Enjoy a Comfortable stay in one of the many Hotels in Mayo

If you are looking for relaxation and rest then take a vacation to the County of Mayo. There are innumerable places to see in Mayo. Here are some for your knowledge. Croagh Patrick. You can see this natural landform from afar.



Situated in the north-west of Ireland is the Achill Island inhabited by handful of people is place always encrusted in a layer of mist giving a sense of mystery and awe. Take a walk in the Clare Island off the coast of Clew Bay to experience unspoiled natural beauty.



Pay a visit to The Mall, once the cricket pitch of Lord Lucan, now the town park. Thinking of where to stay in Mayo? Well book your accommodation sin one of the many Hotels in Mayo

Make A Career In Hospitality

If you think a nine-to-five job is not meant for you because you love meeting people and entertaining them, a career in hospitality could be a good idea. This career is best suited to those who are ready to take up everyday challenges and work in high-pressure zones. However, there is more to the hospitality sector than pressure. It is a 24X7 entertaining job that lets you enjoy on the job.

India is a booming economy and upcoming tourist destination. In the current scenario, hospitality is a promising industry. According to reports, presently tourism and hospitality are the third largest net earners of foreign exchange. By 2010, they are expected to be number one. Thus, there are bright job opportunities in this field. The ninth five year plan predicts a shortage of 30,000 trained professionals every year.

Demand for hospitality professionals exists at many places such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, catering companies, guest houses and lodges, fast-food outlets, casinos and clubs, spas etc. Considering the flourishing tourism sector and the increasing spending capacity of the Indian middle-class, hospitality is set to be the next big thing in India.

High job opportunities and attractive salaries are making it a very sought after industry. Another attractions of this field is that, with a minimum academic qualification, one can find employment anywhere in the world.

There are various branches under Hospitality. These are Housekeeping, Bakery, Kitchen Stewarding and Cookery. Housekeeping has come a long way from being a job for illiterates to a high-profile job that requires people who hold diplomas, hold diplomas, have technical qualifications and are fluent in English. Housekeepers take care of housekeeping, horticulture, laundry, interiors and even guest relations. Private housekeeping businesses are also flourishing these days. There are both part-time and full-time options in this field.

Next comes cookery. A chef is the most important staff member at any restaurant or eating joint. A good chef can really raise the standard of place he is working at. For being a cook, one requires creativity, shrewdness, knowledge and willingness to learn through trial and error. The pay of a chef largely depends on his/her prowess, experience and skill-sets. These days, chefs can look beyond restaurants to work in sectors like in-flight catering, hospital catering, food styling, catering, restaurants, cruise liners and as entrepreneurs and consultants.

Bakery is a branch separate from cookery. Within baking, one could specialize in fields like bread-baking, pastry baking, cookie baking, demonstrating, R&D, marketing etc. There are good opportunities for bakers, decorators, trainers, process managers and distributors in this field.

Kitchen stewarding requires maintenance of the kitchens of an eatery or hotel. Earlier, this used to be Head Chef's job but now it is a separate branch of work. A kitchen steward looks after cleaning and organizing dishes, taking stock of inventory, maintaining hygiene and quality in the kitchen, keeping a tab on breakage and replacements. One can become a kitchen steward without any specific qualifications.. It is the attitude that matters here.

Those who are looking to pursue a course in hospitality have good options in India and abroad. One can either go for a course straight after 12th or a post graduate diploma.

Institutes of Hotel Management are based across India in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Aurangabad. The institute offers degree as well as diploma courses in hotel management, catering technology and applied nutrition.

Those who can afford to spend can also pursue courses in international universities. One can get an edge in the international market with a degree or diploma from a good hotel management school. Most of the reputed schools adhere to international standards and offer good facilities and learning environment to students.

Depending on one's qualification and interest, one could find a good job in the hospitality industry. It is a good time to join this sector as it is growing fast and promises good job options to youngsters. It offers unlimited growth opportunities and one can grow from a small job to a reputed career in short time based on the skill and hard work that one puts in this hospitality job .

