Our visit to the Simpson museum over, we headed for the Nokomis Museum, taking the road past the national Last Mountain Lake Wildlife Area.
This is the oldest wildlife reserve in Canada, dating to 1887, well known for whooping crane sightings during migration.
The small interpretive centre is being enlarged. A bridge damaged by 2015 floods has been repaired, allowing visitors to take the scenic mile tour around the lake tips.
Sightings included pelicans, ducks, willet shorebirds, an American avocet, great blue heron and a red-tailed hawk whose flight frustrated the camera three times.
The Nokomis Museum is located in an old CNR station and attached to another building. The museum offers rooms dedicated to garage, blacksmith, general store, military schools, orange Lodge and IOOF.
Lots of photos grace the walls with a neat set of photos depicting the province’s round barns. Two of them are in the Nokomis area.
The wildlife exhibit we had heard so much about was small and disappointing with mounted birds and animals.
Lunch at the hotel, no pie, then we headed south on the east side of Last Mountain Lake driving through Govan, Duval and Strasbourg. All are neat and tidy.
A statue of a whooping crane greets visitors to Govan. The numerous new houses at Duval were surprising. My friend found his favourite Strasbourg meat shop was closed.
His family used to have a cottage on the lake. He recalled heading to the Strasbourg beer parlour with family one day. They didn’t stay long. A storm blew out the hotel door and they headed out to see if the cottage was still there.
At Bulyea we stopped at the cairn commemorating the province’s first Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Elevator, removed several years ago due to decay.
When we got to Silton, Keith took a turn west to find the Longlaketon Cemetery and his great-grandfather’s grave.
We took a wrong but rewarding turn. A century old mud house stood in a little clearing. The wooden roof is dilapidated, but the mud walls seem intact.
At the 1886 Longlaketon Cemetery, one of the oldest in Saskatchewan, we found the grave. We found an expensive tree trunk shaped memorial dated 1905.
Heading on we stopped at the historic 19th century Hudson Bay Company trading post along the highway. Unfortunately, the buildings are no longer open.
Everything was locked up.
Three cars of visitors were disappointed at this victim of provincial budget cuts in the few minutes we were there.
One more quick stop for ice cream outside Lumsden and we headed home.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
