White Valley Lutheran Church

On arriving point yourself in a direction of the compass – any will do. No matter, what will lay before is the never ending Saskatchewan Plains, field after field and that’s about it. There’s a farm here and many clicks distance, another there, some dusty old roads and somewhere in the middle, it’s White Valley Lutheran Church. It’s our subject. You are here…but it’s doubtful you’ll have any company should you visit.

The church dates back to 1928 and served local settlers, many of which had come to the district from Norway as early as a decade or so before. Lutheranism was and is the dominate religion in that country, so it all fits. The official language used for services was naturally Norwegian, at the beginning at least, but as the decades passed fell from use.

In true Lutheran form, White Valley Church is a humble one, simple in design, functional and built in the Carpenter Gothic style. In construction it’s not so complex that it couldn’t be put together by any competent local wood butcher and many rural Christian Denominations, regardless of affiliation, built ones similar in look. It’s a typical country church in every way, long and rectangular, with a steeply pitched roof and plenty of windows. The latter are not just decorative and serve to light the interior as well. Electric illumination probably came later.

While regular services are not held anymore, it gets opened up for weddings, funerals and other special functions as needed. It’s well kept and hopefully this should assure its continued use for some time. Since the early 1980s White Valley Lutheran has been historically recognized.

A simple cross out front, looking to to be made of old pipes, seems about right for a humble little church such as this. It has a relatively large capacity, reminding us that when built a lot more people lived in the immediate area than today. Far more! It would not be odd for a family back then (and they were big) to be on every quarter section (about .65 of a kilometre squared). Now one farm can be several sections in size, or even more. Bigger farm = more efficiency but less people needed.

White Valley Church sits along a section of old Red Coat Trail. This was the route used the North West Mounted Police (today they’re called the RCMP – the Mounties) in the 1870s to 1910s when moving through the area. The section between Wood Mountain and Fort Walsh (both in SK) has been marked by strategically placed cairns just like this one. Some two hundred and sixty were put in place in the early 1960s and they stretch out well over over two hundred and some kilometres between the aforementioned points. Red Coat? That’s in reference to the bright red tunics worn and still used in ceremonies today.

Thanks goes out to volunteers of the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society for putting them in all those years ago, and their ongoing maintenance.

White Valley Lutheran stands in the southwest corner of the province and gets its name from the the Rural Municipality of White Valley in which its located. RM: the governing body of a defined region in the province, encompassing both rural residents and those in small towns within its borders. The area here is flat, remote and lonely, but then we can say that about much of the province. That’s not a put down, but rather to us something that makes it special. It’s sometimes stark, the vast expanses sometimes overwhelming and it’s not for the timid. To call it home can only mean one thing: you are hard-core resilient.

People of fearless and unyielding spirit becomes something to admire. Know that living here present day is no less forgiving than a century ago and us city types wouldn’t stand a chance.

Lutheranism (a branch of Protestantism in Christianity) remains common in Germany and Scandinavian countries and has been practised in Canada since the 1600s. Present day it’s said there’s some 80k members in the country. If you’re like us and want to know more, try these two search queries (new windows): Lutheran Church History and Lutheran Church Canada

Until next time, we bid you goodbye and look forward to presenting our next pop-history piece…

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie delve into the nooks & crannies of the Canadian Prairies (ed: we do mountains too!). They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos. A lot of information and work and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak. (From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the kind words).

Country Churches that are still used…
Christ Church Millarville.
St Peter and Paul.
St Henry’s Catholic Church Twin Butte.

If you feel like chatting or want more information on what you see here feel free to contact us!

Date of Adventure: March, 2021.
Location(s): Middle of nowhere, SK.
Article references and thanks: Canada’s Historic Places (HistoricPlaces.ca), Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society and finally our dear friend Dale for hosting us.
If you visit White Valley Church, please be respectful.

It’s along the route of the Red Coat Trail.

A humble cross for a humble church.

Built in the 1920s, it still used from time to time.

The light hit it nicely.

This is White Valley Lutheran Church in Saskatchewan.