Spring and Summer Tour Schedule 2006

Download a PDF of our program right here.
1912 Regina Tornado Walking Tours
(Night Landings)

Tickets available through:

The Conexus Arts Centre Box Office and Casino Regina

Call: (306) 525-9999

Visit: www.greatexcursions.com

for details or call:

The Great Excursions Company at (306) 569-1571

Tickets for Children 12 and under are available at the departure point ($5.00).

Individuals: $10.00 + GST* Couples: $18.00 + GST*

*Service charges apply

Ticket for Children 12 and under are available at departure point ($5.00)

-Wednesday May 31 to Saturday June 3
-Wednesday June 7 to Saturday June 10
-Wednesday June 14 to Saturday June 18
-Wednesday June 21 to Saturday June 24
-Wednesday June 28 to Friday June 30

Nightly from 8:00-9:30 pm

Depart from Victoria Park at the south entrance across from the Hotel Saskatchewan (on Victoria Ave).

In the company of a trained archaeologist, who has recently developed a new exhibit soon to be unveiled at the Regina Plains Museum, retrace the lives of Regina's inhabitants on Sunday, June 30th, 1912 around 5:00 pm, when a surprise tornado cut its way from the south and turned inside out the Pre-World War One City of Regina.

Through information yielded by archival evidence and archaeological investigation, follow the footsteps of event witnesses. This is your invitation to become a time detective and to experience minute-by-minute and hour-by-hour, how the forces of nature affected this community and brought out the best in times of hardship.

1912 Tornado Walking Tours (Corporate Team Activities)

On the same dates as above, these tours are day time versions of the Night Landings during weekdays. Call: (306) 569-1571 for details.

The tour is produced in partnership with the Regina Plains Museum.

Overland Mobile Observatory (OMO) Tours

These day trips by luxury motor coach are exclusive heritage journeys into renowned provincially, nationally and internationally recognized natural and cultural environments. In the true spirit of the ecomuseum concept, this form of travel is an invitation to discovery, in a way that is accessible and entertaining for people of all ages.

All trips include:

-a packed meal (and dinner longer trips)
-bottled water
-guidance and commentary a professional a resource interpreter with internationally recognized heritage and archaeological expertise.

Bring:

-comfortable walking shoes
-appropriate outdoor clothing for the weather
-sun protection
-cameras, binoculars, or spotting scope

St. Victor’s Petroglyphs-Big Muddy Badlands Tour

8:00 am to 8:00 pm

This is one of the trips for which we get the most requests from around the world. Traveling through Moose Jaw, straight south into the Missouri Coteau, we will take in the essence of the Great Plains and the settlements that have been engendered over the surrounding landscapes through the ages. Through stops at St. Victor’s Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Site and at various special locations in the Big Muddy Valley, you will gain a greater sense of place for southern Saskatchewan—and understand why this part of the province is still as evocative today as it was when early travelers encountered it thousands of years ago.

$89.00 + GST

*Service charges apply

-Sunday June 11

The Moose Jaw Story: from Farm Days to Tourism Boomtown

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Prairie railway towns all have in common this relationship with “the steel” that makes them stand out as places where all hopes were allowed 100 years ago.

Perhaps more than any of them, Moose Jaw has kept alive this rich heritage. A tradition that is evident in the preserved historic buildings and the layout of the urban landscape. For Moose Jaw provides visitors a rare glimpse of prosperous prairie cities, dressed much as they were during fascinating periods of development.

History certainly comes alive through the contribution of a wealth of volunteers during the Farm Days at the Sukanen Ship and Pioneer Village and Museum, south of the city on the July 15-16 weekend. We propose a day spent immersing ourselves in the Moose Jaw Story.

$69.00 + GST*

*Service charges apply

-Saturday July 15
-Sunday July 16

A Celebration of Rural History and Culture at Mossbank

9:00 am to 9:00 pm

More than many small towns across Saskatchewan, it seems that the Town of Mossbank is successfully capitalizing on its heritage resources and history. We propose to journey to the Celebration of Rural History and Culture organized by the local Rural History and Culture Association. With its historical reenactments and other interpretive activities throughout the day, this promises to be the place to be on June 17.

We are taking in the full-day package that includes a visit to Old Wives Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary and the “Aerodrome of Democracy” for an interpretive visit of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan #2 Bombing and Gunnery School.

