Merry christmas 2012

Our annual return to our Christmas town hall this year was not as we expected. Parking the car we started to walk to where we remember the town hall to be.. of course it was dark and cold and we came in from another direction this year. We walked down the road and saw nothing.. panic ensued. We thought it may be gone.. after all these year this was the year it was demolished. We walked back to the car a bit sad but also still puzzled about how it could be gone so easily. Upon getting back in the car we realized we were turned around and after driving around we found the town hall, still standing! We got out and walked inside - not much had changed except there were less Christmas decorations and the foundation wall was more caved than the year before.

Here is our annual picture with the tree!

Fort San Sanatorium

Seems I am constantly getting e-mails about people asking about Fort San. People seem so think I don't know about it or have not heard about it. Well I have been to many many locations and most of my favorites are not posted online - this is because I want to protect them from vandalism.

However this building has been destroyed including nurses houses, power plant, tunnels & a large part of the main building. Now that most of it is gone and the history along with it I have decided to share it with everyone. Pictures are from 2008 - 2011 when we documented the site on various trips.

Some history.....

Officially opened in 1917, The Fort Qu’Appelle Sanatorium, consisted of 230 sprawling acres of land. Fort San, as it was known, was designed to be almost completely self sufficient, with its own powerhouse, stables, piggery, poultry ranch, and a five acre garden. Through the persistence and diligence of the Anti-Tuberculosis League and Dr. G. Ferguson, patients from all across Saskatchewan were brought to Fort San via train and horse drawn buggy, entering into a community dedicated to the eradication of TB.

At its peak, Fort San could accommodate 358 patients and a vibrant community emerged through activities such as the drama club, the jazz band, and the internal radio program while the facility provided an environment of rest, good food, fresh air, and relaxation.

In 1918, World War I veterans created an extensive library at Fort San; books on the subject of tuberculosis were purchased so patients could educate themselves on the disease during the long hours of recuperation. This literary enlightenment led to the creation of The Sanatorium Journal composed of poems and musings that eventually turned into The Valley Echo, a publication that consisted of articles on tuberculosis and the sanatorium, as well as humorous essays and advertisements.

Throughout five decades, thousands of patients spent long months—and sometimes years—at Fort San. For some, it was a respite from poverty and labour; for others, it was a place of suffering and loss.

Through massive screening and prevention programs, as well as through new drug therapy, the number of tuberculosis patients declined significantly by the 1960s. In 1972, Fort San was no longer needed and the tuberculosis facility was closed.

http://quappelle.mendel.ca/en/fortsan/lifeandbreath/index.html

 

For full history and lots more pictures visit my website: http://www.vanishedcompass.com/fort-san.html

Country Roads

Went out the other day on a small trip and decided to photograph some countryside. We found a beautiful little stone house, quite a few farmhouses and an old school. We also got to photograph some beautiful landscapes and to top it off a gorgeous sunset.

 

beautiful home built of fieldstone

Since i was shooting with a lens that had macro i decided
to photograph this huge spider that was the only
resident of the stone house

brick details

old school

power poles lining a long gone street

sunset to end the day

nameless abandoned church

Just when I thought I knew where every interesting abandoned church was in the province I found another one. Not only is it an interesting abandoned church but its Ukrainian! I had no idea this church existed and upon researching finding its name has become impossible. There is no information or history and its name is unknown.

hollow hallways pt 2

There were to many pictures to share in just one blog so this is part two!

darkroom

storage in a classroom they never used - water damage on roof

gym

stage

arts & crafts

kindergarten!

indoor sandbox for the young kids

water damaged hallway

hollow hallways

As I said in the previous post, we did return to the school for a more thorough documentation during the day. We didn't leave as early as we would like but we did have enough daylight to photograph the entire school.

This school was so large and seemed to go on forever. Of course desks were still in the school, old equipment, posters and learning aids and books were all over. This school was equipped with a wood working shop, dark room, computer labs, science lab, large library and more. It was originally designed for 400 kids but at max capacity it held about an eighth of that.

This cornerstone of the community and close knit school was a huge lose to the community. It is sad to see something like this close when it was obvious it was in good condition but this is just a reality of this province and these schools.

classroom

gym

SaskUrbex photographing the changerooms

hallway

science lab

computer lab

main hallway

library

library from the other side