source: Farm and Food ReportSaskatchewan poet Gary Hyland sees culture in rural Saskatchewan's every facet of life.
"My family members all grew up on a homestead in Woodrow, southwest of Moose Jaw. I have always had a close connection to the land on my mother's side. Many of my friends come from rural Saskatchewan. Many are authors themselves or citizens who enjoy successful careers in the arts. And yet, it seems rural Saskatchewan rarely gets the attention it deserves in terms of its contributions to Saskatchewan's cultural identity."
Recognition, it seems, is in the works. Gary Hyland was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in February. Here is how the official announcement described his own contribution:
"Gary Hyland was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1940. After obtaining a B.A., B. Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan he taught high school English. He was a founder of the Moose Jaw Movement which included Lorna Crozier, Ed Dyck, and Robert Currie, among others. His books After Atlantis and White Crane Spreads Wings won Saskatchewan Writers Guild poetry manuscript awards. He is the founder and artistic coordinator of the Saskatchewan Festival of Words."
Hyland's journey as a community activist is greeted with encouraging small victories that provide him and others the kind of inspiration that catches like prairie fire.
"I am constantly amazed at how many rural communities are really coming out with innovative concepts to make themselves more sustainable, such as the festivals in Gravelbourg, Swift Current, Coronach and Maple Creek; the theatres in Assiniboia, Rosthern, and Meacham; and the way towns like Tugaske and Ruddell are attracting artists with low-cost housing."
What Hyland finds particularly encouraging is how these cultural events are not only attracting urbanites on a quest for new sensations, but also rural Saskatchewan residents -- who, until now, had this unfulfilled longing for artistic and cultural events where they would see themselves portrayed as complex individuals with a life rich beyond what conventional wisdom would recognize in them until now.
"Central to the current renewal that I see is this authentic vision -- authenticity meaning staying as close as we can to the original ways and facts as we know them. Moose Jaw is looking at a Heritage Centre project to interpret the uses of the river valley through time. There is a long history there. This would mean honouring the truth about the early encounters between First Nations, early explorers and settlers in the area. We must respect the wisdom of those who have gotten to know and appreciate this land, rather that to superimpose a history shaped to arouse the interest of tourists."
Hyland believes there is an inherent narrative component to the land, waiting for interpretation -- waiting to be captured by the worthy.
"When I travel to Willow Bunch I want to see it the way local inhabitants see it. This requires a bit of work on the part of visitors. You can't experience the essence of a community without investing a bit of time there -- investing yourself in it. One of the aspects of life that distinguishes us in rural Saskatchewan is this accessible leisure quality that connects us to a certain sense of peace in Radville or at Thompson Lake, just to name a couple of places."
In Hyland's opinion, that stimulation of the mind through the elements and the special closeness to the land rural folks have developed and earned over the last century could well lead us -- collectively as a society -- to crops we hadn't thought of harvesting -- until now, that is.
For more information, contact:
Gary Hyland
g.hyland@sasktel.net
http://www.garyhyland.com
source: Farm and Food ReportIn southeast Saskatchewan, Harvey MacFarlane is known as a quiet and engaging Clydesdale horse breeder with a passion for teaching folks how to drive a team of horses -- and he has the patience to do it, as his students will attest.
He has just committed himself to an ambitious project: selling wagon trek experiences to tourists and local people who just don't have the resources and equipment to do it on their own; people who are eager to try journeying on Prairie Schooners.
"We have over 20 head of well-trained Clydesdales right now, and we are building three covered wagons that will seat 10 people and join into the treks that have been organized during our Centennial year," MacFarlane says. "The first of the season, the 2005 Heritage Trek, will leave Moosomin on May 30, heading for Estevan, where it will arrive on June 9th. It will retrace the route that the North West Mounted Police took in 1886 to establish the detachment assigned to patrol the border."
In May of 1886, the Southeast had welcomed trekkers with rain, cold temperatures and snow flurries. However, that did not dampen the spirit of the hardy men who spent 12 days on the backs of their horses, and slept on the wide open prairie.
In 2005, a few luxuries are allowed on MacFarlane's version of the trek. "We're going to have tents with propane heaters for the nights that are cool," says MacFarlane. "On some treks you have to do your own cooking, but local service clubs along the route are providing meals and entertainment every night for us on this one."
MacFarlane has given a lot of thought to achieving the right balance between tradition and comfort.
"We use a vinyl tarp on the wagons in case it does rain and for durability. If you have a lot of wind, you need something that will stand up to the elements. The wagons are going to be built six feet wide with seating down each side, so it leaves enough room for people to get in and out without stepping on each other. We are trying to make the trip comfortable, yet as authentic as possible."
One major issue is the wagon wheels themselves. Conestoga wagons were the original Prairie Schooners. Although designed for overland trips, with steel tires on wooden rims, ride quality did not figure as highly as functionality in specifications.
"The wooden wheels are definitely more authentic, but they aren't nearly as nice to ride on. When you are going across country, and there are gopher holes and what not, they jar a fair bit. The rubber tires make it a much more comfortable ride for people who aren't used to bouncing around. They are also easier to pull for the horses," according to MacFarlane.
What is it like to ride on a wagon for a whole day?
"You get up in the morning and have your breakfast. We're going to make between 12 and 14 miles most days, most of it all across prairie country. One day we have 22 miles to make and one day, we have only seven. The trek stops often to let people take pictures, get out and move around. Bagged lunches are provided for when we stop at noon. Then we carry on into camp and set up. We're going to help the guests who want to participate in the care of the horses learn how to hook and unhook; harness and unharness; and groom the horses if they want. Clydesdales are gentle giants, and mine love the attention."
