The Greatest Canadian

Most of the day we drove across Saskatchewan and into Manitoba.


It is our very uninformed opinion that they are flatter than Kansas! We passed some fine grain elevators


and a couple of these huge wooden circles, being transported on trucks.






Turns out they are the grain silos we see popping up all over the prairie. I couldn't imagine that anything that large wouldn't be assembled on site, but here's proof they're ready-made. We made a stop at Weyburn, SK, to check out the Big Wheel at the library. The Wheel is big; the plaque on it is tiny!


The library was one of the most welcoming we've seen. It was enlarged a few years ago, and they did this by building all around the old building, and leaving the gray cement walls of the old one as part of the interior design of the new one. Today it is full of light, warm wood, overstuffed chairs and bright decoration. The Big Wheel is a piece done by a local artist in wood and mosaic, which depicts the history of and daily life in Weyburn. We then went to Tommy Douglas's church.


About five years ago there was a national election to see who was the Greatest Canadian, and from about 500 candidates, Tommy won. He began as a Baptist minister, but left the ministry in response to the need for social and economic change in Canada during the Great Depression. He became a member of Parliament, head of his national party and Premier of Saskatchewan. He pioneered Hospitalization and Medicare which is now almost universally available across North America. He did a lot of other things as well that enriched the lives of millions. Though he has passed away, his work is still benefiting us all. Among other things, he began the first air ambulance and gave the aboriginal Saskatchewanians the vote. His Medicare idea was in the 1930's, during the Great Depression. Today his church is a performing arts center, another of his many interests. Weyburn was home to a few other interesting characters- an author and also a doctor at the local mental hospital who reputedly was a pal of Timothy Leary's and did experiments with LSD on his patients and students. He thought it would make people more empathetic.


As we drove out of town we saw this gun. We have no idea why it was there as there was no business near it that might have referenced guns. It can certainly go on the "Big" list, though.


We are camped at a lovely spot, Coulter Park, in rural Manitoba, near the North Dakota border, in the Rural Municipality of Arthur. It is a pioneer park, the oldest in Manitoba.


Historic town picnics have been held here every year since 1882. It is a few miles out of town, between the Souris River and a creek. There is no-one here except the birds, who are all singing madly, the mosquitoes, and us.








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Location:Manatoba