Suffern Lake Regional Park

09/25/2026

👑When the King and Queen Came to Artland... Just Minutes from Suffern Lake
Can you imagine standing beside the railway tracks with nearly 2,000 excited people, waiting for a train carrying the King and Queen of Canada?
That is exactly what happened on June 3, 1939.
Long before today's quiet trails and peaceful waters of Suffern Lake Regional Park, the tiny railway community of Artland became the center of attention as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stopped for water during their historic Royal Tour of Canada.
Families arrived by car, truck, horse and wagon. Schools brought children from across the district. Veterans proudly formed a Guard of Honour, while Boy Scouts lined the tracks. Everyone watched the western horizon... waiting for the Royal Train to appear.
When it finally arrived, the cheers echoed across the prairie.
Then came an unexpected surprise.
Three local girls—Georgene Mitchell of Marsden, Lois Clark of Artland, and Elaine Howard of Fram—were invited onto the platform to present flowers to the Queen. Instead of a quick ceremony, Queen Elizabeth warmly greeted each girl, shook their hands, asked their names and where they were from. Georgene later said, "I didn't feel a bit nervous after she spoke to me."
The surprises continued as the King and Queen stepped down from the train to personally greet local veterans and community members. For a few unforgettable minutes, a small prairie railway stop became the meeting place of royalty and rural Saskatchewan.
As the Royal Train pulled away, nearly 2,000 voices joined together in "God Save the King," waving until the train disappeared from sight.
The celebration wasn't over. Families gathered afterward for a community picnic, games, races, horseshoes and, to finish the day, a dance at the Artland Schoolhouse.
Today, little remains of Artland except its monument and memories—but if you visit this area, you're standing where one of Saskatchewan's most remarkable Royal moments took place.
Just three months later, the Second World War began. Looking back, this joyful stop at Artland became one of the last peaceful moments before history changed forever.
💬 Did someone in your family attend the Royal Visit? We'd love to hear your story or see your photos in the comments!
📖 Adapted from the Chauvin Chronicle as published in Big Manitou Country History Book 1905–1980, Volume 1
✨ History • Nature • Stories • Adventure
Thanks to the generous support of the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA), we're excited to introduce Discover Suffern Lake – History Beneath Our Feet.
Anthony Henday, Indigenous Roots & the Fur Trade
The First People
Artifacts of the Land
Manitou Sandhills
Suffern Lake
Suffern - the Lake
Jack Suffern - Headquarters
The Railway & Its People
Artland's Past
The Royal Visit
Every visit tells a story, Every trail holds a memory, Every sunrise paints a different sky.
Come discover where history and nature meet and create memories that will last a lifetime.

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

Anthony Henday, Indigenous Peoples & The Fur Trade
Have you ever wondered who may have walked these very shores almost 300 years ago?
In 1754, Anthony Henday, an explorer with the Hudson's Bay Company, journeyed west with Cree guides, traveling by river and on foot through lands that were already home to Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years. Along the way, he met many Assiniboine and the people he recorded as the "Archithinues" (believed by many historians to have been the Blackfoot or Gros Ventre).
Henday became the first known European to cross into what is now Alberta, entering near the present-day Village of Chauvin.
📖 Local storyteller Earl Nutbrown, (a true history enthusiast—a natural storyteller who loves researching, writing about, and bringing historical stories to life) has shared the tradition that Henday and his party camped along the shores of, Fishing Lake—the lake we now know as Suffern Lake. While this local tradition has been passed down through generations, it adds another fascinating layer to the history of this remarkable place.
Long before our Regional Park opened in 1967, these hills and shorelines were alive with Indigenous hunters, travellers, families, and trade routes.
Even today, pieces of that story still emerge.
Visitors and local residents have discovered buffalo skulls, arrowheads, a fleshing stone, and evidence of an ancient bison pound site—powerful reminders that people lived, travelled, hunted, and thrived here for countless generations.
🚶 As you walk our trails, pause for a moment...
Imagine campfires glowing beneath the stars...
The sound of footsteps along ancient paths...
The calls of birds and wildlife echoing over the lake...
🌿 History isn't locked away in museums. Sometimes it's waiting beside the trail.
✨ History • Nature • Stories • Adventure
Thanks to the generous support of the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA), we're excited to introduce Discover Suffern Lake – History Beneath Our Feet.
Anthony Henday, Indigenous Roots & the Fur Trade
The First People
Artifacts of the Land
Manitou Sandhills
Suffern Lake
Suffern - the Lake
Jack Suffern - Headquarters
The Railway & Its People
Artland's Past
The Royal Visit
Every visit tells a story, Every trail holds a memory, Every sunrise paints a different sky.
Come discover where history and nature meet and create memories that will last a lifetime.