$109.00 + GST*

*Service charges apply

-Saturday June 17

Oasis on the Plains at Buffalo Pound: Ancient and Contemporary Lifeways

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Buffalo Pound Provincial Park is like a precious jewel at the westernmost end of the Assiniboine River watershed. A meeting place and the site of many pre-European and modern encampments, this oasis of water has been used for millennia by human and animal visitors.

Today, our neighbours of all species rely on the lake. The wooden valley on the south bank and the green spaces that abound beach-side, allow us to re-energize and bring back a certain balance into our busy lives. That is why we need fun and leisure. We will be observers for a day of bisons, birds and humans at play.

$69.00 + GST*

*Service charges apply

-Sunday June 18

The Claybank Brick Plant and the Missouri Coteau: the Making of a National Historic Site

9:00 to 5:00 pm

As we leave Regina, you will see the Dirt Hills in the distance. It is clearly visible as a section of hummocky moraine area made up of glacial debris that was formed either along a large ice-front or around masses of stagnant ice. From the top you stand about 220 meters above the surrounding plain. The rolling environment is dominated by knobs and kettle topography. It is part of the vast Missouri Coteau glacial complex that extends from Minnesota to Alberta.

When we come to the base of the Hills, we will visit the old Claybank Brick factory, built in 1912. For more than seven decades, it extracted clay from the hills and left behind pits that have since been shaped by the elements into elaborate geological wonders of clay. In its heyday, the factory shipped bricks as far away as England and South Africa. We will have lunch on the grounds of the brick plant as it holds its heritage day.

We will explore the site; enjoy the Saskatoon pie; the surrounding landscape and its features, during the time of the year when wildflowers are in bloom, and we will interpret the local archaeology of the region.

$69.00*

*Service charges apply

-Sunday June 25

A Celebration of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Last Mountain Lake

8:00 am to 8:00 pm

The Last Mountain Lake Region is unlike any other in the Assiniboine River Plain River. During the fur trade era, Last Mountain House was a busy trading post. In the early 20^th Century, a steamboat took people from Valeport up to communities at the northern end of the lake. They flocked to the lake as people are drawn to water. In hard times, Last Mountain Lake was a source of sustenance where fish abounded. And the marshes and nearby fields provided bountiful hunting grounds for waterfowl and upland birds.

Today, these same towns and villages proclaim their pride and attachment to the shores of Last Mountain Lake. In Govan, it is through the Old Tyme Fiddle Festival that this proud heritage resonates. We will witness this for ourselves. We will immerse ourselves in local traditions, and we will journey to the oldest bird sanctuary in North America.

As early as June 1887, Last Mountain Lake was recognized as a special place for wildlife. The Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area has since been designated as a “Wetland of International Importance,” along with 30 other sites in Canada and over 700 locations worldwide.

According to Environment Canada, this is because of the good habitat and of its strategic location in the heart of the central flyway of North America:

“Over 280 species of birds have been recorded at Last Mountain Lake during migration. Up to 50,000 cranes, 450,000 geese and several hundred thousand ducks may be observed when migration peaks. Although less conspicuous, scores of songbirds, shorebirds and birds of prey spend from a few days to a few weeks every year in the area. Birds traveling through at least 25 different countries, from arctic Canada to Argentina use Last Mountain Lake’s rich habitats.”

Our special guest on this occasion will be the legendary Frank Switzer, an avid birder who is best know for his contribution to the latest edition of the book Wildflowers of the Prairies—an indispensible field guide—and his bi-weekly bird column on CBC Radio’s afternoon edition.

$109.00 + GST*

-Saturday July 8

Home of the Original Corner Gas: An Exploration of Ogema’s Community Touchstones.

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Bordering on the southeastern edge of the Assibinoine River Plain, Ogema is squarely in the Missouri Coteau region. So independent it is from the rest of he world, that it has its own internal drainage watershed. Jokes aside, Ogema is a great little town for a number of reasons. First, the community has dynamic and positive outlook on its future, economically and in terms of sustainability. Secondly, Ogema has taken remarkable steps to look after its heritage resources.

The town can boast having one of the last corner gas stations of its kind in Western Canada, dating back to the mid-1920s. It is not only beautifully restored, it also attests to past social and economic activities, and how the built environments reflects local life. There is a heritage water tower in town and a wonderful museum that preserves and protects artifacts and knowledge for future generations.

Many of Ogema's original buildings have been moved to the site of the Deep South Pioneer Museum Village. It is one of the largest community-owned and operated museums in Western Canada. It consists of 25 buildings on 15 acres that form a pioneer village, a farm yard and storage facilities.

