Statement of Significance

This is a grain elevator that was built in 1924.
This grain elevator is situated by Canora.
I drew this because these elevators are disappearing.

Voici un élévateur bati en 1924.
L'élévateur se trouve près de Canora.
J'ai dessiné cela parce qu'il n'y a pas beaucoup qui restent.


Taylor Gardner
Grade 3
Yorkton

Statement of Significance

The picture I have created represents the burial place of the nine Native men hung in the largest mass hanging in Canadian history.  Wandering Spirit, a war chief under Big Bear, and several of his men were convicted of the murder of white settlers and treason against the Canadian government.  They were hung at Fort Battleford for their part in the Frog Lake massacre during the 1885 Riel Resistance.  The mass burial site is a short distance behind the Fort.  This heritage site represents a time of conflict in Canada's past.  However, in recent years, the site has been fixed up and is now a memorial to Native people.


Madison Forester
Grade 6
North Battleford

Statement of Significance

After a living a challenging life with his father dying at a young age, my great grandfather Maurice R. Brewster decided he wanted to move to new land in the year of 1912.  While living in the state of Iowa he decided to buy a house in Earl Grey, Saskatchewan without even seeing a picture.  When it was all settled he bought two horses, one cow, a sleigh, a wagon and a drill, which were loaded onto a railway car.  In the same car as the animals, he traveled from Iowa to Saskatchewan, sitting right beside all of the new things that were going to help him in the success of his new farming life.

Finally, he arrived at the house, which was three years and built in 1901 by Aberham Close.  Shortly after settling in his new home, he married Hazel Flint.  Together, they lived in that house and farmed and raised their two boys, my great uncle and my grandfather.  Once their boys were old enough to live on their own and were married, Maurice and Hazel moved out of the house in 1948.  Right after they moved out, my grandparents Calvin and Jean Brewster moved in, brought up their four boys, my uncles and my dad, and lived there until 1968.  They moved into the city, but even though they didn't live there, they still heated the house in winter and used the house as a summer house.  After my parents were married, and in between moving houses, they stayed in the family house for two years before moving to Australia.  The land was sold to my uncle, and after that, sadly, the Brewster Family house was never lived in again.

This house has been in my family for almost a century and it is where my older relatives grew up.  Right now, it is still filled with fascinating things and when my sister and I were younger, we used to adore going in the house and looking through all of the exciting things that had been left behind by my grandparents.  There are lots of beautiful old painting in the living room of young women all dressed up and dancing.  The kitchen still has a fridge and stove in it that looks "retro" since they are from the late 60's. Today, the house may look slightly run down to other people, but when I look at the house, I still think of it being just built and I can picture in my mind, the memorable times, my relatives have had living in the house.


Zoe Brewster
Grade 8
Strasbourg

Statement of Significance

In May, 1910, my great, great grandmother, otherwise known as Marie Bussiere moved from St. Thuribe, Quebec to Vonda, Saskatchewan with her children to reunite with her husband, Desire, who was already living there.  Desire had a 480-acre farm.  These were very tough times, including Desire losing his life to the Spanish Flu in 1918.

On July 4, 1922, my great grandfather, Maurice Bussiere, married Yvonne Moyen.  And in 1923, they moved to St. Front, Saskatchewan to make their home.  They lived in a small house that his brother, Leon was living in while they built a log cabin on their land.  There they lived for twenty-one years.  In 1947, they built a house, which is the main house on the watercolor picture I have painted.  The log house became the two-door garage behind the house.

In 1964, Maurice moved off the farm and grandfather, Lucien Bussiere and Lorraine Thorpe, his wife of one year, took over the farm.  By now, there were more buildings, a well and a fence for all the animals they had.  My mother, Murielle, was the first child of four to be born. Eleven years later, Lorraine died. On October 30, 1976, Lucien remarried.  Margaret Taphorn became his wife, and the grandmother, I know. She conceived four children and one of the four, a daughter, was named Jennifer Bussiere.

In 2004, Lucien moved off the farm. His daughter, Jennifer Bussiere, married Greg Flasko and now lives on this eighty-two year old homestead.

This farm has been a very big part of my life.  Every summer, my brother and I would spend a week or two there.  On the Christmas break, February break and Easter break, we would go there for a week.  It has changed a lot, even from when I was little too now.

I think this farm shows a lot about Saskatchewan's heritage.  Saskatchewan is mostly made up of little farms.  Saskatchewan started off with the government giving farmland out to who ever immigrated to Saskatchewan.  This farm has been in Saskatchewan a very long time, and has been a part of my family heritage just as long.  That is why I picked this picture and this homestead as my Saskatchewan heritage poster.


Lisa Smith
Grade 11 
Wynyard