Today I presided at a funeral in one of the little "towns" that dot the countryside around Minnedosa ... With names like Bethany, Cadurcis, Clanwilliam, Basswood and so on, these little "towns" continue to survive despite the loss of elevators, stores, churches, schools and most of the people who once lived there ... Some of them have their moments of triumph and revival when someone opens a business, and despite all the odds stacked against them continue to survive and prosper.
By and large though, these little towns have a strong sense of spirit for what once was, an attachment to the heritage that made them more then a point on the map, but they no longer have what one could identify as a town ... Today they have abandoned houses, overgrown hards, forgotten playgrounds and school yards, and cemeteries that have more residents than the town themselves ...
And that seems to be a problem ...
I've been to little Prairie "towns" that have hundreds of residents in the cemetery, and fewer living, breathing residents than there are fingers on my hand ... it could be said that when a "town" has more residents in its cemetery on the hill, than it has in its homes the town is in serious trouble ...
Don't get me wrong - I love visiting places like Basswood, Bethany, Clanwilliam, Cadurcis. I've enjoyed every moment I've spent hearing about what a fabulous place it was to live and grow up and visit on a Friday night ... My only fear is simply this:
How Long before we're saying the same thing of Minnedosa???
How long before we stand on the hill top cemetery and find more residents there, than there are living, breathing residents in the town itself?
With more and more openings appearing on Main St, and then to drive down Main St at 10:37am on a Saturday morning and to find ONLY FOUR cars parked on the ENTIRE length of Main St, causes me some worry ...
I like this town, and I would like to see it thrive and prosper ... I want to come back in 50 years and be able to find a town to show my grandkids and great grandkids, rather than a nice cemetery on the hill and a sign that says "Minnedosa" and little else ...
As they say - those who fail to heed and learn from history are doomed to repeat it ...
One day not so long ago the little rural towns were bustling places ... and today that bustle is nothing more than a memory ... Today I felt a shudder ... I hope it was just the chill of fall, not a foreboding ...
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