Hospitality Management Degree

A hospitality management degree can prepare you for a rewarding career in the hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, spa, resort or other entertainment and leisure industries. These industries are extremely lucrative, and there is a great deal of work all over the world in management positions. If you earn a hospitality management degree, you will be well on your way to a career that can really take you places.

The curriculum involved in a hospitality management degree will vary depending on the school you attend, the specialization you choose and the specific degree you are going after (associates, bachelor's or master's). A typical Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality management will require courses such as Mathematical Analysis for Business, Economic Analysis, and English/Written Composition courses. Then you can begin the core curriculum for the hospitality management degree, which may include the following courses:

1. Introduction to Hotel Management

2. Introduction to Restaurant & Institutional Food Service

3. Introduction to Commercial Recreation & Resort Management

4. Principles of Financial Accounting

5. Principles of Managerial Accounting

6. Hospitality Management Law

7. Business Statistics

8. Event Planning Management

9. Business Finance

10. Foods, Production & Service

11. Foodservice Systems Management

12. Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior

13. Marketing

14. Hospitality Human Resource Management

15. Hotel Operations

There will also probably be an internship and seminar course required for completion of a hospitality management degree, which is an important component of the curriculum. This will provide an opportunity to get hands on experience in the field, to network and to meet potential future employers. Then you will be more prepared to enter the hospitality management career of your choice.

Once you're working in the field you will have great opportunities set out before you. While entry level hospitality managers' fresh out of college may only earn $25,000 annually, it will not take long to gain experience and move into more lucrative positions making $80,000 or more annually. The job outlook is also good, as the hospitality industry in the United States is currently searching for approximately 200,000 new executives in hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas and wineries.

Institutions offering quality Hospitality Management Programs include The International Culinary Institute at the Art Institutes, Le Cordon Blue Schools, Strayer University, Everest University, and The University of Phoenix.

Murders at Shaunavon’s Grand Hotel

On March 16, 1940, Mah Sai, a Chinese baker in Shaunavon, was playing solitaire in a sheltered corner of the Grand Hotel lobby when he witnessed the fatal shooting of RCMP Sergeant Arthur Julian Barker by Victor Richard Greenlay. As Mah Sai watched, Greenlay fired three shots at Sergeant Barker who was putting on his boots at the foot of the hotel stairs. The policeman crumpled to the floor with a groan, and the baker ran for his life. Mah Hop, the proprietor of the Grand Hotel, was another witness to the murder on that fateful Saturday night. When he heard what sounded like firecrackers, Mah Hop ran to see what was going on. When he reached the second step of the stairs, Greenlay ordered him to get back.  “I went back fast,” Mah Hop said later.

Two months later, on the identical spot in the lobby of the Grand Hotel where Sergeant Barker died, both Mah Hop and Mah Sai were stabbed and killed in a knife fight.

The Grand Hotel, Shaunavon’s third hotel, was built in 1929 under the ownership of Fred Mah and Mah Hop. The two-storey brick hotel with 38 guest rooms was the scene of three brutal murders before it was bought by George Baird and converted into an apartment building. The Grand Hotel received Municipal Heritage Designation in 1999.

The old Grand Hotel, now an apartment block in Shaunavon, 2003. Image source

Officer Down

Victor Richard Greenlay was the 30-year-old son of Colonel and Mrs. G.L. Greenlay, highly respected ranchers in the Climax district. An officer of the non-permanent militia, Victor was formally charged on March 18, 1940 with the murder of his friend, Sergeant Barker, RCMP veteran and cattle country investigator. Barker had been visiting Greenlay in his room at the Grand Hotel just prior to the shooting. 

Shortly after the murder, it became clear that Greenlay was insane, suffering from schizophrenia. Victor Van Allen, another rancher in the south country, testified at the coroner’s inquest on March 18^th that he took Greenlay to Shaunavon that Saturday afternoon. On the way into town, some of the things Greenlay said made Van Allen realize he was not “normal.” Greenlay told Van Allen that was going to Shaunavon to see Sergeant Barker because together they would be able to prevent the Canadian government from selling horses to France. Greenlay said he feared trouble was to break out, and that “within a week there will be troops in the saddle,” adding that “Christ will appear in Germany in the form of a woman, and will turn the forces against Germany.” 

