Day 23 – Saturday June 10/17
Today was a day of deviating from plans. Our plans had us moving on to the Cypress Hills area of Saskatchewan and Alberta. We were booked to stay in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in the Alberta side. Our plan was to unhitch and backtrack to Saskatchewan to explore Fort Walsh National Historic Site. However when we looked at the map more closely and talked with fellow campers we realized that we’d be having a round trip journey of over 300 km which would be time consuming as well as unnecessarily gas consuming. So we cancelled our Alberta reservation and headed to the Saskatchewan camping facility.
As we ate breakfast in our trailer at Grasslands National Park before departure we were visited by two interesting birds species – marble godwits and western meadowlarks. Two birds we’d never seen, and in the case of the godwit, never heard of. And they came right to our window.
It was another sunny day with just enough fluffy cloud to make the sky come alive. The temperature was 15C as we said a fond farewell to the unexpected beauty of the Grasslands National Park. The vastness and variety has left an indelible impression on our souls.
As we headed north we were interested to see a large number of motorcycles going in the opposite direction - hundreds of them! Michael could barely contain his envy for those riders. Was it a rally perhaps? Michael googled, and discovered that it was the “Ride For Dad’ out of Swift Current, down to Cypress Hills.
We regained the TransCanada Highway for a little while but exited to explore a sod house that had been reconstructed over 30 years ago in the village of Tomkins. It was the builder’s wish that a bit of history of early Prairie life be preserved and so he had constructed this soddy as his ancestors had done decades before. We were surprised to learn that the sod was used as bricks, not as ‘siding’ or insulation on the outside but as the actual ‘bricks’ making the walls. (photos)
It was surprising to see just how small these first homes of the western settlers were. There is so much to learn about this country of ours.
In Tompkins we also discovered a War Memorial that commemorated those who gave their lives in the Riel Rebellion as well as World Wars I and II. (photo). This was the first time we had seen the Riel efforts characterized as rebellion. Up to this point it was called the Northwest Resistance on all the information boards we’ve seen. And were they honouring the Northwest Mounted Police or the insurgents seeking equity for the earliest settlers and indigenous people of the area?
We arrived at the Saskatchewan Park and had no trouble getting a campsite. When we asked about the best route to Fort Walsh site for our planned day of leisurely exploration on Sunday the staffer told us the historic site was closed on Sundays and Mondays. That meant we had 30 minutes to unhitch our trailer and drive the 80 km trip this very afternoon. With practiced skill we detached the trailer and hit the road. When we arrived at Fort Walsh is was 3:55 and the gate person helpfully told us to drive to the handicapped access (and limp a little) so that we could make the last tour at 4:00 pm. The Fort closed at 5 pm. Once again luck seemed to be on our side. We were part of a small group and got a thorough briefing on this fascinating place. (photos)
Fort Walsh was established as the headquarters of the Northwest Mounted Police in 1875 as a result of the Cypress Hills Massacre in 1873. Wolf hunters from the US on the trail of stolen horses attacked a camp of Nakota resulting in the death of elders, warriors, women and children in a location just 2.3 km south of the fort’s location in the Cypress Hills. This event prompted the Dominion Government to send law enforcement to the area. The Mounties unsuccessful efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice convinced the First Nations of the impartiality of the Force and the government it represented. The fort was only operational for nine years, but was rebuilt by the RCMP in the 1940’s as a facility for breeding horses for the Musical Ride. This rebuild followed similar plans as the original fort. We saw the restored site furnished as it would have been in the 1870’s. The buildings included the Commissioner’s’ Residence (photo), Guardhouse (prison) (photo), barracks, workshops for arms and a blacksmith shop (photo), Veterinary area and sick horse stable, regular stable (photo), and bath house.
The tour finished just as the facility was closing so we didn’t have time for further browsing but we felt we’d gotten a very good sense of the place. We walked along a path from the parking lot and much to our surprise found the two red chairs that are the signature piece of Parks Canada. They are placed in every National park and historic site, and invite people to sit in them and enjoy the view which we did. Our view looked out on Battle Creek and the Cypress Hills beyond. Simply beautiful in the evening light. (photo)
We chose to drive back on a dirt track that connected directly to the park, called the “Gap Trail”. It was only 21 km in distance but took as long as the 80 km paved route we have taken on the way over. Once again we had to stop, enjoy and photograph the vistas.
We got to use the computerized telescope to see Jupiter and two of its moons, a globular cluster of stars (apparently groupings of hundreds of thousands of stars from a past generation of stars) and a constellation the staff described as E.T. We then got to use a large manual telescope to see the moon. It was full last night and made for bright viewing of the craters and mountains on its surface (although its brightness unfortunately limited the viewing of other stars and galaxies). We also saw Saturn.
Home at 11:30, we had a relaxing sip of Scotch to celebrate a day that had us deviate from our plans but brought us much to enjoy. Just the way it should be.
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