Travel back in time through these Sask historical tours

There are trail outings in Saskatchewan that allow residents to take a walk back in time. Numerous towns and villages have developed walking tours that highlight some of the historically significant features of their neighbourhood. On these walking tours, you’re likely to encounter historic churches, rustic barns or old railway lines that once played a significant role in the community’s livelihood.

Here are some great historic walking tours you can take part in:

Whitewood Heritage Walking Tour: the Whitewood Heritage Walking Tour is an award-winning tour that features 30 historical buildings and heritage sites in the community. Some of the sites include the Knox Presbyterian Church, the Merchant’s Bank Heritage Centre, the Whitewood Cemetery, the town’s first post office, the local Cenotaph, the Market Day Mural, and the Old Presbyterian Manse. For more information. visit www.townofwhitewood.ca.

Wolseley Heritage Tour: features 36 historical buildings, including several designated municipal and provincial heritage sites. Some of the buildings that you will see along the tour are the Historic Swinging Bridge, a home that was once an RCMP barracks complete with a jail cell, the St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church, the Wolseley Town Hall/Opera House, a house that was once visited by members of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) – including Tommy Douglas, M.J. Coldwell and J.S. Woodsworth – and the Wolseley Court House. For more information, visit www.wolseley.ca.

Regina Tours: the capital city of Saskatchewan is full of history and offers numerous walking tours to take it all in. The “Wascana Lake and its sporting and political history” tour allows people to walk around the lake and hear some of the intriguing tales surrounding it. The Regina Cemetery Tour visits the graves of Regina’s politicians, police officers and soldiers, along with victims of the Regina Cyclone, Regina Riot and Spanish Influenza. For more information, visit https://heritageregina.ca/2018-summer-walking-tours/.

Radville Tours: Radville is a small valley town steeped in history. The Heritage Walking Tour allows you to take a walk back in time to the original landscape of Radville including where buildings once stood and the people who lived there. Discover the darker side of Radville through the Haunted History Tour, led by an experienced story teller and folklorist. After businesses are closed for the day and the sky is dark, walk the streets of Radville to find out stories that you would never imagine happened. For more information, visit http://radville.ca/tourism/tours-2/.

Diefenbaker Canada Centre: located at the University of Saskatchewan, you can get a valuable education in history through guided walking tours. Historical campus tours highlight the university’s history, important achievements, and unique architecture. The U of S is located on Treaty 6 territory and homeland of the Métis and you can take an Indigenous history tour that focuses on architectural and oral Indigenous histories, drawn from within the municipal and campus communities, as well as the lived experiences of Indigenous students at the University of Saskatchewan. For more information, visit https://www.usask.ca/diefenbaker/visit/Tours.php.

Does your community have a historical walking tour? Email us with the details: info@sasktrails.ca.