A Family Odyssey

On July 24, the day after Dad's service those of us who could make it took a family trip to Bienfait, Roche Percee, Estevan, and Weyburn. 12 of us traveled in three vehicles. It was a trip down memory lane for some, and a voyage of discovery for those who had not made the trip to historic Bienfait before.

First stop was Bienfait. We met by the old train at the end of Main Street. This was an old steam engine, no longer in use and now a historic site. I remember in about grade 6 or 7 being taken down to witness the dedication of it. A Salvation Army band used to play there on Saturday nights, and sometimes there was a watermelon stand selling whole watermelons.

The Intrepid Explorers

We found Bienfait much changed. Most of the businesses are gone.

The hotel is still there. The bar hasn't changed much since the hotel was built; though the "Ladies and Escorts" sign wasn't over the entrance any more. Wonder if the place still rocks on Saturday nights like it used to.

The Legion still looked much the same. This building replaced the old building that stood in front of it. The new one was built when we lived there, as a result of a huge fund raising campaign. The old one was where they showed movies to the town's children on Saturday nights while their parents were at the bar. The movie cost 25 cents to get in, and a pop and a bag of chips was another quarter. There was also popcorn, most of which was thrown at the screen during the boring mushy parts.

Downtown Bienfait the way it is now. When we lived there, every business was occupied. Now there are a lot of vacant lots and boarded up stores. The cafe is still open, and Walliser's garage has become a convenience store/gas bar. Where the doctor's office once stood is now a vacant lot.

Next stop was the first house we bought in Canada. We found it for sale. Dad bought it for $10,000 back in 1962. Now it is listed for $159,000! And that does not include the vacant lot beside it that we once owned. That has a house on it now. The house still looks much the same, though much smaller than I remembered it. Funny how that happens.

What was once the slough behind the house where Graham and Melvin Rohatyn caught frogs and garter snakes is now filled in with houses. The first house Rohatyn's had lived in, across from ours is now owned by a couple we got chatting with. The wife was someone who I had gone to school with, Vivian Barker.

The hospital doesn't look much changed from the outside; but it is now a nursing home, or lodge.

On the hospital steps.

This tree outside the hospital seemed a good place to leave Mom and Dad.

This used to be the High School. It has undergone extensive renovations, but the basic structure remains much the same. It is now the elementary school. High school kids go to Estevan. It was named Weldon school after the translation of the town name, Bienfait, to English, Well done.

After a brief stop to befriend a friendly cat, it was on to the next house we lived in.

This is the house with a full sized pool table in the basement. It is likely still there, as it is much too big to get out. We bought it with the house and sold it with the house. The slate under the cloth would weigh a ton. This is where Graham was taught by Uncle George to be a pool shark, and Uncle George cleaned up down at Gub's Pool Room. This house was much larger and quite a step above the previous one. The front steps have been replaced, and we remember a low brick wall around it, and brick planters. Again, it was a good place for Mom and Dad.

We strolled the length of Bienfait, along the route we took to school (uphill both ways, through raging blizzards and sharing one shoe in the wintertime). We passed the Anglican Church where we attended Sunday School for a time until Rev Dunstan Pasterfield left, and Canon Watts came, and wanted us all baptized. Mom had like Rev Pasterfield, but found Canon Watts rather arrogant. The Catholic and United Churches are still there, but we didn't see the Ukrainian Catholic Church any more. Many of the houses looked the same.

The friendly couple we got talking to had told us there was now a picnic area across from the old rink, and beside the swimming pool, which has been built since we lived there. We stopped for a picnic of leftovers from the previous day. They were very good.

We tried to go to the museum. It was once the railway station, and has been moved to where the elementary school once stood. I was there in 2005, and remembered they had a display from the old hospital including the delivery table on which Dad brought so many babies into the world; and a quilt from the Legion that has Mom's name on it. But unfortunately, though the sign outside said the museum would be open it was not.

Lorne Walliser, an old family friend, came to meet us. He had accompanied us water skiing, and flying, and was a part of the family during the Bienfait years.

