Outlook, Saskatchewan - It's Outlook on the Library System

The sign at the front entrance to the public library in Outlook, says Wheatland Community Library, however, access to its Internet WIFI is restricted to the staff and students in the school in which it is housed. 

This public library in this town is private when it comes to accessing the World Wide Web.

Outlook is located approximately 94 kilometres south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Highway 219.

Frank and I stood in front of the librarian and explained to her that I’m a writer and most of my material is stored on my hard drive and on a web cloud. Also, I must verify my facts and most I can research on the Internet. “Do you have free WIFI?”

Bar with free WIFI, Outlook, SK

“No. There is no Internet access here in this library for the public. It is for the exclusive use of the school staff and the students. You can get WIFI at the café down the street or at the bar,” the librarian said.

I felt defeated. Frank and I have been on the road for three years now, visiting as many small towns and their senior centres and libraries as possible. Even if the library has restricted days and hours, they've always had a keen sense that it is in their interest to provide free Internet access to whoever comes through their doors.

Outlook, SK, Town Office

The good news is that my explanation to the Town Office Manager, Trent, resulted in my having access to their Internet WIFI and a comfortable chair at a table in the art centre. We left a thank you card with his staff to pass along to him on our way out.

Life is good.

Tugaske, Saskatchewan - It's Not a Temple

Masonic Temple/Lodge

According to Dorothy and Lynn of Tugaske, the Masonic Temple is now owned by a local artist who had the interior modified a bit from its previous life as a bank. We are standing together on the sidewalk across from the lodge in front of the Canada Post building.

“My mother used to work at that bank in the 1920s,” Dorothy says. “It’s not a temple, it’s a lodge. The Masons aren’t here anymore. They were kind of like the Kinsmen.”

Town Hall 1910

The building kitty-corner to it displays a shield inscribed with Town Hall 1910. It is also privately owned and in disrepair. Lynn reports that the new owners had made big promises but have left it rotting for years. They point out that the hotel is also vacant and the restaurant closed.

“You might also like to know that our church is abandoned now too. The roof was leaking and the repairs didn’t take, the heat was turned off and now small animals have taken it over. We meet in the community hall for services. The Pastor comes from Saskatoon every two weeks,” says Dorothy.

United Church - unused

The ladies excuse themselves saying that they’ve been standing too long and need to go home and rest.

My exploration of the town takes me across the dusty gravel street to Westbridgeford Meats Ltd. A woman is standing under the canopy. I ask if it is her business, she says yes and invites me in. The pungent odor of decaying meat fills my nostrils and makes my eyes water. She explains and that she once bred Jack Russell dogs and fed them ground meat and leftovers from her daily butchering. She now specializes as a dog food producer.

Westbridge Meats Ltd.

“We used to own the only grocery store in town with the meat rendering plant in the back. Some years ago, the whole thing burned down, we rebuilt the meat business and that’s all we do now,” she says.

The meat packing plant and the Co-op garage seem to be the only businesses holding the town in its location. Tugaske is 170 kilometers south of Saskatoon.

That same day, Frank met Dave, a guitar builder who often has international students stay in the town for seven weeks and learn how to build guitars. At the end of their stay, they return home with the guitar they have built. At the moment, one of his students is from Israel and another is from Chicago.

Later that day, we met Violet, the librarian. The library is a great resource for the locals who attend it on the three days of the week and the short hours it is open. Like many of the other towns we’ve visited this summer, the library is sometimes the only gathering place.

Davidson and Loreburn, Saskatchewan

Big White in Davidson, SK

On August 29, 2017, we pulled into Davidson, Saskatchewan, located 115 km south of Saskatoon, on Highway 11.

Our intention of only spending one night at the campground was dashed when we saw its clean condition and practical location.  We spent a precious four days there.

Each campsite has a sturdy picnic table, an electrical outlet (which we don’t use because we have our solar panels), well-developed broadleaved trees and cut grass.

Davidson campground

The road throughout the property is gravelled and the free public washrooms are cleaned daily and have great shower capacity, a porcelain sink and toilet and an always fully stocked paper towel dispenser – all this for $18.00 dollars a day.

We visited the library and met Victoria, a lovely young woman who provided us with a resource area for hooking up to the Internet with our laptop and cups of coffee during our time there.

We agreed with her explanation that libraries throughout Saskatchewan are under threat by being underfunded and it becomes the responsibility of the poorly-paid librarian to come up with practical ways to keep its doors open for the benefit of the public. She volunteers a great deal of her time as a lover of books in print and as a devoted member of the town’s society.  “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.” Source ebookfriendly.com

During our stay, we backed our Ural bike off the trailer and toured the community in style. 

Metis fiddler and Red River cart

There is a great rest stop off the highway at the entrance to Davidson. The tall structure of a Metis fiddler is impressive as is the preserved road building belly dump vehicle and an earth scooper from the 1800s to 1930s. The coffee percolator and drinking cup bring a smile to our faces. We saw a few others throughout the town.

Coffee percolator and cup

On day three, we took a 46.5 km ride on Highway 44 west to Loreburn. I asked Frank to stop at an abandoned farmhouse along the way. The structure was impressive with its peaked roof, large windows, and significant front veranda. It must have been a grand home in its day.

Abandoned farmhouse

Our walk through Loreburn included a visit with the librarian, who confirmed with Victoria from Davidson, that libraries are hard to keep open. She admitted that folks can just call in for a book, or read stories on their electronic devices, or ignore the efforts she makes to keep the doors of the gathering place open. She admitted that it is her passion for books that keep her there – underpaid and overworked with volunteer efforts.

The following day, we loaded the bike, filled our water tank to capacity and headed down the road.