Saskatchewan Trans-Canada Highway Route: the Highway #1 between Swift Current and Regina
Here is the itinerary for the 235 km along Highway #1 between Swift Current and Regina:
Southwestern Saskatchewan was at the foot of the Ice Age glaciers that covered much of the continent, and large leaks of meltwater formed in the area. The "north Hill" in Swift Current was the shoreline for the ancient lake. The glaciers left a high gravel morraine north of the highway between Waldeck and Rush Lake, and left hills at Ernfold and left beaches at Caron. The glaciers also left behind hidden underground rivers, still used to provide water to farmers and towns today.
Swift Current is the market town for farms and businesses in southwest Saskatchewan. The area was settled in the early 1900s by homesteaders from Germany, hence names like "Waldeck" which means a wooded corner, so named for the trees along the banks of Swift Current Creek.
Chaplin Lake lies in a basin with no exit, so water entering the lake from area streams can only leave by solar evaporation. This process leaves behind various mineral salts, and high salinity in the water. Chaplin lake is home to brine shrimp used in pet foods and by fish hatcheries, and the sodium sulphate is used in processing forest products.
The Trans-Canada between Valjean and Parkbeg passes through a field of small ponds, caused by large chucks of ice left behind by retreating Ice Age glaciers amongst the usual rocks and gravel. When the ice melted, a pond remained.
Moose Jaw grew to be a major community initially because of the importance of Moose Jaw Creek to supply water to the railway's steam locomotives. The community's underground tunnel system made it a popular hideout for Prohibition-era smugglers.
The open and flat Regina Plain stretching east from Moose Jaw used to be the bottom of Ice Age Lake Regina. The fine sandy soil was ideal for growing wheat. Canada's Durham wheat is used in many foods, including Italian (yes, Italian) spaghetti. The Durham wheat was specially created for Canada's short summers and grows to maturity in only 90 days. The intense agriculture use of the land is helped with various fertilizers. A mine at Belle Plain extracts naturally occurring potash (Saskatchewan's second biggest export) from former ocean beds 1600 m (5200 ft) below the surface.
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Highway 58, town of Chaplin, accommodation, salt ponds, (Silver Dollar RV Park & Campground, Chaplin, SK S0H 0V0 Tel: (306) 395-2332 ), S to Gravelbourg