Then it was on to Roche Percee. This is an interesting spot about 5 miles south of Bienfait. We journeyed past land that when we lived there had been "spill piles". These were huge mounds of bare dirt that had been dug up and dumped by the big draglines during strip mining coal. We remembered it as barren, steep mounds of yellow clay rock on which nothing would grow. In between the mounds were the tailings ponds, which were gloomy dark smelly pits which had filled with water and leeches. We used to swim in them, but it was very dangerous. Now the spill piles had been smoothed down and reclaimed as pasture land, and the tailings ponds filled in. It was a much more attractive view.

Roche Percee (Pierced Rock) is a sandstone outcropping. It was a place revered by First Nations people as a holy place. At one time there were petroglyph's carved in the rocks, but these have long been replaced by generations of young people carving their initials and protestations of undying love.

These pictures were taken in 2005 when Dad and I came down here for the Bienfait reunion. We took a side trip to Roche Percee. We remembered family drives here. One of the tailings ponds had a fresh water spring and was sandy and good for swimming, and there was a pretty little park in the river valley where we used to go for picnics. The park is no longer there, but there are plans to restore it.

When we lived here, these rocks were joined and one could walk across them. Now they have fallen in.

It is still a really neat place and we spent a few hours climbing around and exploring the rock formations and caves. All of us remembered coming here as children. Graham remembers riding bikes here with his friends.

Again, it was a good place for Mom and Dad.

Then we headed to Boundary Dam. It had changed too. We remembered just a boat launch, but now there is a recreation site.

They still Water Ski on Boundary Dam

Another good place for Mom and Dad

In Estevan I wandered down to check out the old A & W. It is now a Chinese restaurant. Estevan was pretty much unrecognizable from what we remembered. It is a suburban city, with fast food places, and hotels and stores catering to the oil industry and the influx in population brought by oil.

After a brief stop for Timmies and a bathroom break (The facilities at Boundary Dam having been somewhat more primitive than some of us prefer), we were off to Nickle Lake. Marsha was able to sweet talk us in without paying the park fees, which would have been $27.00, by explaining what we were doing.

Nickle Lake is now a very pretty regional park just outside of Weyburn. When we were there it was pretty much just bare prairie, with a few scrubby looking saplings planted. We water skied there when we moved to Weyburn. Now those trees have grown, and there is a camp ground, a nice beach and picnic area, complete with a concession stand.

Again, Mom and Dad

A mustard field just outside of Nickle Lake.

Then it was off to Weyburn. First stop in Weyburn was the old house, 608 Maple Drive. It was much changed and updated. The carport had become a garage, there were new windows, doors, and new paint. There was a large garage where the shed used to be, and the back door and back deck where Dad used to barbecue his lamb chops in January were gone. He used a hibachi, for which he had built a metal stand, and barbecued year round. Once the electric barbecue starter died in January and Mom went to the co-op to replace it. They laughed at her saying they didn't stock them in the winter, not much call for them in January.

Renovations were still underway. Looks like an addition is planned.

We knocked on the door to explain to the new owners who we were, but he didn't invite us in to look around.

The yard was much the same, though looked bare without Mom's petunias in the front. The fence that Dad, Al, Graham and Howard had put up in an afternoon was still there. Dad was very particular in building things, Howard and Al not so much. Dad had purchased lumber and planned a fence across the lot. Well, they put in the posts, and Dad had gone into the house to find his measuring tape and levels. He emerged to find the fence almost finished! Howard and Al put it up using hammer widths to measure and level it.

Yet another stop for Mom and Dad.

Then the final stop for the tour was the Weyburn Hospital.

We went inside and introduced ourselves. The nurse on duty in Emergency, Barb Whelen knew Dad, and invited us in to look around. A nurse who had worked with Dad, Lorrie Steer showed us around the ward. She said Dad had delivered two of her babies. It was nice to see Dad was still remembered.

The delivery room where Dad delivered so many healthy happy babies. They don't deliver babies at Weyburn hospital any more, this room is now used for stress tests.

Dad's partners, Wayne Squires and Oscar Decter. Both gone now. They asked us for a picture and story about Dad to be placed on the wall by the entry way with these two pictures.

One final stop for the day for Mom and Dad

Then as the sun set in the west and the moon rose in the east, we headed back to Regina after a day well spent. We finished our day with a fine meal at Earls.