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Landmarks
Leader Millennium Gardens
Photographer: Gordon Stueck |
Millennium Gardens was built in 2000 in recognition of our history
and cultural heritage.
Located on Main Street, the park is used for community events
in Leader.
Millennium Gardens was designed by a student of the University
of Guelph School of Landscape Architecture.
The park features a
large gazebo, walking paths, and commemorative monuments. For
more information please call the Recreation
Office
at (306)
628-3860.
St. John's School
Photographer: Patti Trautwein |
St. John's School is a Provincial Heritage Site, and was built
in the 1920s.
The building is a shining example of the one room schoolhouses
that covered the prairies for the first half of the century.
St. John's School is completely original, and features furnishings
from the period. You'll find it 8 and a half miles/14 km south
of Leader on Highway 21.
Blumenfeld Catholic Church
Photographer: Ivan Nakonechny |
Blumenfeld Church is a Provincial Heritage Site and was erected
in 1915. The interior of the church is one of the most beautiful
in Canada. It has been carefully maintained and includes all
the original furniture and fixtures.
Behind the church is a Grotto made of prairie stones, where
members of the Catholic religion gather once a year to enjoy
a church service which is called "Pilgrimage."
Tours are available in the summer on Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00
p.m. The church is located 10 miles/16 km south of Leader
on Highway 21. Turn east when you come to the sign, then travel
another 4 miles/6.4 km.
Smith Barn Site
The Smith Barn was built in 1914 by W. T. Smith, and represents
his greatest achievement. Smith was a man
who dreamed
of building the most elaborate ranch in the world. When the barn
was built, his livestock included 1,600 head of mules, 2,000
head of horses, 2,000 hogs, and 10,000 sheep.
The barn is the largest ever built in North America. Upon completion,
the building stood 400' x 128' x 60'. Building materials totalled
875,000 board feet of fir lumber from British Columbia, one and
a half train carloads of nails, 60,000 square feet of roofing
and 30,000 sacks of cement. It took 100 men five months to build
it, and when it was finished, people came from as far away as
California for the celebration.
W. T. Smith was a living legend of
the west, but died only 4 four years after achieving his goal.The
barn was dismantled in 1921, however the concrete foundation
remains standing today. The Smith Barn Site is now a Provincial
Heritage Site. A scale model of this landmark can be found
at the Leader Tourist Booth.
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