Last weekend my wife and I took a trip to rural Saskatchewan for the day. In the spirit of staying local and seeing what our province has to offer, all while travelling on a budget, we head west. Our first stop was the town of Mortlach.
When you come to Mortlach, it doesn’t take long to develop a positive impression of the town. The streets are lined in beautiful old trees and the atmosphere is easygoing and positive.
We started the trip at the Boxcar Bakery. The owner gladly talked about the history of the brick-finished building and the best spots in town to visit. Their baked goods are wonderful, and the monster cookies are generous, homemade, and absolutely delicious. We bought the whole rack.
The Pit Stop Diner was just up the road and was our next stop.
Previously the diner was suffering financial hardship, but the new owners were able to save the establishment through their purchase. Now it’s set up as a welcoming family diner. “We do lots for the kids here… it’s not just colouring books and chalk. They love it,” said the owner, Terry Bittles.
The Pit Stop Diner has a dine-in license and a tavern license. “After 8:00 the kids are shooed out and it becomes a pub.” They have an off-sale license and are applying for a patio permit. “It’s a full-service facility that we are offering here,” said Bittles in his charming accent.
“Iron” Mike Beaudoin is a local resident who made the Pit Stop Diner a custom firepit. The pit was donated free of charge in a show of local hospitality. “He says to me, ‘you can have it… I don’t want any money from you, but if people want one built, refer them to me’,” Bittles said. Next month, in September, they are planning a pig roast on the new fireplace. The pay-it-forward attitude was quite refreshing to see.
The new owners of the Diner are looking ahead and have some great ideas to rejuvenate the small community. They want to establish some annual events in the town, and next year there are plans to use a downhill stretch of road for go-cart races.
“There’s a lot that can be done here,” he said. Their efforts are breathing new life into the town and that’s exactly the spirit rural Saskatchewan needs. “People have commented that you have brought the town back to life. We are bringing ourselves back to life as well.”
He mentioned that more people are looking to buy a home outside of major centres including Moose Jaw. The town used to see a house sell rarely, but this summer around six or seven homes were sold. “The taxation in places like Moose Jaw is getting onerous on people, so they are looking for venues out of town and this is a 25-minute commute,” said Bittles.
Mortlach is a great community for those interested in the arts. Among their establishments are the Antique Abbey, which features antiques and collectibles, and the Painted Brush a few doors further north. Bittles at the Pit Stop Diner said the town has hosted artists and musicians before, and they always receive a warm welcome from locals and put on smaller-scale local shows.
The town also has a neat little model shop with over 1035 model kits. The owner, Steve Apperley, spends countless hours building and restoring old models that range from aircraft to tanks. This was a pleasant way to spend some time and you could really spend the entire afternoon in this small little shop. When we visited the Boxcar Bakery, the shop was closed, but as it turns out, it was his wife who ran the bakery. She made a quick phone call and Steve was more than happy to drop what he was doing and show us around.
Before leaving, we couldn’t resist driving around. The whole place is scenic and there are so many nice homes with well-maintained gardens. The next time we visit we’re going to stop back at the Vimy Memorial Park for a picnic.
The town of Herbert is down the road a ways, and although we were able to include two towns in this trip, a good lesson is to leave a full day or afternoon for each venue. We drove around town, and one of the places to visit was the Herbert MCC Thrift Store, which has great prices and amazing people who volunteer their time to help those in need.
For one final stop on the way home, there’s a watchtower between Herbert and Morse that overlooks Reed Lake. Being an average depth of around one metre, it’s a perfect spot for migratory birds and anyone interested in bird watching.
The trip taught us that you don’t have to go far or spend a small fortune to enjoy a nice vacation or weekend getaway. There are so many hidden gems right under our noses and within a short drive from Moose Jaw.
One of the most important lessons we learned on the outing was that the people make the place, and it’s unlikely that you’ll find more welcoming and accommodating people that you will in rural Saskatchewan.
