To really see small town Saskatchewan I didn’t spend a significant amount of time driving on Canada’s biggest thoroughfare, Highway 1, because my main routes of choice were secondary highways. Rather, I found myself on many muddy and gravel roads just to get a better close up view of old buildings along the way, not just Saskatchewan.
There were many old buildings that caused me to break and one in particular pulled me off the busy highway, when I would normally have kept going.
I was on Highway 1 from Moose Jaw, where I had spent the night, on my way to Swift Current, where I was planning to head north. I didn’t like driving on Highway 1, even for this short amount of time, but I’m sure glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have discovered Ernfold.
Ernfold, Saskatchewan
This small town sits enclosed by east and west bound lanes of the divided highway. A ruined church, that sits atop a hill on the west end of town, is what caused me to pull over. There was a side road that ran parallel between the highway and the railway tracks. Apparently, this is where the grain elevator once stood. I learned that little tidbit from this video.
Read more about Ernfold, the town that isn’t quite a ghost town yet, here.
It turned out to be the perfect vantage point to capture pictures of the church. I decided to explore further, and crossed the highway and ventured into the collection of buildings that made up this small town.
I knew I passed the name of the town but as I wasn’t expecting to stop, I didn’t really pay attention. Curiosity, compelled me to roll down the window of my car and inquire of a man who was working on his truck. I asked him about the town; he told me Ernfold means Eagle’s Nest.
There were some cool old buildings and
a heritage Old School building.
It is one of smallest villages in Saskatchewan, boasting a population of 15, well, maybe 16, as the man I spoke to said he had just moved there. And, with absolute joy, proclaimed he loved it there.
Something about this little town nestled between the busyness of the Transcanada highway continues to tug at my heart. I still think about it, and thought, hmmm, could I live here?
Have you ever visited a place that did that to you?
Were you disappointed I didn’t have any photos of grain elevators? If you are, you can always go back to last week’s post.
Next week will be the final post about small town Saskatchewan.
Lovely reflection. It makes me want to go to Ernfold next time I’m in Saskatchewan!
Dear Elaine,
Oh, you must.
thanks for reading.
Kelly
I was looking into information about the town because it is part of my genealogy. My Great Grandparents farmed and resided there, and Grandpa and his siblings went to that school. I enjoyed this site, thanks for putting it on there.
Hello Wendy,
Thank you so much for your comment. I’m glad I was able to give you a picture of what Ernfold is now, and you can think about your family’s role in the early days of the same town. It was a special place.
Enjoy your continuing journey through your family history.
Blessings, Kelly