Photo of Sergeant Barker from the Leader-Post, March 19, 1940.

When they arrived in town, Greenlay phoned Sergeant Barker at about 7 o’clock and asked him to come to his room at the Grand Hotel. Barker, his wife, Gladys and their son Kenneth walked downtown, and while his family went to the library, Barker visited with Greenlay in his hotel room.  According to his later testimony, during their visit Greenlay apparently asked the RCMP officer to intervene for him with a girlfriend, and Barker demurred. When Barker left Greenlay’s room around 9:00 PM, Greenlay said he “heard a voice tell me to go out and shoot the evil beast.” He headed down the hotel stairs where he saw said he saw that Barker was not a man, but “a devil,” and he pulled the trigger of his .38 revolver three times.

Click here to see Regina Leader-Post story

After the funeral service in Shaunavon, Barker’s body was transported by train to Regina, where he was interred in the cemetery of the RCMP barracks. “The body was placed in the baggage car,” the Regina Leader-Post reported on March 19th. “In the day coach was Victor Richard Greenlay, charged with the murder of Sergeant Barker, and in the third coach was Mrs. Barker and her son, Kenneth.”  Greenlay was found not guilty by reason of insanity and confined to a mental institution.

Bloody Night at the Grand Hotel

“Jack” Toy Ying, a young waiter in Shaunavon, was upset. He was so upset that on Friday, May 3, 1940 he called Constable Robert Roycroft of the Shaunavon police force. Toy Ying laid a charge against the Grand Hotel, apparently involving a woman. He asked Roycroft to remove the woman in question from the hotel, and to get her out of town. So, at about 10 PM, Toy Ying, accompanied by a nervous Constable Roycroft, went to the Grand Hotel and searchted all the rooms. The woman was not found. 

With the town policeman still in tow, an angry Toy Ying confronted Mah Hop, the owner of the hotel, in the lobby. Their argument started out quietly, and then Roycroft noticed that the lobby was slowly filling up with other Chinese men. All of a sudden, the crowd of men jumped Toy Ying. Arms and legs were flying. In the melee, Roycroft wrestled some of the men off Toy Ying, who then saw his chance, ran out of the hotel, and headed off down the street. Behind him, Toy Ying left two dead and two injured, all as a result of stab wounds from a weapon he had concealed in his coat pocket. Police arrested Toy Ying the next day in Admiral, 25 miles east of Shaunavon.

Dead were Mah Hop, the 50-year-old hotel owner, and Mah Sai, the 45-year-old town baker. Mah Sai died on the exact spot where he had watched Sergeant Barker die from his bullet wounds just eight weeks earlier.  Both men had wives and children in China; Mah Hop also had a son in Nova Scotia. Mah Sam was in serious condition in the Shaunavon hospital with deep gashes in his leg and arm. Mah Yok had a surface wound.

Funeral services for Mah Sai were held at the United Church in Shaunavon on May 6^th. Mah Hop’s son, Mah Tun of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, arrived the following day to take charge of his father’s funeral. Both men were buried in Hillcrest Cemetery near Shaunavon.

On May 16, 1940, Toy Ying was put on trial on two charges of murder. When defense counsel, C.H.J. Burrows, K.C., Regina, asked Mah Sam through an interpreter whether he knew the woman Toy Ying wanted removed from town, Mah Sam said he had seen her in a local café, but not in Mah Hop’s room. Three other Chinese witnesses denied any knowledge of the mystery woman.

Click here to see Regina Leader-Post story 

© Joan Champ 2011

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Grenfell: Hoax at the Granite Hotel

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). Image source

Robert Copeland

In 1887, Robert A. Copeland and W. H. Fleming bought the hotel in Grenfell with a down payment of two yoke of oxen. Eighteen years later in 1905, David Black bought the Granite Hotel from Copeland with a satchel containing $38,000 in cash. 

