Sceptre boasts the world’s largest metal wheat sculpture
By Mallory Cawthra
Whether you are familiar or unfamiliar with Sceptre, it’s a great place to re-visit or explore for the first time. Collins’ online dictionary defines Sceptre as “an ornamental rod that a king or queen carries on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of his or her power.” Did you ever hear that joke about why the Queen’s wand is called a sceptre? Because everyone in the empire works, ‘cept her. Interesting to note that many of the street names in Sceptre have a royal connotation, for instance: Queens Avenue, Prince Street, Jutland Street, Throne Street, Kingsway Street, Crown Street, and George Street.
Sceptre is abundant with outdoor mural art, as well as painted cartoon fire hydrants, The Great Sandhills Museum and Interpretive Centre, and the world’s largest metal wheat sculpture. Wikipedia also makes mention that Sceptre is the birthplace of five-time Stanley Cup Winner and Hockey Hall of Famer, Murray (Bert) Olmstead. Sceptre was incorporated as a village in 1913, is located in the Rural Municipality of Clinworth, and is about 20 kilometres East of the Town of Leader, and about 25 kilometres North of the Great Sand Hills Ecological Reserve.
The world’s largest metal wheat sculpture stands ten metres tall (33 feet) and is white in color. It was constructed and installed on August 4th, 1990, by farmer and welder George Jaegli, also known as “George the Genius,” of Cabri, Saskatchewan. A plaque on the metal wheat sculpture states: “Dedicated to the pioneers of the Great Sand Hills area.” The sculpture is located near the Sceptre library on Kingsway Street. Jaegli also constructed the 6.4 metre (21 feet) Chokecherry Cluster at the village of Lancer. One of the murals in Sceptre is painted by Shirley Diehl, and depicts a switchboard operator. The mural explains that the Sceptre rural telephone company was incorporated in 1917, and that 1966 marked the arrival of the dial system and the end of the operators.
The Great Sandhills Museum and Interpretive Centre, which operates in the summer, was opened in 1988, and is housed in the former school. It contains 11 themed room displays, with exhibits highlighting the natural and human history of the area. The grounds contain the historical village, complete with a barn, church, antique farm machinery, 1900’s house and wildflower gardens. The Great Sandhills Museum is a gatekeeper to the Great Sand Hills Ecological Reserve. As well, various painted cartoon fire hydrants are located throughout Sceptre, which are a blast to find. Sceptre is definitely worth checking out!
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