RETLAW
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RETLAW |
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NAME: Retlaw COUNTY: N/a ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Hot windy summers, winter can range from mild to cold. BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime except winter |
COMMENTS:
Although the railway tracks that ran through town were torn up recently, Retlaw is trying to give people a reason to come see the remains of this once vibrant town. The old church has been restored and signs have been erected along Main Street showing where the various buildings stood -- some signs offer historical information and pictures. This adds a whole new dimension to looking at a foundation when you can actually see what the original building looked like. REMAINS: Restored church, numerous foundations, several abandoned buildings |
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Retlaw was expected to be the major town in the area. In the early part of the 1900's it was a hub of activity -- pool hall, hotel, railway, church, blacksmith and so on. When the province brought irrigation to the area in the 1920's it ran the canal close to neighboring Vauxhall. Retlaw was left in a dryland state -- business moved to Vauxhall along with the water. Throughout the next few decades, buildings were moved or town down and the town was left to gather prairie dust. Submitted by: Dan Overes In the southeast sector of Alberta is Retlaw, eight miles west of the busy town of Vauxhall. The first homesteaders came to Retlaw in 1906 and lost most of their livestock the next winter, one of the worst on record. Prairie fires the following summer destroyed most everything the winter blizzards had left. Many homesteaders gave up and departed, yet some stayed. Their reward was short lived. Poor crops sounded the death-knell for Retlaw and many of its surrounding farms. By 1925, stores began boarding up windows and locking doors for want of customers. By 1957, only two families were left. But many of the old buildings stand awaiting the camera-carrying ghost towner. The town was named Retlaw—Walter spelled backwards—in honor of CPR official Walter R. Baker.H.B. Chenoweth |
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