The prairie town that stole my heart

By
Darien Johnsen
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The gravel road is packed with molasses and tire tread, the town’s post office is situated in an old rancher house, there are nine roads in total, and a lone corner store is the only place to buy anything. This is Francis, Saskatchewan. 

I fell in love with the open prairie fields surrounding this tiny town. I marvelled as the combines made their way through the durham, the canola, and the flax, leaving plumes of dust over flattened paths. Generational family farms lay visible across open fields, kilometres apart, and ever at risk of disappearing, or being swallowed up by corporations. 

As I boarded my flight back to B.C. after four days in the Saskatchewan prairies, my heart broke for our vanishing Canadian farmers, yet gratitude warmed it. I was able to experience a small part of this disappearing life in an overlooked and radiant province.

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Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.