Perhaps the value had grown due to the local myth that U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt had spent a night at the Granite Hotel on December 14, 1901. A page on the hotel’s register bore the ‘signatures’ of ‘Theo Roosevelt’ and his travelling companions, James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway; U. S. Grant Jr., son of the Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant; and J. A. Garfield Jr., son of President Garfield.  Roosevelt had just been sworn in as President in September of that year. He delivered his State of the Union address on December 3^rd, two weeks before he is alleged to have stayed at the hotel in Grenfell, Saskatchewan. On December 16^th -- two days later -- he delivered a message to Congress.

The Granite Hotel, c. 1905

For years, Grenfell boasted that this famous name graced the register of the Granite Hotel. One man even claimed to have carried President Roosevelt’s luggage from the station to the hotel. It was a period of railway promotion, so it was thought that there was an attempt to secure American capital for the building of new railway lines in Canada. Surveys were being made in the vicinity of Grenfell, and it was suggested that perhaps Roosevelt and his friends were sufficiently interested to come and investigate the possibilities for themselves.

Grenfell’s tale of this brush with greatness was perpetuated for another 59 years until, in 1960, a former Grenfell resident touched off a chain of events that finally revealed the hoax. Lionel E. Curran was the “doubting Thomas.” He sent a copy of the register to the Library of Congress in Washington DC to have the signatures of Roosevelt and his companions compared to the real ones. The library found that all but that of James J. Hill were fake signatures. Mr. Curran notified the Grenfell Sun of his findings, and his letter was published on the newspaper’s front page. The Regina Leader-Post picked up the story, and ran a photo of the controversial register page on its front page on February 1, 1960.

Hon. C. C. Williams, 1963. Image source

The next morning, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Labour, Hon. C. C. Williams,* contacted the Leader-Post, providing a clue to the origins of the hoax. “The signature of ‘Theo Roosevelt’ is in fact,” said Williams, “the identical handwriting of my late father who was a station agent in a small town near Grenfell at that time.” Williams said he had received a copy of the register page four years before and, not wishing to spoil the story, had said nothing. “I think the real explanation was a hockey game or curling tournament at Grenfell that Saturday night which attracted people from surrounding towns” Williams told the newspaper. “Six or seven ‘Morse boys’ [telegraph operators] got together and had some fun with the register.”

In 1980, the Grenfell local history book concluded its account of the Roosevelt myth by saying: “What better place to relax than in an up-to-date and friendly hotel in a beautiful little town like Grenfell. All we can say is that if he didn’t come it was his loss.”

The Granite Hotel in Grenfell,  2010. Image source

*Charles C. Williams born in Moosomin in 1896 and went to school in Wapella. He was the Minister of Labour in CCF government from in 1944 to 1964 – the longest any Saskatchewan Minister has served in one portfolio. Williams retired from politics in 1964 and died in 1975.

© Joan Champ 2011

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Hotel management consultants

With professionalism being the buzz word in practically all the sectors, newer and newer avenues are opening for trained professionals. Hotel management consultancy is just one of the avenues among them. Hotel management is an old concept with a large number of hotel management institutes churning out scores of graduates. After passing out all these graduates eventually join any of the big hotel chains of the country like Taj, Oberois etc. Some of them seek greener pastures by joining international brands. The spread of these hotels was limited to major cities or tourist centers.

With the rapid urbanization and industrialization the demand for hotels increased in tier II and tier III cities. Sensing opportunities many builders constructed hotels. However, building hotels was one thing managing them was a different ball game altogether. The big daddies of the industry were not willing to run their hotels. Realizing good prospects in smaller cities, some of the experienced hotel management professionals met these owners/builders and started working for them. That is how hotel management consultants were born.

By and large these consultants form an experienced lot with most of them having an experience of successfully running big hotels in major cities. The owners also felt comfortable working with them as they carried the necessary experience to run their respective properties. Many of these hotel consultancy firms are doing good business; one of them is Shaw Hospitality. It started its operations this financial year has managed to bag 15 hotels (4 hotels in Dubai and 11 hotels across the country) in the first six months of its operations. As of now the company is managing/marketing more than 1050 rooms, 602 rooms are in four states across the country where as 462 rooms are in Dubai.


