Snapshots and Articles of Summerberry

by Lloyd Gwilliam

Photos from Summerberry Homecoming 1990

Some children just north of the tent.

Photo looking from CPR mainline railway tracks towards the school, temporary tent and camping areaduring homecoming.

A word about Lloyd - I came on to the scene in Summerberry in March of 1956. I was born at the neighbouring town of Wolseley and lived the first twenty some years of my life at Summerberry. While the Gwilliams have long moved on from Summerberry we still have a special attachment to the town (indeed I still own what used to be the town's bank).

• Lucky Dollar Store then and now gone
• Our beautiful 2 story stone school still stands today
• Churches of Summerberry past and present are no more
• The great elevators sentinals of the prairies

The Luck Dollar Store was its last use. This building was located on the main street and was originally built around 1895. It started as the Marquis Store. In 1926 they had a pony and a 4 wheel cart to deliver groceries.

Our beautiful 2 story stone school was built around 1906 and still stands today. The stones were hauled from the area using horses. This school was District 33, which means when this one was created there were only 32 other districts in Saskatchewan, Alberta and present North West Territories.

The High School closed in 1965 and the elementary school closed the following year. The pupils then had to be bused to Wolseley to go to school. In 1965 Mr. Gordon Mathews was the principal, in 1966 the last two teachers were Mrs. Irva Pow and Mrs. Dorothy Russell. June Wagman took the school over in the late eighties and has restored it.

The churches of Summerberry are no more. The newest church was built by the community in 1950 and was dedicated on January 21, 1951. The last service was held November 1984 as there were too few members in the district. It was sold to the Pentecostal congregation of Glenavon and moved there in 1985.

The new church was built as the original stone church, which was build in 1903, burned in 1949 from a furnace fire.

The great elevators are no more. Summerberry had 3 elevators which were finally closed in 1985 and demolished in August of 1988. They included the Paterson, the United Grain Growers and the Pool.

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