What a great time Mike and I had on the road exploring around the beautiful province. One trip is never enough but we accomplished what we set out to do. More great places are coming up in the next video so keep an eye out for that. Take care everyone!
I was born and raised in Saskatchewan and have travelled to many places. Thank you for showing an amazing part of Saskatchewan history that I have never seen.
Ontario born and raised and can confidently say that younger generations here are highly interested in learning about Western Canada. Thanks for this amazing video Wade, looking forward to more.
Very cool. My dad immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine as an infant with my grandparents in around 1927…ish. The ended up in Provost Alberta and at the end of the depression moved to the Niagara region where my grandfather developed a fruit farm. I still have my dads grade 3 and four report cards from Provost public school. Thanks for this.
Your channel is awesome. Thank you for showing us all the hidden historical details of time gone by. The photography and drone footage is incredible. Thank you 🇨🇦
The old school at 4:07 had great 12 x 2 Douglas Fir joices in the ceiling. That stuff was shipped by rail all the way from BC back in the day. Looked salvagable. Those old pews at 10:40 look like they could be repaired and refinished. Most pews were solid oak.
and the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian....etc...hard working immigrants built those from their own money ; it was sacrum for them .Thank you Wade,again.
I just discovered your channel and I want to say, each video is of excellent quality. Thank you for sharing your travels, bringing light to forgotten history, and guiding us though these adventures with a peaceful ambiance. I feel that you are very respectful towards the abandoned sites and you are keen to know their story so as to be able to pass it on. It feels like discovering with a friend. Thank you ! 🙏
Some pretty amazing finds! Always feel a little sad when seeing some of these places...so many hopes and dreams of people being forgotten and so much history being lost to the ravages of time.
Hi Wade. I was thinking, I hope you took still shots of (ALL) the Buildings, Church's, Etc.. It would be nice to have some of those Churches of Saskatchewan in print to hang on the wall, they may be desolate now, but beautiful, still.
I tried to film and capture as much as possible and although I focused mostly on video I have some good shots and my friend Mike probably took thousands of amazing photos. I will need a couple more revisits back there sometime since there is so much more that we couldn't get to on this trip. Saskatchewan is a massive province to travel around.
I love this. Something is calling me to move to Saskatchewan...it's been going on for over a year now...If the feeling persist, I will have move there, perhaps in 2025...if the world is still going.
There's something very sad about these places, but very intriguing as well. I live in the States and in a "ghost town" that was wiped out, pretty much, by a tornado in the late 1890s. Amazingly, in spite of tragedy, the community - much larger then - rebuilt the church just a year later. I was one of the people who voted that we preserve it in the late 2000s and it stands today as the last original structure - rebuilt before the town was officially established in 1912 (meaning having its own governing body and recognition in our county and state) - and is a reminder, daily, of the stories of our community's past and future. We can't use it as a church due to a covenant agreement with the church governing body that sold it to the town, but as a landmark... it is truly remarkable. For a town of less than 40 adults, we have heard from so many of our rural neighbors how grateful they are that we preserve it. We even put a new metal roof on it that looks like the original materials so that its pristine stained glass windows and interior will last for generations longer. Thank you for your insightful video.
It seems clear from this episode that those travelers and settlers valued their respective faiths, enough to build places of worship in very "out of the way" places. I so appreciate the history and humanity reflected in these videos!
Years ago the surrounding areas around these churches would have had more population than current days. Rural depopulation and many railways being abandoned to a lot of these communities had a huge impact.
Rural populations have really declined since the early 1900s. At the time there were small communities and populations nearby. Now there might only be a couple farms nearby or a town that has very small populations.
Great job as always! Are the areas surrounding these churches totally desolate? Or are there farms nearby (within like a 30-60min radius by car)? Im drawing parallels to Swedish rural churches which are alot, but theyre still managed by the national swedish christian religious community so we dont see such decay here as they are "active" churches.
Some more desolate than others but the rural populations have really decreased around most of these areas from those early years. You will still find scattered farms around. Abandonment of railways to a lot of these communities was a main contributor to the decline.
The tagging was odd. Who would bother to go that far afield with spray paint? You know, “just in case”. ?? Doesn’t fit my obviously incomplete impression of tagger mentality. PS In an interview with one of the Group of Seven still painting rural Ontario in the late ‘60s observed that prior to 1964 small town Canada was essentially unchanged in appearance for over a hundred years. The cars were the only giveaway. I was 13 in 1964. He was right. I saw it change.
That church was nearby a main road and there must still be enough people around that it looks like it has turned into a hangout spot and some feel the need to destroy. Always frustrating to see.
@Katepwe by your definition, then there should be no churches built since the beginning!!!??? I guess people should go to the corn field to gather , like in the movies, right!?🤔 Somehow, I don't think that they'd built all those churches for no reason!?
