Bents is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Marriott No. 317,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, Canada. Prior to the town founding, the area was referred to as Piche. Bents took its name from
Longniddry Bents
The area is popular, mostly in the summer months, with local families, holidaymakers, picnickers, horseriders, ramblers, metal detectors, dogwalkers and the occasional kite buggy. The shallow bay is a popular watersports location for windsurfers, ...
in Scotland. Its derelict wooden
grain elevator
A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...
was once the subject of a
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
photograph. The remnants of the town are now located on private property.
History
Bents was officially established in 1930 along a
CPR rail line that ran between
Perdue
Perdue may refer to:
* Perdue (surname)
* Rural Municipality of Perdue No. 346, Saskatchewan, Canada
** Perdue, Saskatchewan, Canada
* Perdue Farms
Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, based in Salisbu ...
and
Rosetown. The railway came through the area in 1929 and at one point Bents boasted several residential homes, a small train station, two
grain elevator
A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...
s, a dance hall, a general store (Longworth’s General Store) and post office - all along a single street. By the 1960s the town began an irreversible decline when the southern section of the rail line was abandoned. The general store, above which lived the proprietor's family, was in business until the early 1960s. The railway continued to run through Bents until the 1970s when it too was torn up around 1977. It was at this time that the
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool
The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...
elevator, built in 1928 with the coming of the railway, closed for good. The
United Grain Growers
The United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain farmers' cooperative for grain storage and distribution that operated between 1917 and 2001.
History
In 1917, the Grain Growers' Grain Company (GGGC) merged with the Alberta Farmers' Co ...
elevator, also built in 1928, was sold to the Wheat Pool in the late 1960s and was also closed and torn down in the 1970s.
Today, little remains. Only one of the two elevators, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator, still stands. There are two houses left. One, belonged to a huge family and the other belonged to an auctioneer. The general store/post-office is still there but in badly deteriorated condition. There are random outbuildings and old farm machinery dotting the former town site. There is also a metal swing-set, missing the swings, sitting alone in the grass beside the general store. The former town site is now private property and has been the subject of vandalism over the years. Any visits to Bents must be arranged with the landowner.
Gallery
File:Bents Elevator (4845350121).jpg
File:Left Behind (4797997714).jpg
File:Looking up (4796556514).jpg
File:Bents Elevator.jpg
External links
Bents, Ghost town
See also
*
List of communities in Saskatchewan
Communities in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada include incorporated municipalities, unincorporated communities and First Nations communities.
Types of incorporated municipalities include urban municipalities, rural municipalities and nort ...
*
List of ghost towns in Saskatchewan
References
{{authority control
Ghost towns in Saskatchewan
Marriott No. 317, Saskatchewan
Populated places established in 1905
Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan
1905 establishments in Saskatchewan