Documentary Film - Prairie Ghost Towns - Day 3

The third day of our trip was Easter Sunday.  Our routine thus far on the trip had been to stop at the local A&W restaurant for a coffee and something to eat on the way out of town.  This day was no exception and surprisingly it was open.  Like usual there was a large gathering of locals clustered around a couple of tables, having coffee and swapping lies.  Before leaving I made a stop in the rest room and was surprised to see that the cubicle around the toilet had no door.  Who knew there was such an openness in a part of the country that is traditionally red neck conservative.

On this day we were traveling up to the town of Hoosier.  It is a small town with a handful of occupied houses.  One of the locals that we talked to later in the day said there were 10 residents.  It was a somewhat unusual place in that there was a restaurant, and small Co-op store, and a maintenance shop for the Rural Municipality.  But there was also a large brick schoolhouse, built in 1930 and now completely empty and somewhat vandalized.  There was also a United Church, not used for quite some time.  A handful of abandoned houses were also scattered about.  Once again, Chris had arranged permission for us to be here.  As it was Easter Sunday the lady that Chris had dealt with was busy with family activities and did not meet with us, so we were left to explore on our own. 

It had snowed overnight and there was a skiff on the ground by the time we arrived in town.  It appeared that the cloud cover that had been heavy in previous days, was beginning to get a little thinner.  That relentless wind was still blowing, though we all thought that perhaps it was dying down just a little.  I went down in the basement of the old school and took a few photographs with my view camera.  Once that was finished I put away the 4x5 and dragged my big 8x10 view camera down there and did a few more.  By this time the sun was beginning to burn through the clouds a little and the wind was easing off.  We set up my small portable BBQ and made ourselves a lunch of grilled smokies and potato salad.  It had been our intention to do this every day, but this was the only day that it actually happened.

After lunch we photographed both the exterior and the interior of the old United Church.  According to the information that we were able to find, this church was built in 1916.  There seems to be conflicting information as to when it ceased being used but some suggest that it was as long ago as 1966.  The foundation is failing and collapsing inward so the building is no longer safe, but it appears as though it was used much later than the 1960's as there are still pews, hymnals and a organ inside.

This was the most enjoyable day of the trip from the perspective of weather.  Chris had to leave a little early to drive Connie over to Oyen, so that she could catch the Greyhound back to Calgary.  She had to work the next day, but the rest of us would remain until Monday.  Rueben and I stopped in a community pasture to photograph some solitary trees in evening light.  While driving around on the backroads, specifically on this day, due to the improved weather, but also on the other days of the trip, we saw a lot of wildlife.  There were huge flocks of both Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese making their spring migration north.  I counted over a dozen Short Eared Owls flying low over the fields looking for mice.  We also saw many hawks, mule deer, coyotes and lots of ducks, geese and swans.  Later we met up with Chris, and Byron who had gone with him for the ride, back at the motel in Kindersley.  The only option for dinner was back to the local sports bar as everything else was closed for Easter.

In looking back over my snapshots from the trip I found that I didn't take very many in Hoosier.  The only ones I have are of the school.  I guess that is because the weather finally cooperated a little, and I spent most of my time working with the view camera...