One of my favourite things about summer is travelling throughout Saskatchewan seeing new and familiar sites.
I drag my children to historical parks and they actually enjoy them. I'm excited and interested and they always look forward to seeing something new, reading plaques and walking on the same soil that holds an important part of this province's story.
We stop at the smallest sites as well as major tourist attractions. We visit tiny cairns in ditches, the places we can only find with a GPS and the well-advertised, well-staffed sites.
I spent a summer as a historical interpreter at a small museum. It was fun to learn the stories from the members of the museum board who had cared for the community's treasures for years and it was amazing to hold the sacred trust of passing those stories on to the tour groups, classes, and families who came through the doors.
I see the same spark of passion for history in some of the tour guides we've met over the years. The stories in our province's history are at times painful to recall, sometimes embarrassing and often triumphant, but they are the stories and I want to hear them.
I don't mind reading them. I have a great imagination for the written word. But when I see a real person sharing the history, walking through the actions and showing us through the sites I feel fortunate and the history breathes a new life.
Historical sites are busy places especially when welcoming classes. I still remember my own trip to Batoche in Grade 6. It was 30 years ago, but I recall standing near graves, walking past the buildings, and the story. I don't remember most of the history I learned in books in those days and since then even though I've tried to retain it. My brain just works better when I can put myself in a place and visualize the people and the actions while feeling the earth beneath my feet.
I've heard budget cuts will affect the staff and programs at many of the historical sites across the province and the nation. Driving through the park gates at Prince Albert National Park this weekend with family members we worried aloud about the changes the park will face and the effect on both the historical and natural parks.
We want our children and grandchildren to enjoy the beauty and learn the history, to touch, see, and listen to those who bring the stories to life so they'll have more vivid memories to treasure. We want them to have the best.
