Day Fourteen
We packed up to leave the wonderful open prairie to the clouds and 5 minute sprinkles that we have gotten very used to. We travelled the back roads of southern Saskatchewan. We get a sad feeling as we drive by these little towns that are practically ghost towns. For example Orkney was almost totally abandoned. The church, school, at least two stores, the grain elevator and most houses were falling into total disrepair. The rail line was removed. The next little town of Braken still had the rail line and a working grain elevator so the town was not totally dead, but the question is for how long?
As we travelled north we moved from grain farms to more cattle ranching. We ran into a rancher moving his cow/calf herd up the road to a new pasture. He had used his horse and dog to round up the cows. His dog then started to work the cows up the road while he loaded his horse onto the trailer and he drove behind.
We hit our next abandoned town, Robsart. This is the reality of life in rural Saskatchewan. Our destination today is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. We arrive by noon and found a nice campsite in the woods. Cypress Hills is the highest point in Canada between the Rockies and Newfoundland. It is an oasis in the prairie. As a result, many plains tribes settled here for the winter and was a source of wood for fires, teepee poles, shelter from the winter wind and water from the Battleford River.
After a quick lunch, we drove to the middle of the park to Fort Walsh. We had a 1.5 hour tour. The first part of the tour we learned about the details of the events that lead to the formation of the NWMP and the creation of Fort Walsh. The history lesson was a bit harsh for the girls to hear, but it is part of our history. The second half of the tour is in the fort itself and the girls were treated as new recruits. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
Back to Maple Creek for groceries and then on to camp for supper. Thunder storm rolled in just as we got to bed and the park got 2.5 cm of rain and a big storm.
Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills
Whiskey trader on trial.
Recruits Kaitlin and Brenna completing their assignments and being sworn in to the NWMP
Dinner in Cypress Hills Provincial Park
As we travelled north we moved from grain farms to more cattle ranching. We ran into a rancher moving his cow/calf herd up the road to a new pasture. He had used his horse and dog to round up the cows. His dog then started to work the cows up the road while he loaded his horse onto the trailer and he drove behind.
We hit our next abandoned town, Robsart. This is the reality of life in rural Saskatchewan. Our destination today is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. We arrive by noon and found a nice campsite in the woods. Cypress Hills is the highest point in Canada between the Rockies and Newfoundland. It is an oasis in the prairie. As a result, many plains tribes settled here for the winter and was a source of wood for fires, teepee poles, shelter from the winter wind and water from the Battleford River.
After a quick lunch, we drove to the middle of the park to Fort Walsh. We had a 1.5 hour tour. The first part of the tour we learned about the details of the events that lead to the formation of the NWMP and the creation of Fort Walsh. The history lesson was a bit harsh for the girls to hear, but it is part of our history. The second half of the tour is in the fort itself and the girls were treated as new recruits. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
Back to Maple Creek for groceries and then on to camp for supper. Thunder storm rolled in just as we got to bed and the park got 2.5 cm of rain and a big storm.
Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills
Whiskey trader on trial.
Recruits Kaitlin and Brenna completing their assignments and being sworn in to the NWMP
Dinner in Cypress Hills Provincial Park
posted by Winter Family Web Logs at 1:03 AM
1 Comments:
(sigh) You're making me homesick.
While in Cypress Hills, did you climb to the top of Bald Butte? You can see for 20 miles or more on a clear day.
/rw (from the office)
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