2003_0571 Old & Faded
This is a good companion piece to yesterday's horses, as it was taken just across the road. Bruce Dixon's Diamond T Ranch was one of Parks Canada's most significant acquisitions in the creation of Grasslands National Park. Assembled by Bruce's father, Hugh "Doc" Dixon, in 1928, the ranch was comprised of 43 sections (a section is 640 acres) and contains critical habitat for Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Greater Sage Grouse, and other threatened or endangered species in Canada. After holding out for many years, Dixon's failing health finally convinced him - in 2011 - that it was time to sell. A key factor in his decision was the promise by Parks Canada that it would make continuing efforts to honour and interpret the role ranching has played in the history of Saskatchewan.
This great old ranch sign still stands at the entrance to the Dixon ranch yard.
Of course, before the ranching era, this area was home for thousands of years to nomadic Indigenous tribes, including Plains Cree, Assiniboine (or Nakota), and Blackfoot. Their legacy can be seen in more than 10,000 archeological sites throughout the park. It is almost impossible - once you know what to look for - to hike any high prairie ridge here without seeing ancient tipi rings.
I love the wildlife and the landforms, the seasons, the solitude, the big prairie skies and the sense of vastness, but am also aware that I'm a newcomer here. It's important to recognize those that came before. We are all dust in the wind.
Bruce Dixon died in Medicine Hat, Alberta, on October 8, 2021, at the age of 85.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2003_0571 Old & Faded
This is a good companion piece to yesterday's horses, as it was taken just across the road. Bruce Dixon's Diamond T Ranch was one of Parks Canada's most significant acquisitions in the creation of Grasslands National Park. Assembled by Bruce's father, Hugh "Doc" Dixon, in 1928, the ranch was comprised of 43 sections (a section is 640 acres) and contains critical habitat for Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Greater Sage Grouse, and other threatened or endangered species in Canada. After holding out for many years, Dixon's failing health finally convinced him - in 2011 - that it was time to sell. A key factor in his decision was the promise by Parks Canada that it would make continuing efforts to honour and interpret the role ranching has played in the history of Saskatchewan.
This great old ranch sign still stands at the entrance to the Dixon ranch yard.
Of course, before the ranching era, this area was home for thousands of years to nomadic Indigenous tribes, including Plains Cree, Assiniboine (or Nakota), and Blackfoot. Their legacy can be seen in more than 10,000 archeological sites throughout the park. It is almost impossible - once you know what to look for - to hike any high prairie ridge here without seeing ancient tipi rings.
I love the wildlife and the landforms, the seasons, the solitude, the big prairie skies and the sense of vastness, but am also aware that I'm a newcomer here. It's important to recognize those that came before. We are all dust in the wind.
Bruce Dixon died in Medicine Hat, Alberta, on October 8, 2021, at the age of 85.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.