Likely villages disappeared, people left for the cities. You see huge processions for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in the Ukraine, Russia, walking for four days and stopping at abandoned churches where confessions are heard and Moleben of the church patron is offered . It is deeply touching to watch. I often wondered if such a tradition exists in Saskatchewan.
AMAZING FOOTAGE! SEEING THOSE CHURCHES JUST STANDING THERE IS KINDA SAD SEEING I AM A CHRISTIAN, ALTHOUGH I KNOW FOR REDEMPTION THEY ARE NOT NEEDED, BUT THEY AT LEAST SERVED TO SPREAD GOD'S GOSPEL. AGAIN IT BLOWS MY MIND ALL THEM BUILDINGS LEFT TO ROOT, SURE WE HAVE A FEW OLD FARM HOUSES HERE IN AUSSIELAND LEFT TO ROOT AWAY, BUT EVEN THEY ARE HARD TO FIND, BIGGER BUILDINGS OR CHURCHES STANDING EMPTY ARE VERY VERY RARE. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT NORTH AMERICA HAS SO MANY OF THESE BUILDINGS, AUSSIELAND IS A BIG PLACE AS WELL, MAYBE IT HAS TO DO WITH A SMALLER POPULATION WHY WE DON'T REALLY SEE FOOTAGE LIKE THIS HERE. ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO I WORKED AT AN OLD MENTAL WARD IN CONSTRUCTION, KEW COTTAGES IN MELBOURNE, HUGE PLACE, LOTS OF HISTORY, IT WAS PARTLY SHUT DOWN, BUT THEY SOLD IT ALL OFF AND THE WHOLE PLACE WAS SET UP AS CONDOS/APARTMENTS, THE STORIES I WAS TOLD OF SUPER NATURAL STUFF HAPPENING THERE AFTER DARK WERE AT THE TIME KINDA SCARY, I WORKED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDINGS, DID ALL THE METAL FENCING AND REMOTE GATES, BUT DID GO INSIDE A FEW TIMES, AND YEAH SCARY PLACE, AND WOULD NOT HAVE GONE INSIDE AFTER DARK LOL, IRISH FOREMAN THAT HAD TO LOCK ALL THE DOORS AT THE END OF THE DAY TOLD ME A FEW VERY STRANGE HAPPENINGS, BRAVE MAN TO LOCK ALL THEM DOORS AT NIGHT. I DROVE PAST THERE AFTER IT WAS ALL RE-DONE, AND YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED IT HAD A VERY VERY DARK HISTORY REGARDING SO MANY MENTAL PATIENTS THAT WERE LOCKED UP THERE.
Until I started searching the backroads I didn't really notice so much abandonment either but there could just be more of that here too. Rural populations have just really decreased over the years and a province like Saskatchewan is massive with a very small population. Thanks for watching!
What a great time Mike and I had on the road exploring around the beautiful province. One trip is never enough but we accomplished what we set out to do. More great places are coming up in the next video so keep an eye out for that. Take care everyone!
I was born and raised in Saskatchewan and have travelled to many places. Thank you for showing an amazing part of Saskatchewan history that I have never seen.
Glad you enjoyed it! I have more to show and hopefully another trip in the not too distant future. Love exploring in Saskatchewan.
Ontario born and raised and can confidently say that younger generations here are highly interested in learning about Western Canada. Thanks for this amazing video Wade, looking forward to more.
Very cool. My dad immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine as an infant with my grandparents in around 1927…ish. The ended up in Provost Alberta and at the end of the depression moved to the Niagara region where my grandfather developed a fruit farm. I still have my dads grade 3 and four report cards from Provost public school. Thanks for this.
Your channel is awesome. Thank you for showing us all the hidden historical details of time gone by. The photography and drone footage is incredible. Thank you 🇨🇦
Thank you very much!
I’ve been at the church at 11:21 many times. If you look carefully and in the right light you can see gold stars painted on the blue ceiling.
A beautiful spot!
That it is. There are a few other old churches in the area. Not to sure if you found them or not.
The old school at 4:07 had great 12 x 2 Douglas Fir joices in the ceiling. That stuff was shipped by rail all the way from BC back in the day. Looked salvagable. Those old pews at 10:40 look like they could be repaired and refinished. Most pews were solid oak.
I'm surprised all of these places weren't stripped completely bare a long time ago. There's still doors, fixtures, window frames, pews, some furniture
Yes I wish more was salvaged from these places also before they become complete ruin.
The Ukanaian churches were beautiful would have looked so nice when first built
and the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian....etc...hard working immigrants built those from their own money ; it was sacrum for them .Thank you Wade,again.
Yes they sure were, it would have been a sight to see back when they were first built.
