I wasn’t living on the farm after I graduated from High School so I wasn’t there for the day to day progress of the building of the Gardiner Dam.

However, it was May 27, 1958 that there were ceremonies officially marking the beginning of the construction.   More surveying was then done on both sides of the river and soon heavy equipment began arriving to start moving dirt!  And heavy equipment it was: HUGE EUCLIDS, TRUCKS, GRADERS – for work that was being done, day and night.

There, one course, was a security issue and getting into the site entailed an access gate that monitored all activity entering and *exiting the site.lk*  My Dad, Peter and *Uncle Paul, his twin brother, both worked at manning the gates.  It was a great opportunity for a couple of “Seniors”.  I know my Mom was glad to have something exciting for Dad to do and keep him out of the house.

Some of the construction site was designated for a park and a townsite.  Of course buildings were erected to house the needed machinery and retail businesses were opened.  A drive-through cafe and a general store were opened for business, as well as a service station.  Imagine! Ice cream less than a mile from home!  The village was called Cutbank.  Temporary housing was available for the workers.

I know it must have been difficult for my Mom to see the house movers come and jack up the house and prepare to move it to another location.  Now it wasn’t a treasured family home in fact it was a house that was actually in two parts.  The first part had survived a fire in the dead of winter with snow being carted up to the roof to extinguish the flames.  After, an addition was added to the house with stairs leading up to a bedroom.  There was still a door leading to the roof of the original house and the charred shingles were there for you to see!  But this was my Mom’s home, and she must have loved it dearly as she opted to ride in the house to its new foundation on my brother Gordon’s farm.

The house was turned opposite to how it sat before:  now it faced south instead of north.  I loved the way it now sat with the sun shining in from the east and south windows.

Mom now had a garden just steps from her door.  A place for her to grow her  gladiolas and all the vegetables she loved.

My Mom with her beautiful flowers.

By now the building of the dam was in high gear. The tunnels and the towers were in place and my brother Gordon was employed by the PFRA to control the levels of water downstream and operate the spillway when water levers were too high for the lake.  Soon the large pumping station was finished and my brother Gerald (who was now an electrician) was employed by the Saskatchewan Water Commission in charge of the water irrigation canal.

Both my brothers were employed close to home until retirement.

Close to the village of Elbow was a perfect inlet for a marina, which was built, as well as a championship golf course called Harbour Golf Club & Resort.  This golf course is dear to my heart.  What was once nothing but prairie grass and gopher holes was developed into a beautiful, challenging golf course.  Most of the regular golfers are from the surrounding facing communities and what an opportunity it was to be able to get off the tractor at noon and head out for 18 holes of golf nearby!

The course has several holes that cozy up against Lake Diefenbaker and it is hard to keep your eye on the ball with the shimmering sunlight reflecting on the water captivating your view.  One hole that I love and is unique to this course is a Par 3 of 68 yards from the forward tee.  What is unique about this hole is the tee is slightly elevated and your ball must carry over a fairway wide thicket of chokecherry bushes to a hidden green.  Go long and you are down the cliff to the lake.

Memories’

June 21, 2026