I bet those of you who are familiar with my biography were wondering how long it would take me to get to Hatfield, Saskatchewan. I spent about 45 years of my life living next to Hatfield. I guess that means I lived in the suburbs. In the linked video, you can see the trees of our homestead on the left side of highway 15. It’s a quaint little video, but unfortunately the film maker missed the townsite completely. It’s actually about a quarter mile north of the spot from which he was filming. I have to admit, it sure was great to hear the birds again.
The Hatfield townsite is 5 miles south of Nokomis on Highway 20 and was incorporated in 1907. It never became a large centre, but did at its zenith boast a general store, a grain elevator or two and a school along with a few houses. I believe the school closed in the early to mid sixties. I have a vague memory of sitting at a desk in the school, though I never attended classes there.
A lady by the name of Joan (Kerr) Miller, who attended school in Hatfield, posted a very nice piece online. Sadly, she passed away a couple of years ago. Just one note: although Leland Greenfield was a well-known and extensive chronicler of local history, the elevator demolition pictures were taken by Theresa Lakness, who was married to Bernie Lakness, and who was the matriarch of one of the two families living in Hatfield at the time. Please see the linked article.
The Prairie Fiddler 