Summertime is here and many people are making plans to go camping at the lake or travelling to other communities for a visit. Back in the day, the Valley had a series of cabins known as the Birch Wood Cabins that brought many tourists and visitors to the area. The history of Birch Wood Cabins is extensive and although it changed owners and names over the years, it’s a definite staple of the history of the Valley.
The Birch Wood Cabins were built and owned originally by the Tall family, and their granddaughter, Doreen Tall Pellissier shared her recollections of the history of those cabins.
“My grandparents were Alfred Tall, born in 1888 in Kearney, Ont., and Mary or Mamie (Jordan) Tall, born in 1894 in Oak Lake,” said Pellissier. “Mamie came to the Swan River Valley to teach at Avonlea School in 1914, and met Alf, who was from the Cropper Tops District. They were married on July 26, 1916, in Brandon.
“They lived with Alf’s mother and brother and in 1917, moved to their own farm, a mile down the road from the Tall original homestead which was established in 1901. The farm was in the family until 2011.
“Alf and Mamie had seven children, Gladys (Scotty Taylor); Merle (Ellery Taylor); Stan (Velma Graham); Elsie (Edwin Smith), Allan (Kay Hickman); Marg (Stan McNevin), and Aileen,” said Pellissier. “My parents are Allan and Kay. It was my dad and brother who continued the family farm until it was sold.
“Their son, Stan, had come home from WWII, so Alf and Mamie decided to leave the running of the farms to their two sons, and they retired to Swan River. Upon retiring, they felt too young to quit working entirely, so they decided to build the cabins and cater to the tourist trade. They built Birch Wood Cabins, and it was named because of the row of beautiful birch trees that lined their lot between the cabins and the cemetery.”
The Birch Wood Cabins were unique in the sense that they were in Swan River and not near a body of water or in a provincial park. Over the years the cabins saw visitors from many different places and northern tourism was beginning to take off around this time as well.
“The cabins were along Hwy. No. 10 north, about half a mile from Swan River’s Main Street,” said Pellissier. “There were seven cabins, positioned in a U-shape with swings and green space in the center. There was a small store in one building, as well as a larger building with hot and cold running water. Grandma washed the bedding in this building, which also had an iron mangle for ironing the sheets. There were no toilet facilities within the cabins themselves.
“Northern tourism was starting to boom and there were lots of people from all over Canada and the U.S. travelling through the Valley by Hwy. No. 10. Many of the activities included hunting and fishing, and many of the men would rent the cabins as a result of those trips. The by-pass was not yet thought of, so the location was ideal as there would be little else for accommodations until The Pas. For local tourism, Wellman Lake in the Duck Mountains and Steeprock Lake in the Porcupine Mountains would be the water recreational areas.
“The cabins were at least half a mile from downtown, with no store nearby,” said Pellissier. “Therefore, the small store that was part of the business was frequented by locals, as well as tourists. It appears that several people living nearby bought groceries there and it was a fantastic place for a child to buy some candy.
“My grandma loved that part of the business, but family stories indicate my grandpa wasn’t quite so patient. It could be at dinner time, or when the family was visiting, but the little bell would ring, and my grandma would tend to a customer. It could have taken quite a while for a child to decide how to spend his/her dime when there was such an array of candy available at three pieces for a penny. Those children are in their 60s and 70s today and some have been kind enough to share those memories with me and let me know how much my grandma was appreciated.”
The Tall’s owned and operated the cabins until the early 1960s, when they decided to sell, and they continued to live in Swan River.
“The property consisting of the house and seven cabins was put up for sale in August of 1963,” said Pellissier. “By that time, the by-pass was in use and these types of cabins were quickly being replaced by modern cabins and motels. As well, Alf and Mamie were getting older and quite ready to take things easy.”
Pellissier has fond memories of when her grandparents owned and operated the Birch Wood Cabins. Many others have reached out to her as well to share their memories of trips to the cabins and visits with her grandparents during those trips.
“I do remember going to grandma and grandpa’s house during their time operating Birch Wood Cabins,” said Pellissier. “I especially remember my grandma taking us across the lawn to the little store and we were allowed to pick out some candy. In later years, she moved the store to a room in the house. I do remember the swing and the yard, and the washroom. There was a fad around that time where people took old tractor tires, painted them and used them for flower beds and lawn décor. Grandma had some of those painted white and pink.
“My cousin shared with me that they remembered people coming to the cabins in the middle of the night and honking their horns to see if there was a vacancy. That was the only way to do it back in the day.
“I don’t remember my last trip to the cabins; however, I do remember my last thoughts,” said Pellissier. “When the cabins were about to be sold, my dad mentioned that maybe he should get one as a playhouse for my sister and me. That sounded perfect, and I was imagining all sorts of fun things. Alas, it didn’t happen, and the cabins became the property known as the Moon Glo Cabins located where Fas Gas is now.”
Unfortunately, not long after the sale of Birch Wood Cabins, Alf passed. The history of Birch Wood Cabins, then turned into Moon Glo Cabins, with another story to tell that was all it’s own.
“My grandparents stayed in Swan River after the sale of the cabins, as that was their home,” said Pellissier. “They bought a house on Fifth Avenue, just down the street from where Ace Hardware is now. Alf passed away in 1967 and Mamie in 1993.
“All that remains of the site now is a vacant lot at this time.”

