Travelling south of Saskatoon along Highway 219, one passes the Whitecap Reserve, complete with its spectacular golf course, casino and impressive residential developments. Continue south for a few more miles and you will see a small sign indicating the ‘Round Prairie Cemetery’. The cemetery, overlooking the meandering South Saskatchewan river, is scarcely visible. In fact, if not for the sign, it quite possibly would go completely unnoticed.
I remember stopping years ago to wander through the well-tended cemetery. The names were obviously French and I remember thinking at the time that it had to be the remnants of a Metis community.
This recent article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix caught my eye. It is a sad story of a community torn apart by depression, poverty, politics and, well, life. Virtually all beyond their control, but the people carry on with their traditions and so it is a story about what would become one more building block of Saskatoon’s community.
The Round Prairie
The Prairie Fiddler 