Artist Julian Sadlowski is on a treasure hunt.
The retired school principal and former mayor of North Battleford is looking for old photos or information that will help him finish the illustrations for a book he is preparing on the city's history. On this page are examples of the kind of information he is looking for. Sadlowski needed a good picture of the Savoy Cafe, a popular eating and meeting place of the early years in North Battleford. An online search turned up these two gems.
While these photos have turned up, Sadlowski is still in need of a good photo or photos of the old Indian Hospital at the airport. He has the story, he says, but he needs a picture to draw the accompanying illustration.
He is also including a story about the various dance halls that used to abound in North Battleford. To go along with this story, he needs a picture of Williams Allied Hardware. Before it was Williams Hardware, says Sadlowski, it was the Tracadero Hall, located at 1090-102nd St. Other dance halls he has included in the story are the Red Barn, which was four miles out on Highway 16, and the Co-op dance hall, upstairs in the former bus depot downtown at the intersection of 11th Avenue and 102nd Street. Uncle Tom's Cabin was another favourite meeting place for dancers.
Sadlowski hopes to have his book published in time for the city's centennial in 2013. The work is growing, he points out, and he sometimes wonders where he will have to draw the line on new story ideas.
The history book will be a light look at North Battleford's history and phenomena in the area that now draws or has drawn attention to the city, such as the crooked trees found near Speers, or the legend of the Battle River.
"I want to make sure we laugh at ourselves," say Sadlowski. "We can't take ourselves too seriously."
