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A visit to Kaposvar Historic Site in Saskatchewan

One of the advantages of being stuck at home for an extended amount of time is that I've been able to see more of my home province.  Saskatchewan has a bad rap for being a "fly over province" but there is really a lot of rich history and interesting places to visit.  And we are much more than the flat land you see from the TransCanada Highway. 

Last summer and fall while Covid numbers were pretty low here I was able to take a few day tours with Engelheim transport and I enjoyed every one.  They booked the bus at half capacity so I had two seats to myself, masks were required getting on and off the bus and in every building we visited.  The tour guide was there when we got on and off the bus to spurt some hand gel onto our hands.  I felt totally safe. 

In early November I was on the bus headed Northeast to the Kaposvar Historic Site.  We also visited the Western Development Museum in Yorkton.  

I have to be honest and say I had never heard of Kaposvar before.  

After a couple of hours we pulled into the Historic Site which is just outside of Esterhazy. Why the name Esterhazy?  Count Esterhazy arrived in the USA from Hungary in 1868.  Through contacts with the Canadian government and CPR in 1885 he became a Canadian immigration agent and brought 35 Hungarian families from the United States to form the Kaposvar settlement.  Kaposvar was named after a town in Hungary and was one of the first Hungarian settlements in Western Canada. 



The Lady of Assumption Roman Catholic church was built in 1907-8 by Rev. Father Pirot and parishioners and replaced the log church built in 1894.  Over 1600 loads of stones were hauled by the Hungarian settlers.  The church served the community until 1962.  




The parishioners donated altars, statues, the communion rail as well as other furnishings and objects.  There were stained glass windows however these were damaged by hail and replaced by clear glass.  




The beautiful stenciled ceiling was completed in 1948.  

Local residents have donated time and money on the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the church and surrounding buildings. 

We next visited the rectory that sits beside the church. It was built by Reverend Feather Woodcutter and parishioners in 1901.  It served as accommodation and office for the parish priest as well as an office for Father Woodcutter who served as a colonization agent.   The building now houses original and period furnishings. 







We were shown around the rectory in very small groups due to social distancing. 



The adjoining cemetery was established with the first settlement in 1886 and is still in use. 

Nearby is a grotto that was built in 1941-42 by the youth of the parish.  There is an annual pilgrimage that began in 1954 and is an annual event on the third Sunday in August - except for 2020!  



There are also stations of the cross along the edge of the property.  

A pioneer homestead sits in a corner of the site.  This was established in 1985. 




Look at that Saskatchewan sky! 

What faith these Hungarian immigrants must have had - spiritually and in themselves.  Saskatchewan would not have been an easy place to settle in at that time.  Winter here can be very cruel.  I admire the local residents of Esterhazy for keeping this Historic Site in beautiful shape.  Well done! 

We then headed over to Yorkton for lunch followed by a visit to the Western Development Museum (Immigration) but that will have to another blog post. 

Hope you enjoyed our visit to Kaposvar Historic Site.  





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