Our Final 620 CKRM Fall Country Cookout with the Hansons of Mossbank/Ardill

That’s a wrap on another incredible 620 CKRM Harvest Country Cookout season…. and what a way to finish it out in Mossbank with our wonderful hosts, Wayne and Maureen Hanson, alongside all the fantastic friends and family they invited out!

There’s truly nothing better than getting together to celebrate a lifestyle that means so much. We always make it happen with great food, unmatched Saskatchewan hospitality, and the finest company around. These cookouts mean the absolute world to, not only our winners but to ourselves as we are grateful for what the ag community does year in and year out. I want to send out a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone involved during the craziest, most demanding time of the agricultural year.

None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our incredible sponsors, who cherish this opportunity to give back, connect face-to-face, and show their deep appreciation for the hard-working farm families who feed our communities.

Nestled within the rolling hills of south-central Saskatchewan lies a cluster of communities whose history shines around the resilience of the prairies. The history books tell us that in 1912, when the Canadian Pacific Railway laid its “mini alphabet line”, it created the agricultural hubs like Ardill—rumoured to be named by a British settler describing the area’s “hard hill”—which quickly grew to feature a traditional 1924 wheat pool elevator. Just miles away, Expanse and Dunkirk flourished as bustling railway sidings and grain-growing hubs, while Bishopric carved out a unique industrial footprint on the southern shore of Old Wives Lake. From 1921 through the mid-century, Bishopric was a roaring company town powered by a massive sodium sulphate extraction plant and the Victor Oil Company. But it was Mossbank that ultimately became the anchor of the region. Originally incorporated in 1912 as an extension of the rail line from Expanse, Mossbank boasts a legendary legacy: it was the site of the historic 1874 first meeting between the North-West Mounted Police and the Indigenous Sioux refugees, a major World War II training hub that hosted over 6,000 personnel at the No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School, and the stage for the famous 1957 political debate between Tommy Douglas and Ross Thatcher. While communities like Bishopric and Expanse have quietly transitioned into Saskatchewan’s iconic ghost towns, their shared heritage remains preserved in the landscape and through local treasures like the Mossbank Museum.

Here’s some of what I came across in my travels……… click on link to enlarge.

: Old Wives Lake Point of interest Marker on Highway #2

: Just a couple of structures still standing in Dunkirk, including the old school house.

: Donnie took some time to visit and chat about the farm he’s working for. He’s a cattleman working 1100 head. No holidays for him.

: Dunkirk cemetary

Time to cruise to Expanse not that far from Dunkirk. Again nothing remains but some foundations and a small cemetery.

: not much left of this ghost town

: Love the old relics and forgotten homestead. I always think about what it was like with the family around

: Nice old home

Time to head to Ardill with a quick stop at the farm across the way for a photo shoot.

The historic Ardill Hotel bar, famous for holding one of the oldest liquor licenses in Saskatchewan (often noted locally as Liquor Licence #1), had a rich lineage of owners over its century-long run before permanently closing its doors in 2019. I have great memories of being there and they had the best wings around….Marlo & Angie had a hot sauce above all others!

Marlo and Angie Krauss: They bought the bar around 2004 and were the final owners and operators who kept the iconic watering hole alive for its last 15 years. They famously decorated the walls with local cattle brands as a fundraiser and maintained its legendary small-town hospitality.

The Holkestad Family: Operated and owned the hotel during its peak years in the 1960s and 1970s.The Miletich Brothers (John and Mike): Owned the hotel during the 1950s. They were responsible for significantly renovating the building, expanding the space by purchasing an adjacent barber shop, and adding the distinctive mansard roof to give it a French Provincial theme.

The Wenman Family: Were the early pioneers of the establishment, owning and operating the Ardill Hotel around 1923–1924, shortly after the town sprouted up along the rail line.

: Ardill Bar.

Next was a stop at the historic RCAF training base at the Mossbank golf course. During the height of the Second World War, the quiet Saskatchewan prairie just east of town was transformed into a massive, bustling military hub known as RCAF Station Mossbank. Operating from October 1940 to December 1944 as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the base was home to the No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School. Its strategic proximity to Old Wives Lake made it the perfect testing ground, where trainees dropped practice bombs over the water on targets meant to simulate enemy submarines. Flying iconic aircraft like the Fairey Battle, Avro Anson, and Bristol Bolingbroke, the base was practically a small town of its own—complete with five massive hangars, barracks, and even an indoor swimming pool that doubled as a firefighting reservoir. By the time the school closed its doors, it had successfully graduated 2,539 air bombers and 3,702 air gunners from Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Though the original buildings are gone, the site lives on today as the Mossbank Golf Club, where a rock cairn and a permanently flying Canadian flag proudly honor this legendary piece of aviation history.