Weyburn - In my last column, which was in the August 23rd edition of the Weyburn Review, I mentioned an upcoming family reunion that occurred over the September long weekend.
While I was placed in charge of the food for the weekend, my older sisters planned the activities.
Much of the weekend was spent visiting our “roots” – my Grandparents’ homestead, our family farm, as well as the Bengough museum.
My Mother’s name and photo appear a few times at the museum as she was a teacher in a one-room country school back in the 1940s.
Another highlight was seeing a model of the community of Horizon, built to scale, located at the elevator there. The town was much bigger back in the 1940s and 50s. Only a few buildings remain today.
We were fortunate to have the builder, Bob, (no, not THAT Bob the Builder) show us where everything was located in the town.
A sign above the model states that construction time was approximately 1,000 to 1,200 hours. The detail is impeccable and impressive.
This was the closest community to my Grandparents’ farm, and where they did much of their business.
The farm near Horizon, where my Mother was born, is now community pasture, but the house my Grandad built in 1926 is still standing, as straight as ever.
The inside of the house is in disrepair, but all three floors of the tiny home are accessible. We all marvelled at how well constructed the home is for being nearly 100 years old!
No visit to the area would be complete without a trip to Castle Butte. Those who could climb it, did … and those who could not, sat and watched the others from our lawn chairs.
If you have never explored this area of the Big Muddy, it is a must-see. My great-nieces enjoyed climbing in and out of the caves and exploring the Butte.
It is on private land, but the owners have graciously allowed the public to visit. I consider it to be one of Southern Saskatchewan’s most beautiful places.
