BRESYALOR — Have you ever wondered why some communities grew while others declined? There were probably a number of reasons, but one of the main factors was highway access.
In 1882, when the first settlers arrived in the Bresaylor settlement, there were only dirt trails crossing the prairie. When the railroad came through in 1905, a siding was built every eight miles, with a crew stationed there to keep the railroad repaired four miles each way. Communities sprang up along these sidings. Such was the hamlet of Bresaylor.
During this time, better roads were also built. The first highway through Bresaylor was a dirt road with no gravel, known as the Jasper highway. The highway followed the railroad tracks through Delmas. East of Bresaylor, it crossed the tracks and followed the road allowance, missing Bresaylor by one mile to the south. The highway went straight west past Pete Paynter’s place and then four miles north to Paynton, where it again followed the tracks for one mile through Paynton before heading north once more. This meant where Bresaylor had only one hotel, Paynton had three, and it was probably the same for other businesses.
In 1929, the highway was moved to along the tracks through Bresaylor, which meant more business for the hamlet. The highway was finally gravelled in 1937. Around that time, bus service began and a service station opened in Bresaylor.
In 1954, the highway bypassed Bresaylor to the north, as well as bypassing Paynton and Delmas. Eventually the highway was paved. A decrease in traffic into these communities resulted in a loss of business, which forced businesses to relocate to the larger centres.
John Petty sold his service station in Bresaylor to Jack Currie and moved to Paynton, where he built a service station on the Paynton bypass. After two years, Jack closed the garage and it was pulled out to a local farm for a shop. Hugh Petty, who owned a store in Bresaylor, dismantled the building and used the lumber to build a house in Paynton, where he started an electrician business. By 1958, the population of Bresaylor had declined to the point where the school was closed.
In 1979, the highway was moved back through Bresaylor, taking up part of the hamlet. With the creation of the four-lane highway in 2007, another two lanes were built over the hamlet of Bresaylor.
Bresaylor now has a population of one and the museum. Through the efforts of the Bresaylor Heritage Museum board members and volunteers, Bresaylor and its history will continue into the future.
The Bresaylor Heritage Museum is open again for the summer by appointment only until Aug. 31. Please phone Enola at 306-893-8002 or Bob at 306-895-2075 to arrange a guided tour by one of our volunteer staff. Check out the Bresaylor Heritage Museum Facebook page for more information.