With the beautiful summer weather comes plenty of outdoor activities, including market season. This year the Cranberry Portage Artisan Market is preparing their annual market in the community.
“The Cranberry Portage Artisan Market began in 2019, just in time to be shut down the following year due to COVID-19,” said Cranberry Portage Artisan Market Organizer Barb Bragg. “So last year, 2022, was our second market, out of four years. The Market takes place on the Canadian Heritage Museum Grounds, just off Portage Ave W, technically at 105 Railway Avenue, beside the railway tracks.
“The museum once was a functioning railway station and remains a stop for The Pas/Pukatawagan run. The museum showcases the incredible history of Cranberry Portage - originally referred to as the Cranberry Carrying Place.”

Last week the Province announced a new group to help with the fight against and protection from aquatic invasive species (AIS). The Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Forum was established to ensure a regionally diverse range of input was considered in terms of the testing and public education of AIS.
Local group, Citizens for Protecting Our Northern Waterways (CPONW), has become a part of this newly formed advisory forum.
“We've been advocating for such a group to be established for quite some time, both with the minister responsible for AIS and with the staff responsible for administering the program,” said CPONW President Chris Smith. “We were aware that this was in the works.
“The current provincial AIS program has largely been developed and implemented with a provincial scope, with limited input from local communities or community groups.

To celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, Kelsey Community School raised the bar and decided to take a week to learn and acknowledge Indigenous people and culture. The week was bustling with activities that not only engaged students, but adults as well. Many Indigenous community members participated through demonstration and cultural activities for the students to participate in.
“We started with an opening ceremony Monday morning,” said Antonio. “Music teacher, Mr. Legeny, sang O' Canada in Cree. Our principal, Mr. Jay Marin, introduced Elder Pat Young to open with a prayer. Next was the Kelsey School Division superintendent, Mr. Cully Robinson gave the land acknowledgement.
“Organizer and grade 5 teacher, Mrs. Myrna Ducharme, spoke about the importance of Indigenous education and how far it has come. She introduced two of the knowledge keepers, Shawna Grapentine and Kelleen Blouin (Granny Willow), who attended the event and shared through their art. Next, students Layla Rye-Antonio and Kain Ballantyne, gave greetings in French, Michif and Cree, and thanked Heritage Canada for their sponsorship.

Last week the federal government acknowledged a list of citations in Ottawa in a Mixed Honours Investiture Ceremony. Local resident, Ralph McLean was presented with a Meritorious Service Medal in the Civil Division.
McLean has been commemorating soldiers killed in war and peace keeping missions for more than two decades. Through his self-funded Canadian and international travels, he has identified unmarked war graves, which has helped expand the documentation of the British Commonwealth military history.
“This started out as a hobby that turned into a passion, and then turned into this award,” said McLean. “I started in the mid to late 1990s, photographing war graves around Canada, because our war dead aren’t all buried overseas. There were several different volunteers doing this across Canada.

An Indigenous Grandparents’ Rights Walk will be taking place starting on July 3, at Opaskwayak Cree Nation. The walk is to raise awareness of the rights of Indigenous grandparents and their need for support in raising their grandchildren.
“Off and on I raised my grandchildren and then in 2006, I was going through the court system and was told by a judge that I did not have rights in the courtroom, because there were no grandparents’ rights,” said Indigenous Grandparents’ Rights Walk Organizer Marlene Carriere. “I couldn’t talk on behalf of my grandchildren, and it was so frustrating, because every time I left the courts, I was so emotional. At the very last court hearing I said, ‘well you wait and see what I can do. I’m a kookum’.

The Kelsey Watershed District hosted their annual water festival on June 13 at Moose Park. It was a full day event with approximately 180 students in attendance from surrounding schools in the tri-community, participating in a series of interactive and educational stations.
“The Kelsey Watershed Water Festival is a group of volunteers that run stations, which are fun and educational in an environmental way to school kids,” said Kelsey Watershed District Manager Stephanie Jordan. “We invite grade 4s from all the surrounding schools to attend. They get to go to ten different stations where they learn about sturgeon; zebra mussels; tomato planting and gardening; wildlife and furs; bear safety; fishing techniques and real fishing on the Saskatchewan River; Ducks Unlimited; critter dipping; fire fighting and as well as play some fun games.