PET BEAVERS - A man named Grey Owl shared his home with his pet beavers, who built their lodge inside his cabin. He even called his cabin "Beaver Lodge" and named the beavers Jelly Roll and Rawhide. Grey Owl lived in Prince Albert National Park. The cabin can be reached by hiking trails or by canoe.

DINOSAURS IN SASKATCHEWAN -- In 1994 near the town of Eastend the skeleton of Scotty, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, was found. The remains were 65 million years old. The skeleton is not complete. Some of the bones are missing. There have been several fossils found in the Eastend area.

Dinocountry

The first bird sanctuary in North America was established in 1887 at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan and now forms the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area.

HEALING WATERS : There is a lake in Saskatchewan where it is impossible to sink. Lake Manitou near Watrous is so rich in minerals, that people float. It is said that the lake is three times saltier than the Dead Sea, making it impossible for a person to sink. Early settlers took home barrels of the "healing" water. The Plains Indians used to bring their sick to Lake Manitou ( Lake of the Good Spirit ) so they could be healed.

Little Manitou Lake | Manitou Springs

MAN-MADE WONDER - One of the seven man-made wonders of Saskatchewan (designated by the University of Saskatchewan) is Danceland at Manitou Beach. The historic dance hall was built in 1928. The hall is famous for the original dance floor made of maple. The floor is suspended on a cushion of horsehair.

OLDER THAN THE PYRAMIDS - A place with findings that are older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt is right here in Saskatchewan at Wanuskewin Heritage Park (5 km north of Saskatoon). The findings date back more than 8000 years. The site contains tipi rings, stone cairns, a medicine wheel and many more findings that give us a picture of what life was like on the Great Plains a very long time ago .

Wanuskewin Heritage Park Historic Canadian Places - Wanuskewin

MYSTERY ROCKS by permission from Saskatchewan Interactive

ROCKS, PICTOGRAPHS and PETROGLYPHS : Mystery rocks - How did these weird shaped rocks come to be ? What do the unusual carvings on the rocks mean ? These odd shaped rocks are in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. There are more unusual rock formations at Roche Perc�e in the Souris Valley. The rocks were once covered with carvings made by Indians and later with autographs of early explorers, US Cavalrymen, North West Mounted Police and surveyors. The St. Victor Petroglyphs are 300 rock carvings thought to have been carved by ancestors of Sioux and Assiniboine people before 1750. There are carvings of handprints, footprints and animal tracks.

LONGEST PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE : The SkyTrail Bridge in Outlook is the longest pedestrian bridge in Canada. It is part of the Trans Canada Trail. The bridge spans over 914 metres (3,000 feet) and is over 45 metres (over 150 feet) above the South Saskatchewan River, providing a spectacular view.

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A LAKE MONSTER? - There are stories over the past 40 years about an unusual creature that lives in Turtle Lake. People have given many different descriptions of The Turtle Lake Monster .

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The Willow Bunch Giant ( Edouard Beaupre) was normal size when he was born, but grew to a height of 2.51 meters ( over 8 feet tall ).

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A large hailstone fell near Cedoux in southern Sask. during a storm in August of 1973. It was the largest hailstone in Canada. It weighed 290 grams ( almost two-thirds of a pound) and measured about the size of a grapefruit. The Regina Tornado of 1912 (June 30) was the most severe tornado in Canada. It killed 28 people, injured hundreds and demolished much of the downtown area. (visit virtualmuseum.ca)

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TUNNELS BENEATH THE STREETS - In the late 1800s Moose Jaw was the centre for smugglers and gangsters. The tunnels were built under the downtown streets to connect buildings together and to serve as hideouts for illegal activity. (drugs, gambling, etc.)

Tunnels of Moose Jaw

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The Big Muddy ( near Big Beaver ) in south-central Sask. was the only Canadian stop on the Outlaw Trail. The Outlaw Trail (which ran from Canada to Mexico) was used by Butch Cassidy and his gang, and by cattle and horse thieves. The Big Muddy Badlands had deep coulees and caves which were perfect places for the outlaws to hideout.

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Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada where the people do not have to change their clocks when there is a time change. The province stays on Central Standard Time all year round.

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PRIME MINISTERS - Prince Albert is the only constituency in Canada that has been represented by three prime ministers - William Lyon Mackenzie King, John Diefenbaker and Sir Wilfred Laurier. The FIRST Ukrainian Governor General of Canada was Ray Hnatyshyn. He was born and raised in Saskatoon. The FIRST female Governor General of Canada was Jeanne Sauv�. She was from Prud'homme.

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A LIGHTHOUSE IN SASKATCHEWAN !! The only lighthouse in Saskatchewan is at the north end of the town of Cochin. It was built on the top of Pirot Hill overlooking Jackfish Lake. The lighthouse is 11.5 metres tall ( 38 ft). You have to climb 153 steps to reach the top where you get a great view of Cochin and Jackfish lakes. The rotating beacon (light) can be seen for miles. The lighthouse was built as a tourist attraction .

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The "World's First Curling Museum" is located in Weyburn, SK. Don and Elva Turner's collection features over 18,000 curling pins and other curling memorabilia - crests, books, photos, brooms, curling stones, clothing, etc. .

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ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS -

Have you ever seen a moose that's nearly 10 metres high (32 ft.) and weighs 9000 kg? (10 tons) Now that's a big moose ! Mac the Moose stands by the Trans Canada Highway in Moose Jaw. ( photo )

The world's largest tomahawk can be seen at Cut Knife, which was the scene of an 1885 battle between the native peoples and the mounties. The Tomahawk was built as a symbol of unity and friendship between the First Nations and the white population in this area.

sites featuring more roadside attractions in Saskatchewan -
Big Things in Saskatchewan
Large Canadian Roadside Attractions - Saskatchewan

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SASKATCHEWAN INDEX

J.Giannetta
2003 updated January 2017
jgiannet@hotmail.com

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