Wandering Shaunavon

We love to walk the streets of a small town. There’s so much to discover on getting close and intimate with a place and we get to see all the cool stuff that would otherwise be missed if we simply drove by. Getting out and exploring on foot is what we do and it rewards us with treasures big and small. We put the street hikers on, our camera’s at the ready, water bottle in hand, we choose a direction and simply go. With no plans, no expectations, let’s take it in what Shaunavon Saskatchewan has to offer. I bet it’ll be interesting (and it was).

Step out into the glorious evening light, the setting sun casting a warming glow over the town while overhead, a storm threatens (but ends up delivering little). Those boiling clouds and all the intense colours are simply spectacular! Saskatchewan is the “land of living skies”. Damn photographers got it good here. So jealous.

Time to put feet in motion. The “Stardust” won’t know us again for an hour or two.

We’re quickly drawn to the gritty side of town, down by the tracks. It’s here where we find all the things we love to photograph, machines and vehicles old and forgotten or things industrial of interest. We’re in our element.

We spot some old Chevrolets from the post War era, a couple old Internationals. This latter make was once very popular here on the prairies. Looks like the pickup is being worked on. Over there, an old race car. Lots of old and decrepit vehicles are scattered about. This is our Nirvana.

In Shaunavon Saskatchewan, the skies come alive.

Grain elevators are a backdrop for many of our photos and are the tallest things around and they look so good in the last light or the day. It’s like they’re on fire! This pair dates from the 1950s and 1970s respectively. There used to be a lot more of of them here in town. These buildings once defined the province.

Those colours!

The Shaunavon Rock Club, as in gems and minerals and not the music genre. In front, a new BIGDoer-mobile? But we’re a broke-arse society…wait…a GoFundMe campaign. Bingo! We’re at $37.68 and growing. Soon it’ll be ours!

A giant John Deere wows us. Jeez, it’s huge! Can’t imagine what it’d cost.

The train yard is filled with stored tanker cars. A railway like the Great Western can make a good income doing this. This track, by the way, is ex-CPR built about a century ago. Over there’s some speeders. They’re why we were in town, in fact. Earlier this day, and the one before, we were putt-putting across the province. See: Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One and Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two. What an amazing adventure it was!

The Railway keeps some maintenance cars on a siding, including an ancient snow plow which is not all that far from being a century old. The railways always get the best bang for the buck from the things they own. It’s turned purple!

Over there, a rainbow. It’s dry here, but pouring where it is. Odd how that works. The sky above is in constant motion. A few thunder booms are heard and the wind gusts from time to time, but mostly it’s total and complete silence. What an eerie calm.

An odd find, some old theatre seats, row after row, rusting and rotting away in an empty lot. Nature’s putting on the show here. In behind the Shaunavon Hotel dating back to the 1910s about the time the town was founded. It’s huge and while looking rather abandoned from certain angles, it is open. Well the bar part at least. Not sure if they rent rooms. It’s said to be the largest building of it’s kind (wood) in all the province. Would love to tour it sometime. We say that a lot.

Not far away the Grand Hotel. It’s from the 1920s and has been closed for some time now. Both the Grand and the Shaunavon Hotel mentioned above are historically recognized in one way or another.

Those clouds! That sunset!

We’re in downtown now. The Plaza Theatres goes back to the 1920s and has been family owned (several generations) the whole time. It ‘s such an historically interesting building…and that neon sign! Here’s a place we’d love to document in depth and give the trademark day-in-the-life BIGDoer.com Treatment. If the owners are listening…

Main street is pretty quiet. Small towns, as is often joked, roll up the sidewalks come evening and Shaunavon is no exception. The only other businesses open are a couple restaurants. Chinese and Western Cuisine! Every small town has an eatery like this. Love that sweet sticky red sauce. A lot!

Above Shawnee Hall, an old air-raid style siren set atop a huge tower so when set off everyone in town (and out) can hear it. It signals a fire or some other emergency.

Back at the grain elevators. That deep orange!

On some side street an old International Scout. These were an early SUV (made 1961-1980) and even today are well regarded as being seriously rugged and simple to repair. Gas mileage, well, that’s another story but few vehicles of that era did well. The words “Grad ’79” are scrawled on the wall in back. The Scout may indeed be from that year (it might also be a ’77 or ’78 – the grill tells us so).

Leading the pack, #69.

Finally it rains, so we duck into a car wash to keep dry. As quick as it starts, it ends followed by the smell of “fresh” in the air. A shower has a way of doing that. Those purples and reds! We’re blown away by all the colours – what a moody sunset.

No parking on the sidewalk at the Liquor Store? Why does that even need to be said?

Back at our crash-pad (so love dive motels), a neon green VW Micro-Bus pulls up. These are often associated with Hippie or Counter-Culture movements. This version was made from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. This specific example from the latter half of that period – we can tell by the turn light placement. Dots are dead bugs. Millions of them! It’s total carnage!

Now it’s off to bed. What an evening. And one last look…those skies!

Shaunavon today is home to some eighteen hundred people. Agriculture and the oil and gas industries drive the local economy.

This was by no means a full tour, of the town just bits and pieces we found interesting. We could return time and again and discover all kinds of new goodies to document – including lots of historic buildings in downtown and many fine old houses from the early days in surrounding streets. Shaunavon is a photogenic little place.

Feeling bone-headed and shooting sloppy – the camera was acting up (yeah, that’s it) and most of the photos seen were captured incorrectly. Instead of RAW, we only shot JPGs. RAW 101 – it allows for greater latitude and custom processing, meaning better photos. Still, the setting was so wondrous that the results were not half bad.

The reason for us being in Shaunavon…
Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One
Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two.

Exploring small towns is a thing…
Exploring Viking.
Downtown Hilda.
Carmangay Alberta.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: July, 2017.
Location: Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.
Article references and thanks: Shaunavon.com.

Old iron and iconic buildings that once defined a province.

Stayin’ at the Stardust.

A “gem” of a place and maybe the new BIGDoer-mobile.

An IHC R Series.

The show’s already begun…

In front of the liquor store.

The elevators will see a lot of our attention this evening.

At Shawnee Hall and a siren spotted.

It’s just grand.

Up high so everyone can hear.

Now playing at the Plaza…

Grad ’79 and an old International Scout of that era.

Memories of earlier in the day.

Now there’s a monster.

Old and in retirement…

Old cars, amazing skies, it gets no better than this.

The setting sun sets it on fire.

Then it turns a deep orange.

Old rail cars in the Great Western Railway Yards.

It’s raining over there, but not here.

In the “Land of Living Skies”.

The “Historic” Shaunavon Hotel – and those colours!

Ducking out of the rain.

Millions dead!