McClelland Minute - September 13, 2009

Riding into Fall

Between real estate and ranching, it has a been a very busy summer and entry into fall, so it didn’t take me long to accept an invitation to go riding Sunday afternoon with a couple of family members.  We loaded the horses and trailered them south east of Maidstone to the edge of the PFRA Paynton Community Pasture.  From there we struck out across country on horseback with our destination being a local height of land called “Blue Hill”.

It was a perfect day to be outdoors, with temperatures reaching 25C and light wind.  Our first stop was an active windmill used to water cattle in the middle of this huge pasture.  Riders and horses both took advantage of the refreshing cold water being drawn out of the sand below by renewable energy and using technology that has been around for centuries.  For me it also brought back memories of a similar structure near the old home site of my grandparents’ ranch in the Grand Cheviot district. 

The prairie trail we were following has been used for over a 100 years by settlers and aboriginal peoples as it roughly parallels a series of lakes on a southeast by northwest line between Little Pine / Poundmaker / Lucky Man First Nations and the community of Maidstone.  It winds through sand hills, poplar bluffs, and wolf willow rich with chokecherries, mule deer, plus the occasional sharp tail grouse.  A “prairie chicken” exploding into flight from under the feet of your horse is a sure way to determine one’s riding skills!

Further into this huge tract of land is a small, but deep, pothole called Sweezey Lake, named after my father-in-law’s parents.  For several years from 1910 – 1912 they trailed their cattle from nearby Paynton onto the grass rich public lands owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company around this body of water and stayed the winter in a small log cabin.  George told me once that there was a spring feeding one corner and they never had to chop water all winter for the livestock.

The view from Blue Hill was worth the ride in itself as you can easily see up to ten miles north and east, as well as west and south along the valley of the Battle River.  Locals believe that the series of lakes, the last of which is a popular summertime playground, are actually interconnected with the water going underground between them and eventually feeding into the Battle below the hill.  From the vista we had, I would have to agree.

As we made our way back to the truck along white sand dunes and the east beach of Birch Lake, I couldn’t help but think about the land that is so much part of our western heritage.  There is much beauty to explore in the Midwest; and each district has it own set of stories.  It is humbling to think of those who had the strength to build the communities and services that we now take for granted while striving to conserve natural resources for all to enjoy.  What vision they must have had. I can only hope we will honor their commitments with similar acts of our own.

Vern McClelland is associate broker with RE/MAX of Lloydminster.  If you have questions or comments on this article or other real estate matters, he can be reached at 780.808.2700 or through the McClelland Group website www.mcclelland.ca

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