In Rural Saskatchewan, Photographer Captures Nostalgic Abandoned Structures From Simpler Times

Photos of abandoned structures in rural Saskatchewan taken by Maricris Moresca. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

Maricris Moresca is many things—a hockey mom who works full time taking appointments, a Canadian immigrant from the Philippines, and a survivor. But between work and ferrying her kids to and from the ice rink, the unassuming 35-year-old from the tiny town of Lipton, Saskatchewan, is an explorer of forgotten places.

Driving the country road with her sons to the village of Lafleche for their hockey game, Moresca weaves through the small towns of Ardill and Gravelbourg, and the city of Moose Jaw. Lugging her camera along with hockey gear, she drops her boys off and then heads north to Gravelbourg for a few hours to snap nostalgic photos.

The town’s Main Street still “retains the charm of the 1940s,” Moresca tells The Epoch Times. She finds some areas creepily appealing, such as the nearby abandoned barns and dilapidated farmhouses.

“There’s an element of adventure and discovery in exploring these places,” she says.

Old and abandoned buildings in Saskatchewan first caught Moresca’s eye because of their aesthetic qualities: she saw beauty in their broken windows, peeling paint, crumbling walls, and collapsed ceilings.

A gas station stands deserted in Bromhead, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A nostalgic sign is still visible in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A collapsed homestead near Cupar, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

(Left) An abandoned rural house in Dummer, Saskatchewan; (Right) Photographer Maricris Moresca. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

But beneath the weathered textures, unique shapes, and haunting effects of light, the soul-stirring history of these buildings gripped Moresca’s artistic purpose. The deserted homesteads, ghost towns, and grain elevators she seeks out today tell of simpler times now lost, which she was inspired to recall to life through her photography.

In the history of old Saskatchewan, one now-obsolete rural structure in particular stands out above all.

“Grain elevators represent a vital part of agricultural history,” Moresca said. “Photographing them helps preserve a record of this past and can help raise awareness of their historical and cultural significance.”

The tale of their decline mirrors that of many an abandoned rural structure.

At one time, the elevators stood like prairie sentinels, numbering almost 6,000 strong across Western Canada. There were so many that any farmer could drive to an elevator and be back on the farm within a day. Inevitably, wherever they sprang up, so did a hardware store, supermarket, post office, and church. Soon, a town was born.

A grain elevator in Ogema, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

Old grain elevators in Langham and Brooking, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A disused grain elevator in Sylvania, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An collapsing shop in Galilee, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An old barn near Waldron is now shadow of its former self. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

The husk of a service station remains in Ituna Bon Accord, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An old brick garage in Milestone, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

(L-R) Abandoned homes in Dummer and Cupar, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A derelict dance hall in Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

However, industrialization outmoded this model, along with many rural settlements. Today, less than 275 elevators remain, along with the husks of once-thriving communities scattered throughout the countryside.

Moresca, who arrived in Canada from Binan, Laguna, with her two sons in 2019, started exploring abandoned spaces after she met her fiancé, Derek Lutz, who showed her old photos and introduced her to historic Saskatchewan.

Following old railroad maps, they traced paths through time to reach deserted towns where the decrepit grain elevators still stand. “Most of the towns along the way, if not abandoned, are dying,” Moresca said.

The came upon the ghost town of Brooking, with its post office built in 1911 and the buildings that followed in its wake: a three-story hotel, two restaurants, and a bakery. Two grain elevators originated all this.

A deserted house still stands near Lipton, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An old hotel is still open in Rouleau, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An abandoned homestead near Radville, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

“The post office closed in 1961, and the elevator became inoperative in 1968,” Moresca said. “It slowed down when a bigger town called Radville was established. People and businesses moved to Radville.”

“[Brooking] is still a go-to place for people looking for great scenic and nostalgic photographs,” she added.

Brooking’s eerily nostalgic looks made it famous today. Its grain elevator was given a makeover and featured in the 1999 film “Revenge of the Land.”

After her railway escapade, Moresca began to squeeze more photography trips into her busy schedule of booking appointments at the local GM dealership where she works and shuttling her kids to and from hockey. The latter errand offered a boon by taking her to small towns across southern Saskatchewan where there are many old buildings.

“Whenever the games are, that’s where the photography opportunity is,” she says.

An old hotel in Ardill, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

An old shopfront near Ardill, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A collapsed homestead near Odessa, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A short drive from the hockey arena in Lafleche leads to the ghost town of Ardill (or “Hard Hill”), where Moresca photographs regularly, a bend in the road past which lies Odessa, where she shot several old catalogue homes, true hallmarks of the simpler times. These fashionable house packages were once pre-designed in big-city firms and then sent to customers on the Prairies.

“The T. Eaton Company was one of several companies that provided plan books and drew plans for houses,” Moresca said. “The materials were shipped by rail to the nearest community and then hauled to the site for construction.”

Near Odessa, in Francis, a spiky spire of weathered lumber breaks the flat, snowy horizon. This is a Christ Lutheran Church long deserted by its flock that Moresca photographed in 2024. She now finds abandoned buildings of worship commonplace on her journeys.

A deserted Christ Lutheran Church in Francis, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

Bethesda Lutheran Church at sunset in Caledonia, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A brightly painted grain elevator is still in operation in the town of Nut Mountain, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

A selfie of the photographer on the road. Courtesy of Maricris Moresca

Earlier this month, Moresca and her fiancé photographed several historic churches while trekking the back roads of central Saskatchewan. The sojourn brought them to the ghost town of Parker, which is now scarcely more than an abandoned railway station, though not all the places they visited were deserted. The towns of Kuroki, Margo, Invermay, Rama, and Nut Mountain are still thriving—along with their old religious and agricultural structures.

Moresca, who struggled with the pressures of being a single mom before meeting Lutz, describes her former self as often being stuck in “in survival mode”—not unlike the places she photographs.

“It’s not easy raising two kids in a foreign country,” she said, adding that her struggles made her stronger. Now she’s giving back through her photography.

“For me it is a wonderful way to preserve their history,” Moresca said. “I was so happy to document the grain elevators and churches before they disappear.”