And then once a year, the museum and community volunteers migrate back to the site to stage the Ogema Deep South Pioneer Museum Day. The vintage agricultural equipment is taken out of the sheds and it’s fired up for the threshing bee, to everyone’s delight.

Being a part of that is, in essence, what this day will be all about.

$69.00*

*Service charges apply

-Sunday July 9^th

Experience Indian Head Crop Management Day and the PFRA Shelter Belt Centre

8:00 am to 8:00 pm

Here is your chance to partake in one of the classic agriculture events of the southern Plains. Also known as Indian Head Zero Till Field Day, it is a combination of a networking event and field trip for farmers and agriculture scientists and professionals who get to spend the day sharing crop results out on the land.

Participants get to visit crop demonstration acres at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Farm. We will also include a visit at the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration Shelterbelt Centre, also in Indian Head. This facility has a fascinating history and to this day, plays a significant role in the development of sustainable farm practices in the grassland regions of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and parts of British Columbia.

$89.00 + GST*

*Service charges apply

-Tuesday July 18^th

Explore the Qu’Appelle Valley and the Standing Buffalo Powwow

2:00 pm to 10:00 pm

The Qu’Appelle Valley figures prominently in the Assiniboine River Watershed. Its riveting geological history; the establishment of “reserves” to which nomadic aboriginal societies of Saskatchewan were confined in a dramatic attempt to encourage First Nations to become sedentary through farming as early as 1874 in the region; and the subsequent development of resort communities to which people of European ancestry have been drawn—all this makes for a rewarding journey of discovery.

We will visit communities like Katepwa, Lebret, Fort Qu’Appelle and Standing Buffalo, where we will attend the Standing Buffalo Powwow, one of the most popular events of its type in Canada. You will get an insider’s view of this awesome tradition. You will learn about protocol and etiquette. You will meet singers and dancers and gain a greater understanding of the regalia and the world of powwows in general, as we await the evening Grand Entry.

$59.00 +GST*

*Service charges apply

-Saturday August 12
-Sunday August 13

Explore Crooked Lake Territory Through Cowessess First Nation’s Heritage and Powwow

1:00 pm to 11:00 pm

The Qu’Appelle Valley takes a variety of forms at various locations as it steadfastly heads to meet the Assiniboine near the Manitoba border. One of the most spectacular segments along its course is that crooked valley channel northeast of Grenfell which cradles Crooked Lake. The scenic drive along the north shore is worth it. The cultivated floodplain soon gives way to cottage communities. On the north side, there are many barren hog’s backs and coulees. As one looks to the south, the shoreline is richely endowed with trees along the valley bottom. This is where the Cree community of Cowessess grows and thrives.

Our partner Hugh Lerat of Spotted Medicine Horse Outfitters raises Paint and Appaloosa horses here. He also runs a teepee camp which we use for many of our corporate and teambuilding activities. We also welcome guests from around the world here. But the main event today is the Cowessess Traditional Powwow. While waiting for the evening Grand Entry, you will gate a chance to meet some of the members of the community who help make this such a great wonderful celebration of life and culture.

$69.00 +GST*

*Service charges apply

-Wednesday August 16

Discover the Western Canadian Frontier and Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site

9:00 to 5:00pm

The Western Canadian Frontier has a rich and multifaceted history that is best brought to light when the ground on which it unfolded is revisited. This is precisely the aim of this excursion into the past.

Back in 1885, General Middleton, on his way to Batoche, helped solidify Canada’s hold on the Prairies when he arrived on the newly completed Canadian Pacific Railway at Troy (now Qu’Appelle). This was the nearest place on the line from which a trail led to Louis Riel's headquarters in the Metis uprising.

To give us the insider’s view, we will have with us a distinguished guest and military historian: Cliff Walker, a graduate of military courses in Canada and the United Kingdom. He was the first Deputy Commander of Land Force Western Area and served in that capacity for five years.

We will relive the journey of the soldiers, the genesis of a railway town and the development of agriculture in the Canadian Prairies.

We will visit Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site, the former home of Saskatchewan’s first Minister of Agriculture in Saskatchewan’s first government, W.R. Motherwell, dear to the heart of many in and around Abernethy.

Thanks to the good work of the Friends of Moterwell and Parks Canada staff, we will take part in the celebrations of Binding and Stooking Day, reshaping fields of cereals much as they looked 100 years ago.

$69.00 +GST*

*Service charges apply

-Sunday August 20