Teaser Line Some weeks, Coffee Row’s news reads like a ledger—numbers on one side, roots (and stories) on the other. The Hook—News Lands Before It’s Official A warm gust of early spring air drifted in as Mabel topped up the cups—the kind that carries a hint of thaw and a bit of Main Street dust. She slid a fresh pot onto the table just as Edna tapped her For Posterity notebook. “$293,660,” she announced, tapping the page. “That’s our revenue‑sharing check—up 8.6 percent from

How Gull Lake Built a Town with a Well, 200 Trees, and a Lucky Census: 1910 If you could walk down Conrad Street in 1910, you wouldn’t see the sidewalks or hydrants we know today. You’d see a young prairie settlement still finding its footing — muddy streets, scattered buildings, and a council learning, meeting by meeting, how to turn a cluster of shacks into a community. But 1910 was the year something shifted. It was the year Gull Lake began to act like a town long before i

On a cool Friday evening in September 1968—a Friday the 13th, no less—a routine patrol on Highway 1 turned into one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the Gull Lake RCMP detachment. Two 18‑year‑olds from Waterloo, Ontario, Dennis Bonn and Brian McLennan, were hitchhiking west toward British Columbia. Near Whitewood, a new Mercury Cougar pulled over. The driver introduced himself only as “Knobby,” said he was heading for Calgary, and offered them a ride. He was fri

Drawn from the council minutes preserved in Gull Lake Memories: A History of the Town of Gull Lake, this account traces how our community weathered the hardest decade in its history—one coal delivery, one bread ticket, and one council motion at a time. When the Great Depression settled over Western Canada, it didn’t arrive suddenly. It crept into towns like Gull Lake—first as shrinking tax rolls, then as empty coal sheds, and finally as families appearing before council in se

A new youth space and a timely grant had Coffee Row wondering what kind of future Gull Lake is building—and who’s keeping the receipts. News of The Junction’s opening spread before the first pot finished brewing. Edna already had her For Posterity notebook open. “A youth drop‑in center,” she said, tapping her pen. “About time we gave kids somewhere other than the Co‑op aisles.” Hank settled into his chair—the only one he’ll use. “A place to unwind after school. That’s a brick

Historical recreation of W.J. Leaf's Store with Metropolitan Hall above, based on 1909 descriptions from Gull Lake Memories. When I was reading Gull Lake Memories: A History of the Town of Gull Lake, I came across some fascinating details about our town’s first official year. It captures a side of our history that’s often forgotten—the grit, the low budgets, and the determination it took to get things started. Stroll down Conrad Avenue or Proton Avenue today, and it’s easy to