Discover Saskatchewan: A Guide to Historic Sites

David E. Smith is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan and the author of Building a Province: A History of
Saskatchewan in Documents and The Invisible Crown.

This is the first volume in an ambitious series devoted to publicizing
Saskatchewan’s historic and natural resource attractions. Handsomely
designed, Discover Saskatchewan combines the traditions of companion
guide and locational directory. An appendix contains a brief history of
37 prairie trails (e.g., the Boundary Commission Trail along which the
North West Mounted Police traveled 125 years ago) and an inventory
listing federal, provincial, and municipal historic sites and markers as
well as local museums. Nearly every page has a black-and-white
photograph of some historic building, and the 32 beautiful color plates
are equally divided between architectural and natural subjects.

There are 11 chapters, one each for Regina and Saskatoon and the rest
devoted to regions christened with neologistic names such as “Land of
the Living Sky,” which was chosen, the writers say, “to reflect the
enormity of the bird population.” Occasionally, the text is
reminiscent of a 1940s travelogue: “The gateway to Saskatchewan’s
south central prairie region, the ‘Friendly City’ (Moose Jaw) boasts
a wealth of heritage and culture, as well as a name that is remembered
across the continent.” Bullets pepper its pages: “Did you know that
the stretch of rail line between Regina and Stoughton runs 140
kilometres without a bend? It is the longest straight line of rail in
the world.” In the business of history superlatives are always tricky,
and suspect.