Get Me Outdoors: Saskatchewan Farms

Trip Date: August 2009 & August 2011

Every since I was a kid I was extremely curious about old, abandoned farm buildings and have always enjoyed exploring them. I remember there was an abandoned farm close enough to our house in Regina that I could ride my bike to it. There were some pretty crazy rumours floating around about why the farm was abandoned, none of which I'm sure were true, but we called it Deadman's Farm none the less. Eventually they tore it all down and it's just a field now, but I can remember exploring the old buildings and letting my imagination run wild.

My aunt and uncle on my Mom's side still live on a farm near Abernethy, Saskatchewan. I remember spending a lot of time out there for family get togethers. There's an abandoned farm just down the gravel road from them, but I don't remember actually going inside the farmhouse until 2009. The following pictures are of that particular visit with Kyle.

The abandoned farmyard

The old barn

The brick farmhouse

Inside on the main floor of the house

One of the upstairs bedrooms

There were animal paw prints on the walls, probably from Raccoons

This is a picture of the well in the basement. There was still water in it too.

Standing in a wheat field next to the farm

This wheat isn't ready for harvest yet, it's still green

Kyle's truck parked in the farmyard

They don't call Saskatchewan, Land of Living Skies for no reason!

After we wrapped up our wedding in 2011, I stayed in Regina the following week, as Rob and Amy's wedding was the next weekend. Unfortunately Christine had to go back to Calgary for work. During that week my Dad, Kyle, and I went to look at a few abandoned farms that he knew about from when he was a kid. My Dad grew up on a farm outside of the town of Balcarres in rural Saskatchewan and I can also remember spending lots of time there while growing up.

This first farm we visited was on land that my Dad's family purchased a number of years ago. The farm had two houses, a barn, and a few smaller buildings, all of which are still there today, albeit completely overgrown.

The abandoned farmyard

This is one, of two, houses on the property. We couldn't get over to it because of the water.

This is the second, and larger, of the two houses

Inside the house. We didn't actually go inside because the floor looked really rotten.

This Garter Snake was slithering around outside the house

Windmill

This isn't trick photography, the barn and shed are really that slanted!

This used to be the Deter Lake School. My dad went to school here for Grade 1 before they closed it. Then he was bussed into Balcarres for school. The school was open between 1920 and 1964.