Saskatchewan History Along the Highway

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 a book to be carried in the car when traveling through
Saskatchewan. While most of the famous names of provincial
history—Kelsey, Palliser, Riel, Poundmaker, Douglas, and, even, Gordie
Howe—are there, they are eclipsed by the little known and eccentric.
One of these is William T. “Horseshoe” Smith. At the time of the
Great War, Smith built North America’s largest barn (400 feet long,
128 feet wide and 60 feet high). It lasted less than a decade and is
visible now only in the remains of its foundation, mute testament to the
impermanence of prairie life. Specific directions accompany all
descriptions. The Smith barn can be found at: “Grid 741 at junction of
highways 32 and 21, 4 miles west of Leader. Drive north for 5 miles.”
For this particular Saskatchewan folly, as with 10 percent of all
entries, there is a black-and-white photograph.

The author divides the province into nine regions: three occupy the
area south of the Trans-Canada Highway between Manitoba and Alberta,
with similar bands of regions encompassing the rest of the province.
Entries on fur traders, bombing ranges from the Commonwealth Air
Training Scheme, religious communities, and sites of First Nations
pre-contact activity hint at the book’s diverse contents. As well, it
has an 18-page directory of Saskatchewan Museums, a bibliography, and a
useful index.

Written with an eye to economy, the book is strong on historical fact
but shy of themes. It is the thinking person’s alternative to
“Twenty Questions” on the dusty trek from Elbow to Eyebrow,
Saskatchewan.