Thanks as always for watching!
I love the back roads! Always try to catch some in a new city.
I always recommend people get off the main roads whenever possible.
Beautiful. Moments lost in time like tears in the rain.
( Blade runner. 😆)
I loved my time traveling around and seeing such beautiful places.
Pretty buildings beautiful landscape. Thx. Greetings from the Netherlands
Sure was! It was an amazing trip to see a lot of this forgotten history.
I just discovered your channel and I want to say, each video is of excellent quality. Thank you for sharing your travels, bringing light to forgotten history, and guiding us though these adventures with a peaceful ambiance. I feel that you are very respectful towards the abandoned sites and you are keen to know their story so as to be able to pass it on. It feels like discovering with a friend. Thank you ! 🙏
Awesome, thank you! I really appreciate it!
Some pretty amazing finds! Always feel a little sad when seeing some of these places...so many hopes and dreams of people being forgotten and so much history being lost to the ravages of time.
Yes there were some amazing finds indeed. The deterioration of these beautiful buildings is sad.
Hi Wade. I was thinking, I hope you took still shots of (ALL) the Buildings, Church's, Etc.. It would be nice to have some of those Churches of Saskatchewan in print to hang on the wall, they may be desolate now, but beautiful, still.
I tried to film and capture as much as possible and although I focused mostly on video I have some good shots and my friend Mike probably took thousands of amazing photos. I will need a couple more revisits back there sometime since there is so much more that we couldn't get to on this trip. Saskatchewan is a massive province to travel around.
Awesome video Wade. Beautiful production as always. Love the Back roads concept. Looking forward to seeing more.
👍🍀
Thanks as always! I have more to come for sure.
Thanks for sharing!
I appreciate you watching!
fascinating work thank you for sharing this! I photograph churches myself as an art form, I found this video very inspiring!
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much, and good luck with your photography.
Amazing video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful video. Thanks for sharing. These are the places I love to see.
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks!
Awesome! 👍😎🇨🇦🌾
Thank you! Cheers!
So many old churches and other buildings falling down, Soon be gone. thanks for putting a video on.
Thanks for watching!
I love this. Something is calling me to move to Saskatchewan...it's been going on for over a year now...If the feeling persist, I will have move there, perhaps in 2025...if the world is still going.
I really enjoy the vast openness of Saskatchewan and there are so many beautiful places. Can't wait to get back again.
Should have shown the Model Farm church just outside of West Bend. This is where my family homesteaded over 120 years ago.
We did see it just down the road. Very nice spot!
great visuals and music.
thanks!
Many thanks!
There's something very sad about these places, but very intriguing as well. I live in the States and in a "ghost town" that was wiped out, pretty much, by a tornado in the late 1890s. Amazingly, in spite of tragedy, the community - much larger then - rebuilt the church just a year later. I was one of the people who voted that we preserve it in the late 2000s and it stands today as the last original structure - rebuilt before the town was officially established in 1912 (meaning having its own governing body and recognition in our county and state) - and is a reminder, daily, of the stories of our community's past and future. We can't use it as a church due to a covenant agreement with the church governing body that sold it to the town, but as a landmark... it is truly remarkable. For a town of less than 40 adults, we have heard from so many of our rural neighbors how grateful they are that we preserve it. We even put a new metal roof on it that looks like the original materials so that its pristine stained glass windows and interior will last for generations longer. Thank you for your insightful video.
It would be interesting to know if any of the abandoned churches had cemeteries around them. It would be hard to tell with all the overgrowth.
Mostly yes...
Yes most have cemeteries near them. If not right by the church sometimes just down the road.
Always love your videos Wade! Keep it up man you are doing amazing!
Glad you like them!
Thank you Wade for this amazing travel to the past. Wish to see those sacred placed in their glories times full of parishioners ...
Glad you enjoyed it!
that paint is still holding up though! quality
I enjoyed visiting these places and the bright colors still existing was great.
It seems clear from this episode that those travelers and settlers valued their respective faiths, enough to build places of worship in very "out of the way" places. I so appreciate the history and humanity reflected in these videos!
I think it too would be like having a little piece of “home”, something familiar amongst all the unfamiliar things.
Years ago the surrounding areas around these churches would have had more population than current days. Rural depopulation and many railways being abandoned to a lot of these communities had a huge impact.
Beautiful, sad and dreams of a better life
That school at 2:00 almost looks like they plastered over the windows because it got too hot. I wonder.
Not sure, most were boarded up that I saw.
These old orthodox churches are literally ALL OVER Alberta. My aunt has photographed and written a book about them.
"Ah, beautiful old building"
Yes, in a way, they all tell a story.
Yes they sure do. When walking around these places it is hard not to imagine the days when they were being used and enjoyed.