People come from all over to go on these treks, says MacFarlane. "We were down on the Roche Percee Trek one year and a wedding took place there for people who met on the trek a couple years previous. You develop friendships with people you might never meet if you weren't on these treks."
MacFarlane is pleased that trek organizers are allowing him to make this experience available on a commercial basis.
"You know, there are a lot of older people who maybe used horses and would like to sit behind them again for a day or two. I have one fellow who wants to bring two of his grandsons on this trek, for part of it. He's really looking forward to them seeing how he went to school behind a team of horses. It'll give riders a chance to understand what the pioneers went through to settle this country, by moving from one spot to the other with just the horses to get them there."
There is time for sharing, for just looking around at nature, or at the convoy as it slowly makes its way south.
"With the cover on the wagons that we can roll up for visibility and put down for bad weather, the trip should be enjoyable. With a bunch of people who aren't used to going out and spending all day in the saddle or in wagons, trek organizers have kept the mileage low, to take away some of the discomfort. It is an easy day for the horses. Horses working in the field were expected to make 20 miles a day, just to give you a comparison. I've ridden over 50 miles a day, many days myself."
The logistics of this adventure are impressive.
"On this trek, we are going to move support vehicles ahead each day to the next camp site. That allows us to carry enough feed so the horses don't have to go out and graze at night. Guests will have access to sanitation facilities, and there will be a water truck for the horses. If you have a couple of hundred horses out there, that takes a lot of water."
MacFarlane can't wait to get this show on the road. "We can transport up to 12 horses at a time. Whether we need four on a wagon for a particular stretch or just two, that'll depend on the terrain and on how many people are going. So please tell your friends about our 2005 Heritage Trek."
For more information about the 2005 Heritage Trek, visit: www.cap.estevan.sk.ca/trek or call Delores Cutler at (306) 453-2987.
For more information, contact:
Harvey MacFarlane
Sanguine Clydes
(306) 698-2253
www.sanguineclydes-wagontrek.com
source: Farm and Food ReportWhen school groups come for a visit at Sheila Sperling-Law's Prairie Wool Farms in the Bear Hills south of Biggar, they can count on a lot more than just a tour:
"We run 50 ewes; a llama to keep the coyotes away; an alpaca that looks lovingly at the llama; we have two rams and 54 lambs that we raise for meat, hides and wool," Sperling-Law says. "For younger children, we have a felt project. We put layers of carded wool inside a plastic bag with warm soapy water and they rub it from the outside, flat on a table. The combination of friction, temperature and pressure makes the fibres stick together."
Sperling-Law explains how, after 15minutes, the fibres have become a layer of felt.
"The felt sheet is rinsed out under cold water; we fill up syringes with different kinds of Kool-Aid type beverages or Easter egg dyes; the kids inject the colours into the felt in patterns of their choice. The felt is then placed back into the bags, which are boiled for 20 minutes to allow for the colour to set in. In the end, they take home a very unique reminder of the moments they spent with us."
Experiential learning programs and activities have always been at the centre of this occupational therapist's approach to agritourism.
"My husband and I have been working on this vacation farm project for six years now. I traded a quarter of cultivated land for a piece my father owned with too many hills for his taste. It came with a stone house and yard that hadn't been occupied since 1944. We acquired another house that we moved here from 11 miles away -- with a coffee house/bed and breakfast concept in mind."
The mortar on the stone house had become too unstable, so Sperling-Law and her husband decided to dismantle it and build a new cordwood stackwall house instead. Fred Law got to work on the new structure made from recycled cedar and telephone posts. It is basically two separate walls made of eight-inch long logs laid side by side in mortar, but separated by a two-inch wide layer of vermiculite and concrete for extra insulation. The original fieldstones are being laid along the walls to reinforce them and give the building a certain additional character.
"Once Fred finishes the house in 2006, we'll move in and open the bed and breakfast as planned in the place we live in now. The vacation farm concept is very dear to our hearts. With others in the area, we have recently launched the Bear Hills and Prairie Trails Tourism Association to further develop our region's tourism potential. But even as it is, we have plenty to offer."
When guests come to Prairie Wool Farms, they are taken around the yard and to the lambing barn. The last week of April, May and June are the best times to come because of the new lambs.
"We then go to the wool shop and show them how we wash, pick, blend and spin the wool. We blend our wool with bison, alpaca, llama and silk. People have actually asked us to spin their dog's hair, too. We also started to experiment with natural plant-derived dyes made from marigold flower, alfalfa, clover, rhubarb, lichens and black-eyed Susan."
Sperling-Law finds most of what she needs in her own backyard. It is one of the things she learned since she registered in a Master Spinner Certificate Program. She and her husband are just full of ideas, like the willow maize project they have been working on for some time.
"We have lots of reasons for people to come," she says. "We have cut and dried willows and woven them into a fence in the shape of interconnecting rooms, each with a theme. There is a rose room; a lily room and a native grasses room. In a way, what we do here is the continuation of a journey back home to Paradise."
You see, Sperling-Law had been living away in Alberta and British Columbia for 20 years, until she came back to the Bear Hills region with Fred, an Alberta native who has made the leap of faith -- as she describes it -- and moved to beautiful Saskatchewan with her.
For more information, contact:
Sheila Sperling-Law
Prairie Wool Farms
(306) 882-4542
