caribou

Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery...

...a beautiful place out in the middle of nowhere.

Photographed near Caribou, Minnesota on September 20, 2023.

Kingsley Church, Cemetery and School

An early-afternoon stop at Kingsley, Manitoba where I discovered a red brick school next door to a small country church and cemetery.

Brick schoolhouses are always a little special here in the prairie provinces...there aren't many of them.  This one was built in 1907 and operated until 1968.

And as luck would have it, the school is being renovated to its former glory.

Near the school is the unassuming Kingsley United Church which dates back to 1882.

The interior is frugal...

...but the pews are rich in colour (and history).

One must have to stoop pretty low to "remove" a bible from a church.

Just a little north of the wood-frame church is the cemetery that is bordered with a post and chain fence.

There are well over one hundred burials here.

Information courtesy of the Manitoba Historical Society and Find A Grave.

Photographed on August 17, 2022.

The Mystery Bell

Saint Andrew's-Trinity Anglican Lutheran Church.

The plaque reads:

'After a fire destroyed the original St. Andrews Anglican Church in 1918, a new church was built at 402 Main Street.  This bell was installed in the steeple in 1923 and was replaced in 1929 due to a crack.  This bell had no value and was used as a flower pot in the yard across the street from the church then disappeared.  In 1959, a mysterious bell was found during the excavation for the Rosetown Co-op store at the corner of Main Street and 3rd Avenue West.  The Mystery Bell was moved to the town storage yard.

'In 1978, the history of the bell came to light but there was no use for the cracked bell so it remained in storage.  St. Andrews Trinity Anglican Lutheran Church celebrated 100 years in 2009.  To commemorate this anniversary, the original bell, also known as the Mystery Bell, returned to the church yard and acts as a monument to both St. Andrews Church and the Town of Rosetown.

'"May the inspiration fostered by our pioneers be continued with God's guidance"'

Above is a photo of the long lost Mystery Bell which now holds a place of historical distinction on the deck beside the church.

At the time of my visit the church was in excellent condition and used regularly.

Photographed in Rosetown, Saskatchewan on October 23, 2018.

Leather Creek Bridge

A one-arch bowstring bridge midway between Star City and Tisdale, Saskatchewan.

Looks as sturdy as the day it was built.

It's tucked in behind some shrubs and easy to miss when passing by.  I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "blink and you'll miss it."

Skip out of school and go fishing with a friend.  Those were the days.

Photographed on September 24, 2023.