Thursday, June 7, 2018

Tawatinaw!


Do you ever say a name and are convinced you are pronouncing it correctly? I have always pronounced Tawatinaw as Ta-Wah-Teh-Naw. Am I right? I'm not even sure. Is it fun to say? Yes.

In case you are wondering, Tawatinaw is derived from a Cree word meaning 'river which divides the hills' or 'valley river'. It's definitely in a valley, I did not see the river. The 2016 population was 5. However it is home to a ski hill, year round resort and near the historic Athabasca Landing Trail also known as the '100 Mile Portage' built in 1876 by the Hudson's Bay Compnay as a route into the Northern Territories. It became an important route for fur traders, gold rush miners and settlers.

On the way in to the valley, I spotted an old barn and house waaaaaay out in a field seemingly with no way to get to it. We found a nearby road marked 'Dead End', and headed down it in hopes of getting a better vantage point to photograph the house. I never did find a good spot but we did happen upon the First Tawatinaw Cemetery 1918-1921 and the original location of St. Charles Church built in 1912. The dead end road kept going and it ended up not being a dead end but came out beside someones barn on their property. Oops! I made a quick getaway off their land.


Way out in right field

Left field




Onto the church! I have been wanting to see this church for a long time and I was not disappointed. With the almost overnight greening of the province, the church looked stunning against the hills. The guard dog I had heard rumours of came out to visit from the nearby house. He was a good boy. Just a friendly old dog looking for a pat.

There is no marker that I found but I read somewhere that St.Charles Catholic Church moved to this location in 1935 from the spot we discovered on the dead end road. The original log church built in 1912 burned down and this one was built in 1917.




Also spotted in Tawatinaw:



As we were leaving town, there was someone at the mail boxes. Always good to chat with a local so I asked him if he knew anything about the house in the field. He wasn't sure but he did tell me where the new cemetery was and also about the old school that used to stand on the top of the hill. After it ceased use as a school the new owners raised dogs in it. It eventually became unusable and they had a big party, invited the neighbours and lit the place up. That must have been some bonfire. He also showed me where the rail line came through and where the grain elevator once stood. No signs of any of this now. He mentioned that he was 88 years old so he has seen a lot of changes there. I hope someday, I can also say I've seen many things.

A couple photos of 'Main Street' c.1930 from the Provincial Archives:




 References: Place Names of Alberta; Provincial Archives of Alberta

40 comments:

  1. LO - I'd call that a dead end. Nice photos.

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  2. A quiet area, but lovely in that quiet!

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Adam! It was a great photo taking day!

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  4. Interesting as always, Jenn! That's how I would pronounce Tawatina too, but I have no clue if it's correct.

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  5. Nice set of photos, Jenn. The crosses on the cemetery gate and on the church steeple are really beautiful as are the signs at the old cemetery. The church and cemetery themselves are lovely.

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    1. Thanks Michael, it was a great surprise finding that old cemetery.

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  6. Such interesting people. The old cemeteries always fascinate me.

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    1. Thanks Marie, I find it interesting that it wasn't used for very long.

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  7. It's as fun to say as Tabusintac (NB) or Sintaluta (SK)!

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  8. Great photos. I love hearing a bit of history of places you visit.

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    1. Thanks Vicki! I am always happy to find some historical info. Although makes me wish I could have seen these places back in their hay day.

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  9. Judging by a quick trawl through your blog last night I'd say you'd already seen many things, many interesting and beautiful things at that. Also many sad things as so many attractive buildings are deserted and disintegrating. We have many odd place names here to trip up the unwary traveller - Wymondham for example is pronounced Wind'em and Happisburgh is Haze-burra!

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    1. Thanks John! LOL well those ones I would never pronounce correctly! Haze-burra! I like that one! Thanks for checking out my blog.

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  10. You do have fun in your explorations Jenn, some close calls too 😀 That is a lovely wee church, glad you had a chance to take these shots. Have a super weekend ✨

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    1. Thanks PDP, it's always an adventure out there!

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  11. Your pics are wonderful! A population of 5!!

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    1. Hi RedPat. Yep and I met 1 of the 5 lol.

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  12. Just the the kind buildings I like photograph... especially the church.

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    1. Hi Andy, I think church is one of my faves....and I have seen a lot of old churches!

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  13. Beautiful photos Jenn! Have you ever seen the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"? Tawatinaw reminds me of something Kathy Bates' character says...now I may be off in right field lol!

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    1. Hi Rain! I haven't that movie in years but coincidentally we watched the preview for it the other day when trying to pick a rainy day movie. I know what you're referring to, I think she yells the name TOWANDA as she rams that car in the parking lot LOL!

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  14. That first picture is incredible! It looks like a postcard or a painting. It seems like if you're not sure how to pronounce something as long as you say it like you're absolutely sure people tend to think you're right.

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    1. Thanks Danielle! LOL, confidence is key!! Hope you're having a good summer!

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  15. ...Jenn, that a neat visit, just the kind of stuff that I like! 😀

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    1. Thanks Tom! I love these kinds of places too!

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  16. Your blog is great. I read a lot of interesting things from it. Thank you very much for sharing. Hope you will update more news in the future.
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  17. Nice write up and photos. It's always good to chat with an old-timer, they love to tell stories and share history. Definitely on my bucket list of places to see and photograph as well.

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  18. Lovely shots amd stories. I shared it with my Alberta site with tales of yore, Alberta Hometown Memories. Thank you!

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  19. have you ever heard the story of tawatinaw church?
    It was my dads 19th birthday and he partied in that hall but it was unenhabed
    but that time people were there but they looked a live and well but it burnt down and to that day he knows that thos people were but they were not real he was playing with the past and he was playing with the dead people from 30 years ago...

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    1. Thanks for the comment! Never know what will happen at these old places!

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  20. Beautiful photos My mother was born in Tawatinaw and my parents were married in St Charles Church. She always pronounced it Ta Wat Na as does my cousin who still farms there. Nice to see it has not totally been forgotten Thank you

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    1. Thanks Leona, it is still one of my favourite places I have visited.

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  21. Hi Leona- I'm really interested in your family history in Tawatinaw. I was told that my grandfather's dad, Charles Parenteau, founded a town that he pronounced as "Twatna" with his French Canadian accent. I always thought that town was in Ontario, but can't find it on any map. What do you think? Have you ever heard the name Parenteau, or how the town was founded?

    Jenn--any chance you have headstone photos from that cemetery that you would be willing to post or share?

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    1. Hi, interesting! I am not from the area but I will see what I can find. I didn't take any images of the headstone but if I go back I certainly will.

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