I love these old churches. But how come they are all in the middle of nowhere? Where were the communities that made use of them?
Rural populations have really declined since the early 1900s. At the time there were small communities and populations nearby. Now there might only be a couple farms nearby or a town that has very small populations.
Great job as always!
Are the areas surrounding these churches totally desolate? Or are there farms nearby (within like a 30-60min radius by car)? Im drawing parallels to Swedish rural churches which are alot, but theyre still managed by the national swedish christian religious community so we dont see such decay here as they are "active" churches.
Some more desolate than others but the rural populations have really decreased around most of these areas from those early years. You will still find scattered farms around. Abandonment of railways to a lot of these communities was a main contributor to the decline.
Some incredible churches. It's a shame to see them being left to rot in the elements.
Lovely onion churches!
They sure are!
The tagging was odd. Who would bother to go that far afield with spray paint? You know, “just in case”. ?? Doesn’t fit my obviously incomplete impression of tagger mentality.
PS In an interview with one of the Group of Seven still painting rural Ontario in the late ‘60s observed that prior to 1964 small town Canada was essentially unchanged in appearance for over a hundred years. The cars were the only giveaway. I was 13 in 1964. He was right. I saw it change.
That church was nearby a main road and there must still be enough people around that it looks like it has turned into a hangout spot and some feel the need to destroy. Always frustrating to see.
Why?
Makes one wonder, where's the god? To let all those beautiful churches abandoned ?!😢
Thanks for the historical video .
👍
You don’t need a building to find your “god”.
@Katepwe by your definition, then there should be no churches built since the beginning!!!??? I guess people should go to the corn field to gather , like in the movies, right!?🤔
Somehow, I don't think that they'd built all those churches for no reason!?
Likely villages disappeared, people left for the cities. You see huge processions for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in the Ukraine, Russia, walking for four days and stopping at abandoned churches where confessions are heard and Moleben of the church patron is offered . It is deeply touching to watch. I often wondered if such a tradition exists in Saskatchewan.
It is just the unfortunate reality that when the rural populations decreased over the years less people and money to care for these places.
Who Tags the inside of a Church ????????? WHY ????
My thoughts exactly. It was frustrating to see.
AMAZING FOOTAGE! SEEING THOSE CHURCHES JUST STANDING THERE IS KINDA SAD SEEING I AM A CHRISTIAN, ALTHOUGH I KNOW FOR REDEMPTION THEY ARE NOT NEEDED, BUT THEY AT LEAST SERVED TO SPREAD GOD'S GOSPEL. AGAIN IT BLOWS MY MIND ALL THEM BUILDINGS LEFT TO ROOT, SURE WE HAVE A FEW OLD FARM HOUSES HERE IN AUSSIELAND LEFT TO ROOT AWAY, BUT EVEN THEY ARE HARD TO FIND, BIGGER BUILDINGS OR CHURCHES STANDING EMPTY ARE VERY VERY RARE. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT NORTH AMERICA HAS SO MANY OF THESE BUILDINGS, AUSSIELAND IS A BIG PLACE AS WELL, MAYBE IT HAS TO DO WITH A SMALLER POPULATION WHY WE DON'T REALLY SEE FOOTAGE LIKE THIS HERE. ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO I WORKED AT AN OLD MENTAL WARD IN CONSTRUCTION, KEW COTTAGES IN MELBOURNE, HUGE PLACE, LOTS OF HISTORY, IT WAS PARTLY SHUT DOWN, BUT THEY SOLD IT ALL OFF AND THE WHOLE PLACE WAS SET UP AS CONDOS/APARTMENTS, THE STORIES I WAS TOLD OF SUPER NATURAL STUFF HAPPENING THERE AFTER DARK WERE AT THE TIME KINDA SCARY, I WORKED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDINGS, DID ALL THE METAL FENCING AND REMOTE GATES, BUT DID GO INSIDE A FEW TIMES, AND YEAH SCARY PLACE, AND WOULD NOT HAVE GONE INSIDE AFTER DARK LOL, IRISH FOREMAN THAT HAD TO LOCK ALL THE DOORS AT THE END OF THE DAY TOLD ME A FEW VERY STRANGE HAPPENINGS, BRAVE MAN TO LOCK ALL THEM DOORS AT NIGHT. I DROVE PAST THERE AFTER IT WAS ALL RE-DONE, AND YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED IT HAD A VERY VERY DARK HISTORY REGARDING SO MANY MENTAL PATIENTS THAT WERE LOCKED UP THERE.
CAPS = FLAKE BAIT!
Until I started searching the backroads I didn't really notice so much abandonment either but there could just be more of that here too. Rural populations have just really decreased over the years and a province like Saskatchewan is massive with a very small population. Thanks for watching!