09/23/2026

🌿 THE STORY IS COMING TOGETHER…

Over the past 5 weeks, we’ve been uncovering the stories that make Suffern Lake and the Manitou Sand Hills so special.

From Anthony Henday, Indigenous roots and the Fur Trade, to The First People, artifacts of the land, the Manitou Sand Hills, Suffern Lake, Jack Suffern, the railway and its people, Artland’s past, and the Royal Visit — each story has given us another piece of the bigger picture.

And now, we’re putting it all together. 💚

✨ 10 Stories. One journey. A history worth preserving.

We’re making the final corrections and adjustments as we prepare to bring Discover Suffern Lake – History Beneath Our Feet together into a 2-page trifold pamphlet, complete with QR codes that will allow visitors to explore all 10 stories.

A resource you can:
📖 Hold in your hand
📱 Scan and explore
🤝 Share with others
🌿 Take home and revisit
🏕️ And enjoy for years to come

This project was created with the belief that history, nature, conservation and community are all connected.

Together, through education, conservation and community partnerships, we’re helping ensure that the story of Suffern Lake — and the remarkable Manitou Sand Hills — continues to inspire generations to come.

Every visit tells a story.
Every trail holds a memory.
Every sunrise paints a different sky.

Come discover where history and nature meet.

🌿 History • Nature • Stories • Adventure 🌿

A huge thank you to the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA) for the generous support that helped make this project possible — and to everyone who has shared their knowledge, stories, photographs and passion for Suffern Lake.

The Discover Suffern Lake story is becoming something that can be shared far beyond a single season. ❤️

10 stories. One place. A history beneath our feet.

09/23/2026

🌿 Walking on One of Saskatchewan's Rarest Landscapes
Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes Suffern Lake so special?
It's more than the sparkling lake...
More than the trout...
More than the peaceful trails...
Beneath your feet lies one of Saskatchewan's greatest natural treasures.
🌾 The Manitou Sand Hills stretch across 105,000 acres of Crown grazing land along the Alberta border south of Lloydminster, making them one of the largest remaining sandhill ecosystems in Saskatchewan.
For thousands of years, wind, water, wildlife, and prairie grasses have shaped this extraordinary landscape into a place unlike almost anywhere else in the province.
Suffern Lake lies within the Northern Fescue Natural Subregion, a unique transition between Saskatchewan's parkland and the southern mixed-grass prairie. Sandy grasslands, shallow lakes, hot summer sun, drying prairie winds, shrubs, sedges, rushes, cacti, and native Plains Rough Fescue all work together to create an incredibly diverse ecosystem.
At first glance, it may look like "just grass."
But look a little closer...
You'll discover one of Western Canada's richest natural landscapes.
🌼 FUN FACT!
The Manitou Sand Hills are home to many rare native plants, including:
🌿 Sand Nutgrass
🌾 Richardson Needlegrass
🌾 Sand Dune Wheatgrass
💜 Marsh Felwort
🌸 Smooth Monkey Flower..and many more!
In 2025, Nature Saskatchewan's Rare Plant Rescue Program surveyed Suffern Lake Regional Park and confirmed several rare and threatened species growing right here, including Smooth Goosefoot (Threatened), Beaked Annual Skeleton-weed, and Schweinitz's Flatsedge. The discovery of Smooth Goosefoot at Suffern Lake even expanded its known Canadian range!
🐦 The park is also home to species at risk such as the Barn Swallow and Common Nighthawk, making every shoreline, grassland, and sand dune an important part of Saskatchewan's natural heritage.
🌱 Ever wonder why some areas of the park aren't mowed?
You may notice patches where the grass has been left a little longer.
No... we didn't forget to mow! 😄
We're giving our native grasses the chance to recover.
Growing and maintaining healthy grass in the sandy soils of the Manitou Sand Hills isn't easy. By disturbing the ground as little as possible, we're helping protect the fragile ecosystem while keeping our beautiful park healthy and green for generations to come.
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🌾 Before You Explore the Manitou Sand Hills...
The beautiful landscapes surrounding Suffern Lake are more than a Regional Park—they are also Agricultural Crown Land, active grazing pastures, and important wildlife habitat.
Please help us protect this remarkable ecosystem by respecting both the land and those who care for it.
🚶 Before visiting, ask Permission:
🌿 Leave no trace.
🚗 Keep vehicles on designated roads and trails.
🚫 Fires are not permitted.
🚪 Leave gates exactly as you found them—if you open one, please close it.
🗑️ Pack out all litter.
🌱 Help prevent the spread of invasive species by ensuring your footwear, bicycles, vehicles, and equipment are clean before entering the area.
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💚 A Heartfelt Thank You
This project is about much more than sharing history—it's about inspiring all of us to become better stewards of the incredible place we call Suffern Lake.
A sincere thank you to Ashley Vass, M.Sc., Rare Plant Rescue Program Coordinator with Nature Saskatchewan AND all the staff involved, for sharing their expertise and the valuable 2025 Rare Plant Rescue findings. Their work has helped us better understand the rare and threatened plants that make the Manitou Sand Hills such an extraordinary ecosystem.
We would also like to thank Mackenzie Laurin of Ladybird Company for her passion and dedication to prairie ecology. Through our 2026 Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association Grant, Makenzie is creating a series of educational plant signs that will soon be installed throughout Suffern Lake Regional Park.
These signs will help visitors of all ages discover and appreciate the remarkable native plants that thrive here, understand why this ecosystem is so unique, and learn how each of us can help protect it for future generations.
Together, through education, conservation, and community partnerships, we're helping ensure that the story of Suffern Lake—and the remarkable Manitou Sand Hills—continues to inspire generations to come.
🌿 Thank you for helping us discover, appreciate, and protect one of Saskatchewan's most remarkable natural treasures. 💚
✨ History • Nature • Stories • Adventure
Thanks to the generous support of the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA), we're excited to introduce Discover Suffern Lake – History Beneath Our Feet.
Anthony Henday, Indigenous Roots & the Fur Trade
The First People
Artifacts of the Land
Manitou Sandhills
Suffern Lake
Suffern - the Lake
Jack Suffern - Headquarters
The Railway & Its People
Artland's Past
The Royal Visit
Every visit tells a story, Every trail holds a memory, Every sunrise paints a different sky.
Come discover where history and nature meet and create memories that will last a lifetime.

