Few visible signs remain of Cleeves. Pictured is the basement of the school.

Getting back to the roots of our Prairie past

Reporter's Notebook: Lisa Guenther tours what’s left of Cleeves, a once-thriving Saskatchewan town

It’s a safe bet that most people haven’t heard of Cleeves, Sask. While Google maps still marks the spot virtually, little is left of the abandoned hamlet beyond caraganas, a dirt road and the basement of the school. Growing up in the Turtleford area, I’d heard of Cleeves. I knew it was somewhere around Spruce […] Read more

The McDonald family elevator was the last grain elevator standing in Turtleford until a fire consumed the structure on the evening of Nov. 29.

Grain elevator owners “hit hard” after destructive fire

Elevator contained half of the McDonald family's 2016 crop, and more

The McDonald family is in shock as they start to deal with the fall-out of their grain elevator burning. On Tuesday night, the last grain elevator in Turtleford caught fire. Local residents watched as the structure collapsed inwards and burning grain poured from the elevator. The elevator was owned by the McDonald family, who used […] Read more


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VIDEO: Turtleford grain elevator destroyed by fire

Volunteer fire departments from several communities battle blaze

Turtleford residents watched with worry last night as the last grain elevator in town burnt to the ground. Angela Csiki lives across the street from the elevator. Csiki says her partner, Chris Michelon, noticed the fire at about 9:15 pm. By that time, the local fire department was already on the scene, she adds. “We […] Read more

The tail end of a semi is visible as the grain elevator smoulders in Turtleford.

PHOTOS: Turtleford grain elevator fire

The last elevator in town burns to the ground

On the evening of Nov. 29, 2016, the last grain elevator in the town of Turtleford, Sask., located 90 kilometres north-west of North Battleford, caught fire and burned to the ground.