Just a Gal from Glidden: Whatever is good for the soul - do that
By Kate Winquist
kate@yoursouthwest.com
It’s amazing what a little sunshine and warmer temperatures can do for a person’s mental health. As I said in one of my ramblings a few weeks ago, I had a case of the February blahs. That two weeks of frigid temperatures, plus the ongoing COVID saga, was enough to drive even the sanest person over the edge.
Not only has the weather improved, but the Scotties Tournament of Hearts is back on TSN, and we can watch curling again! How about Saskatchewan’s Sheri Anderson Rink? She finished first in her Pool after a shaky start at the beginning of the week with a loss to Prince Edward Island, but rebounded with big wins over Jennifer Jones and Team Fleury, skipped by Chelsea Carey. At the time of writing this, the Anderson rink was set to start the Championship Round against Team Canada. No matter what happens, they have made the province proud.
It was Pink Shirt Day last Wednesday, and it was fantastic to see all of the participation. Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and online. Anti-Bullying Day originated in Canada and is now celebrated on various dates around the world.
There have been many positives this week, and I can safely say now that February is in the rearview mirror, spring is just around the corner. The days are already getting longer, and the sun has some heat to it now, slowly melting our winter’s snow. It seems like forever ago that the big blizzard hit on the weekend before Remembrance Day. It has been a long three months since then!
The highlight of my week (as it usually is) was Saturday, February 20. I didn’t even have to suggest that we go for a road trip. Robert beat me to it this time. “Let’s get the hell out of Dodge” is one of his favourite sayings. So we left “Dodge” and decided that we would head back down the number 7 highway. Now that we have taken over The Oyen Echo, I felt that I should know that area a little better. The first stop we made was turning right onto a grid to snap a picture of the Alsask Radar Dome. I have always been fascinated by its architecture, sometimes referring to it as the World’s Largest Golf Ball.
For those of you who follow our Facebook page, you will be aware that I sometimes share photo galleries of my adventures and this week was no exception. I used the Radar Dome photo as our website’s Photo of the Week, and I had posted six of my favourite images from the day. The response that the post was getting was quite phenomenal. Then I received a private message from Fred Armbruster, who happens to be the Executive Director and Founder of the Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association. Fred was concerned that my photo was compromising the site’s security and asked me if I would remove the picture. By rights, I probably did not have to remove it, but I obliged. I did end up sending Fred a copy of the photo for the Museum’s archives. However, all was not lost as I am hopeful that Fred will grant us an interview coming up, and I was also invited to have a tour of the Dome once the snow disappears.
We ventured into Wild Rose Country (Robert always wants to know who Rose is?) We drove into the hamlet of Sibbald. I remember hearing my classmates’ stories driving to Sibbald on their 18th birthday to drink beer legally in the Sibbald Hotel. I’m not sure when the Hotel closed. We did pop into Oyen, and I got a few snapshots of some teenage boys playing a game of shinny. Everyone and their dog was out for a walk, quite literally!
We headed north towards New Brigden, a place that I had never been. I had never been on the highway towards Consort. Robert had worked rigs many years ago in the area, but he too had never been to New Brigden, Sedalia or Esther, the three places we stopped that day.
It was well worth our while to check out all of these communities. The New Brigden water tower reminded me of the water tower in Wartime, SK. I was also impressed that such a small place had a tire shop and, of course, the New Brigden School.
We stopped at the Sedalia Co-op, and I had a quick visit with Ed, the manager and Shelby. I mentioned to Shelby that she was the main reason that I stopped in. I follow the Sedalia Co-op page on Facebook and had a good chuckle at Shelby’s Bernie Sanders imitation with mittens and all.
Our final stop of the day was at the bona fide ghost town of Esther. Esther was named after the community’s Postmaster’s daughter, Anna Esther Landreth, in 1914. The townsite was established in 1926 alongside the newly constructed C.N.R. rail line. The Esther elevator was one of three original elevators built by the Alberta Wheat Pool. Prior to the train coming to Esther, farmers made the 14 mile trip to Loverna to sell their grain.
If any of our readers have suggestions on where I might head next, I’m always up for an adventure. Adventures are good for the soul and whatever is good for the soul is what we should be doing.
Photos by Kate Winquist
The Esther elevator is the oldest wooden elevator remaining in the province of Alberta. It was built by the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1926. It closed in 1979.
Esther Garage
The water tower in the Hamlet of New Brigden, Alberta.
The Alsask School is a Municipal Heritage Property built in 1914.
The Sibbald Hotel, which is no longer in operation.
The Sedalia Co-op was built in 1925 as a private store. Six community members bought it in 1942 and it has been community owned ever since. They are a general country store that has everything from soup to nuts! Manager Ed Thornton (right) has been running the store since 1996. On the right is employee Shelby Blair.