The farm features a magnificent fieldstone house, huge barn, orchard and plenty of programming to recreate rural life in the early s. Back in the valley, the tiny, picture-perfect community of Ellisboro is a highlight of the Fort Ellis Trail , with two churches dating to the s. We would rank this as the most beautifully situated community anywhere in Saskatchewan.
The road passes an historic marker for the former village of Hyde. It was founded in by A. Hyde who had grandiose visions of building an English estate. The village thrived for a short time until Hyde ran out of money. The final blow came when the CPR decided on a different route, and most of the settlers followed. Here we find Crooked Lake Provincial Park , as well as a string of other recreation areas, resorts, and scenic lookouts. Whenever we travel this route, the ice cream shop at Cowessess Gas and Grocery is a must-stop.
This is the only oak tree indigenous to the Canadian prairies and near the western extent of its natural range here. The route turns back to a gravel road shortly after Round Lake. The valley becomes more heavily forested here, including several patches of Bur oak trees. Highway ends at the junction with Highway 9, with the route through the valley continuing east on a gravel road.
Head north on Highway 9 for 7. Less than two km along, the imposing brick church, built in by Swedish Lutherans, stands alone amid the farmland.
The Gothic-styled church is noted for its intricate stained glass windows, especially two huge ones in the transepts. Continuing east in the valley, the road soon crosses Grid Road From here explorers can take a side-trip to Kaposvar Historic Site. Most of the time these coulees are dry; but in spring, after the snowmelt, they funnel water and sediment from the surrounding plains down to the river.
Over millennia this sediment has partially infilled the valley. Moisture levels are the key determinant of valley vegetation. In coulees or hollows, or where valley slopes face north, moisture levels are higher, and trees and thick bush can be found. On the driest, south-facing slopes, there are cacti amongst the shortgrass. Bur oak trees grow on the easternmost valley slopes, the only native occurrence of oaks in Saskatchewan.
Isolated patches of native prairie grass, protected from the plough by slope or bush, can still be found along valley's edge, a reminder of the original native grasslands that once stretched across the plains. First Nations peoples have resided in the valley for millennia. Originally, they benefited from the abundant fish in the lakes and river.
Deer and other game were plentiful in the valley coulees, and trees provided both shelter from the wind and fuel for fire. Species usually found farther east, such as smooth green snake, eastern wood-pewee, eastern towhee, snapping turtle and bur oak, are also found here. Housing and cottage development, along with agricultural activities such as sod farms and market gardening, are widespread here; especially along the lower flood banks of the Qu'Appelle River.
Cultivation is common on the drier upper banks. Few unbroken areas of native prairie remain and most are unprotected, leaving rare plants and important habitats vulnerable. Riparian streamside areas offer great biological diversity. A variety of habitats are found along the banks of the Qu'Appelle River, along with the slopes that frame the river, the ridges and plateaus flanking the valleys and the ecosystems within the river itself. The valley's varied landscapes are critical to the survival of more than 30 rare and endangered animal and plant species.
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