Saskatchewan, the Land of the Living Skies

The majority of our day was spent in Saskatoon enjoying a walk along the South Saskatchewan River and visiting the Western Development Museum. The architecture in the downtown area is interesting and there’s an honest-to-goodness castle. I once spent a week in a castle just south of London, England when my Dad and I visited the city. He worked in the daytime and the daughter of his business friend and I explored as much of it as we dared. The Saskatoon castle also acts as a hotel now and I imagine it would be great fun to explore, however, since I am not a guest there but am instead camping at the Gordie Howe campsite, I will rest content.

Did you know that Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, was a Saskatoonian? It was news to me.

The WDM, as the museum is known, doesn’t deserve its anemic name. The exhibits are so well done that I lost myself in 1910 Saskatchewan for hours. The museum houses the longest indoor old western street in Canada and the detail is something else. The photo on the right is taken in the Mercantile and displayed everything from candy to poison to garden rakes to the kitchen sink. The one below is taken in the Pharmacy, which had hundreds of bottles and boxes of medicines, ointments, powders, and tinctures. The tea is said to relieve “Affection of the Breast.” Yes, you read correctly.