When I was driving to Swift Current last night in the dark, I could tell that the ground wasn't as flat because the road went over some small hills. The drive this morning showed a mixture of flat, hills, farmland, and grazing cattle.
I saw several grain elevators along the train tracks,and several long trains. So of the trains were standing on the tracks by the grain elevators, and others were pulling their load across the prairie.
Southern Alberta looks a lot like Southern Saskatchewan!
When I got to Medicine Hat and saw the sign for the"World's Largest Tipi," I almost didn't stop, but I'm glad I did.
What I liked most are the round disks with artwork depicting aspects of the Aborigines', Indians', or First Nations people's lives or culture (whatever terminology you prefer). Each disk has an accompanying sign with an explanation.
For example, the Metis people were fur trappers of European ancestry who married Aborigine women. They and their children are referred to as the Metis people.
I stopped at the visitor center in Medicine Hat to learn of the town's points of interest. I was told that the Medalia pottery company is famous and gives factory tours, and that there are dozens of murals around town.
I thought the pottery tour would be interesting, since I took a pottery class at Sierra College.
The kilns looked old and interesting. Unfortunately, there was a private wedding scheduled for this afternoon, so the kilns were closed to the public. I was able to see some of the pottery, though, and get a photo with the bagpiper who would be playing at the wedding! The couple being married have Scottish ancestry.
Below are afew of the murals I saw when I looked around town. The last one, below, was on the side of an elementary school building. 😀
That same school building has separate entrances in back for boys and girls. I wonder why? Was that common in the past?
The bingo hall is across the street from the school. It looks busy on a Saturday afternoon. I think they're popular in cold climates.
Medicine Hat's most famous pottery artist, James Marshall, has some pottery art pieces around town. The first one, below, commemorates how the townspeople pulled together to clean up after the Saskatchewan River flooded in 1995.
Similar to what I saw in Regina and Moose Jaw, the tree lined streets in Medicine Hat neighborhoods are lined with trees. The Fall colors are beautiful along the streets and the Saskatchewan River.
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