09/22/2026

🌲 A Look at Artland's Past... Where Three Trees Tell a Story
If you've ever crossed the railway tracks on your way to Suffern Lake, you've probably noticed them...
Three tall spruce trees standing alone on the prairie. 🌲🌲🌲
Today, you'll find a historic monument, a few rock foundations, and the steady rumble of freight trains. Two railway tracks still carry trains east and west, often waiting here before merging into a single track just east of the crossing.
It's easy to drive by without realizing you're passing through what was once a thriving prairie community.
But over 100 years ago...
Artland began in 1908–1909 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built its station here. Before the railway arrived, Native Canadians called this place "Arkland" because they believed every kind of bird and animal could be found among the surrounding lakes. When the railway came through, the name became Artland.
The railway transformed an empty stretch of prairie into a busy hamlet serving homesteaders from miles around. Businesses opened, a grain elevator was built, a school welcomed local children, and by 1910, grain was already being loaded directly into boxcars headed for market.
Imagine the sights and sounds...
🚂 Steam locomotives arriving at the station.
🐴 Horses tied to hitching posts outside the general store.
🛒 Wagons loaded with grain.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families building new lives on the prairie.
📬 The mail arriving.
🏒 Hockey games bringing neighbours together.
Artland was more than a railway stop—it was the heart of a growing community.
Then, slowly, everything changed.
By 1972, Artland had closed its doors. The last store was dismantled in 1975, the railway station came down in 1978, and in 1980 the Schoolhouse was moved to Suffern Lake, where it still stands today as our Gathering Place.
Today...
Only those three towering spruce trees remain as silent witnesses to the community that once flourished here.
And here's something remarkable...
Today, long freight trains pause here while waiting for the single track ahead. Yet this very same location once welcomed King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I during their historic 1939 Royal Tour, when nearly 2,000 people gathered from across the district to greet them. There's a good chance the Suffern family stood among that excited crowd.
The next time you drive past those three trees, slow down for a moment.
Imagine the station...
The store...
The school...
The laughter...
The whistle of the steam train...
History really did happen here.
📖 Historical information from Big Manitou Country History Book, Volume 1 (1905–1980).
✨ History • Nature • Stories • Adventure
Thanks to the generous support of the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA), we're excited to introduce Discover Suffern Lake – History Beneath Our Feet.
Anthony Henday, Indigenous Roots & the Fur Trade
The First People
Artifacts of the Land
Manitou Sandhills
Suffern Lake
Suffern - the Lake
Jack Suffern - Headquarters
The Railway & Its People
Artland's Past
The Royal Visit
Every visit tells a story, Every trail holds a memory, Every sunrise paints a different sky.
Come discover where history and nature meet and create memories that will last a lifetime.

09/21/2026

Hello all , just an update . There is currently 1 Full Service Seasonal Site left #43 . If you’re interested please stop into the park to view it or give us a call at 1-306-210-8667 .

09/18/2026

A few early morning pics to start off this beautiful warm weekend …. Happy Camping All 😎⛺️⛳️🎣🫎