Little Church in the Valley

From Lumsden (Saskatchewan), if you were to drive north on Highway 20 to the Russell Hill Road, turn right, cross the valley (and the tracks) and then turn left before you head up the hill you would come to a sign that designates curves for the next eight kilometres. After a very pretty, albeit winding road, you would arrive at a little blue church with a red roof.

The current location of the St. Nicholas Anglican Church is not its original location. The church was first built by Mark Catley in 1900 on the SE 1/4 of 13-21-21 (about 7 kilometres further up the valley).

In 1899 Rev. Marcom got the congregation interesteed in the idea of building a church. Much of the money to build the church came from donations locally but a good portion of it came from abroad. As a result, the church was named after the St. Nicholas estate in England.

The lumber arrived by train in the spring of 1900 and was moved by horse and cart over 12 kilometres to the building site. Construction began shortly after the lumber arrived and was completed by fall. The church seated 50. It was interesting to note that prior to the building of the church the congregation met for Sunday Service in the various homes of the parishioners.

In 1910 Mark Catley's son, Norman, purchased some land from the Canadian Pacific Railway and donated it to the church. That same year, the decision was made to move the church west as many of the original settlers were relocating closer to Craven and Lumsden and there weren't a lot of roads in that part of the valley so getting to and from church was difficult. When the church was taken apart, each board was numbered so that it could be reassembled at its current location.

There used to be a barn in the churchyard in which parishioners could stable their horses during services. In 1940 a tornado took the barn but the church remained unscathed. The barn was never rebuilt.

The church is described in the Our Towns book by David McLennan as, "reputedly Saskatchewan's most photographed church". The church has appeared in numerous calendars over the years. It has been featured in the SaskTel phonebook and in Saskatchewan tourism brochures and pamphlets. In 1982 it was designated a Heritage site.

Today, there is no basement under the church. There is neither power, nor gas, nor running water. However, it remains a popular setting for weddings and over 1600 visitors sign the guestbook annually. Sunday Service is held every second Sunday from the beginning of May until the end of September and although there is no longer a "dedicated" minister to the congregation, there is no shortage of volunteers in the form of visiting and retired preachers. The Catleys are still involved with the church that has seen six generations of the family baptized, married and buried.

Photo courtsey Andrew Meredith