Photographs of North Battleford, SK for the centennial - 100th - anniversary by photographer Doug Rarog
Photographs of North Battleford, SK for the centennial - 100th - anniversary by photographer Doug Rarog
The Tower
One of the iconic features of the City of North Battleford, this photo at dusk of the water tower against the deep blue sky is a striking piece of art.
Morning Glory
I love sunrises...the quietness of the early morning and all the thoughts that rush into my head as the sun crests and I begin to think what this glorious day ahead has for me.
The warmth of the sun begins to clear the coolness on my cheeks and scenes like this are magical to me.
Grand Old Home
One of the early grand homes of North Battleford became a fantastic backdrop for the beautiful colours of the flowers just inside the stately wrought iron fence.
The fence is visible in the top and left side framing the entire image.
1158
Steam locomotive 1158 sits inside the Western Development Museum. The bright red weathered wood window frame sitting inside such a powerful collection of steel punctuated with the large numbers on its side captivated me.
I spent almost an entire hour photographing this train. This composition is a wonderful piece of art for a wall.
Interestingly, during our exhibition on the July long weekend in North Battleford, we met a gentleman who's relative was transported to the Atlantic coast to ship off to Europe and the war, and he was on train 1158 during the trip eastward.
Golden Age of Railroading
The steel wheel from train 1158
Painting with Light
We spent close to two hours beside highway 16 looking west.
As the sun made its way down it provided me numerous beautiful images. This was my favourite and most striking.
Everything Prairie
This to me is everything prairies in the summer: grain fields of deep green, canola fields and the vibrant yellow against a backdrop of blue and those unending skies.
Days of old
I found it intriguing that this equipment used decades ago to till up the grasslands in preparation for domestication and planting are now being taken over by those same grasses.
Retired
More equipment that is past it's effectiveness now on display for us to remember.
Flower Garden
I imagine that even with all the demands of settling the land and establishing a homestead didn't stop our forebearers from planting and enjoying a beautiful flower garden.
Step back in time
As this tractor meandered by me through this old town in the Western Development Museum I couldn't help but think that this scene probably unfolded at least once before in Saskatchewan.
Our castle
All the love and care that went into tending the homes of the early settlers tells me that our pride in our homes is not something new.
The Carnegie Library
A beautiful old building in North Battleford's downtown.
Classic grandeur architecture, and the last remaining library in Saskatchewan built by the Carnegie Foundation.
Downtown Flowers
A proud downtown business adorned the outside of their shop providing a beautiful sight as you strolled the streets shopping and visiting
Juhl Skjerris
Juhl is a tremendous person, and the love and passion he brought to his bakery was what made the downtown of North Battleford such a vibrant place in its heyday.
His flair and skill as a baker are still there abundantly. One step inside and the aroma draws you in...and that first bite, oh my!
Lynda Lyon-Walls
Lynda played her bagpipes for us in their 'Scottish Room'. What a treat!
Her infectious smile, exuberance and overwhelming hospitality made this photo session an absolute joy. I left wondering if she smiles in her sleep.
Prairie Flowers
The beauty and vibrancy of these flowers along the highway, set against the green of a prairie field provided this lovely image.
Charmed Home
Even now I can't describe fully all my feelings as I look at this house.
The style of the home, it's setting and walkway to that front door cause me to pause and look at this image for long periods of time.
When I look at it I feel a sense of peace come over me and I can't wait to have it hang on my walls.
Country House in the City
I walked past this house from the direction viewed in the image. I was struck by the beautiful yellow home, but when I turned around for another look I thought I had been transported out to the country.
Storms a comin'
The Saskatchewan Hospital grounds are lovely. The morning of our last day we came back for more photography and the clouds were forming for a rain storm.
The light just prior to storms like this provide incredible photographic opportunities. The way the large wall was being lit, almost by a large spotlight with the combination of the imposing clouds created this magical image.
Living the Dream...
While at Crandleberry's coffee shop I watched this fellow having so much fun interacting with everyone he met, smiling as he worked and just have such an overall wonderful time at his work that I titled this image 'Living the Dream' in all seriousness.
As he stood and pondered with a smile, his workspace created a perfect framing for this portrait.
Howard Weitzel
Every moment spent with Howard was a delight.
Multiple world champion horseshoe player, and a fantastic gentleman. His excitement and passion for his family, his sport and the City of North Battleford were equal.
Inviting Porches
This lighting is I think my favourite environment to work in.
The time span you have to work in is very limited, but when the setting sun, building light and image composition come together I feel I've created art.
Lights on for you
Another building on the hospital grounds at dusk.
The manicured lawns, and stately trees create a peaceful place for me.
Hiding Behind the Trees
The streaks of light from the setting sun create depth and interest to all that is happening behind this row of trees.
Stately Building
The setting sun provides so many fantastic experiences with light. You can't even begin to anticipate all that will happen.
Light will highlight parts of buildings, or illuminate the interior of a building through the windows and the colours of nature become rich and saturated.
Nature's Frame
The branches of the tree provided the perfect frame for these two pieces of architecture bringing your attention to them against a rich deep blue sky background.
God's Mirror
The skies are so beautiful, and I wonder if God thought they were too beautiful to only be viewed once; so he made the water reflective so we can enjoy the beauty of a sunset twice in one view.
Past & Future of the CNR
The old logo of the CNR atop their historical building, standing proudly behind a modern locomotive demonstrates that the industry that helped build and shape the City of North Battleford is still strong and fueling its future.
Riding on the Steel Rails
These steel rails provided the perfect perspective for the CN locomotive approaching.
Engineer's Steps
I worked for CN as a brakeman during a summer while attending university and college.
Seeing those steps reminded me of those wonderful times, and I thought of how many hundreds of times I would have climbed up or down on steps just like that.
Rail Switch
I sat for quite a long time exploring different angles and points of focus until I concentrated on the switch.
Unending Rail Cars
The lens and settings of my camera allowed me to capture this unique image.
Just like my days as a child trying to count the rail cars passing by me, these cars seemed to go on forever.
CN 1158
The weathered steel, white numbers and bright red and yellow of the logo and windows gave me a wonderful piece of art.
There is so much going on, that I continually notice new and interesting items in this image. It was only after a number of viewings that I noticed the reflection of the green grass in the steel of the locomotive.
Strength
This steam engine is larger than life to me, and I needed to photograph it in a way where it couldn't be completely contained.
CN Cattle Car
I just loved the angles, colours and how all the elements of this image came together.
1158 Trio
I needed to bring different images together to provide a more complete story of this beautiful old train.
Garden Wall
A beautiful wall of flowers on a white fence that I found while walking in North Battleford.
The hours I spent strolling the streets was a perfect and peaceful break from the hectic pace we had been keeping trying to capture an entire city in three days.
Steel Wheeled Tractor
This steel wheeled tractor is part of the display at the Western Development Museum
Gears and Steel
Circles upon circles of gears and steel wheels.