Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/107892
by the way Canadian Gothic Story and photo by Dave Yanko This old house in east-central Saskatchewan has a yin and yang about it. An aging pioneer couple comes to mind — her grey hair pulled back, his face weathered by much work under the sun. Yet, they proudly still stand together. Buildings of similar decay dot the Saskatchewan countryside. Perhaps imagining who lived there compels landowners today to leave such structures alone, though farming might 46 W e s t w o r l d p46-47_ByTheWay.indd 46 >> be easier without them. Or perhaps it's a romantic way of paying homage to those who came before. Marvin Thomas at the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport's heritage conservation branch takes a more pragmatic view. "It's often more economical to just walk away from them than demolish them," he says. As well, old farmsteads serve as refuge for many species of wildlife, which did not fare well when the province wove their natural habitat into a breadbasket for the world. Landowners who set aside property for birds and animals are recognized by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation with a Wildlife Tomorrow gate sign. There's no question these long-vacant houses have been granted a pardon, at least in part as a tip of the hat to a job well done. As it was with the early lives they once sheltered, though, Mother Nature will determine their final fate. spring 2013 13-01-21 12:07 PM