These consultants by and large provide following services in the planning, overseeing, implementation and operations of hotels and restaurants in its entirety. An all India network of offices and representatives for sales and marketing in all the metros and major cities. Help to each unit to achieve a level of proficiency in operations that are recognized by ISO and other rating agencies to ensure efficiency. Single window solutions to hotel operations in project guidance, software, manpower and operations. With the industry poised to grow by leaps and bounds in the next decades, the future of these hotel management consultants looks bright.

Bradwell Hotel: Two-Storey Outhouse and All

The Bradwell Hotel, c. 1910.  Ben and Sarah Cook on right.  Western Development Museum photo, 6-E-4

In 1907, the colourful Ben Cook built the hotel in Bradwell – complete with a two-storey outhouse. The four-holer (two up, two down) was attached to the building by a catwalk. Cook likely built this unusual structure out of respect for his wife and the hotel guests who occupied the rooms on the second floor.  It saved them the inconvenience and possible embarrassment of going downstairs and walking through the saloon. The male patrons of the bar used the lower level of the two-storey outhouse.

The Bradwell Hotel's two-storey outhouse was likely similar to this one ("Big John") still attached to the Nevada City Hotel in Montana. Image source

Contrary to jokes about two-storey outhouses, the user of the lower level had nothing to fear if the upper level was in use at the same time. The upstairs facilities were offset from the ones below, situated a little further back so that the waste fell behind a false wall on the first floor. 

The Bradwell Hotel’s remarkable outhouse was demolished around 1950 by Wendelyn Heisler. He and his wife Theresa owned the hotel from 1948 until 1956.  As their son, Arnie observes in the Bradwell local history book (1986), his father destroyed a piece of history in the process of demolishing the outhouse. It might have become a tourist attraction like the one in Gays, Illinois (see video) or like “Big John” still attached to the Nevada City Hotel – now considered to be the most photographed building in Montana (shown above).

The Ben Cook Family

Ben Cook was born in Ontario in 1861, married Sarah Slack in 1897, and settled in Bradwell in 1906. They had an adopted son, Wilbur. During the Prohibition years (1915 to 1924), Ben made a nightly trip to meet the evening train where he paid the express charge on a brown package, no matter to whom it was addressed.  It was his way of beating Prohibition and having some liquor on hand for his hotel guests.

Ben and Sarah Cook on right, c. 1910. Detail from Western Development Museum photo, 6-E-4

In 1918, Sarah was called to the home of her brother, John Slack in Vanguard, to assist with the care of his family who were ill with the Spanish Flu. Despite her efforts, John and three of his children died. Sarah returned to Bradwell where she became ill, passing away in a Saskatoon hospital in 1919. Two years later, Ben married Beatrice Slack, John’s widow. She and her two surviving children Doris and Harry came to live in Bradwell.  In 1921, a son, Dean, was born to Ben and Beatrice. Dean was killed in a plane crash near Vanscoy in 1942 while training as a pilot for the war. Ben died in 1948.

The Bradwell Hotel in 2008. Joan Champ photo

© Joan Champ 2011

 

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Renovation of the Borden Hotel: The Model-T Bar & Grille

Tony and Helen Beaudry, owners of the Borden Hotel, c. 2010. Courtesy of the Beaudrys

 I co-wrote the following article with Merrill Edlund for the spring 2011 issue of Worth Magazine (Vol 23, Issue 1), published by the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan (AHSS). It is republished here with the permission of Merrill and the AHSS. For more information see http://www.ahsk.ca/worth_magazine.php

Saddle up to the bar at the Model-T Bar and Grille and experience the 1920s. Tony and Helen Beaudry bought the Borden hotel in 2007, and have been working steadily to renovate this heritage building ever since. “We have people who come in regularly,” Helen said. “They get to listen to my player piano and sit on the saddle at the bar.” 

The Pioneer Hotel in Borden, c. 1910. Courtesy of the Borden Museum

Built in 1905 by Joe Pellettier, the hotel was called the Pioneer Hotel until 1952. Many changes were made to the building by successive owners. The original 16 guest rooms were reduced to 15 to accommodate the bathroom when the hotel was equipped with running water.  Interior plaster walls and transom windows were covered with wallboard. Part of the upstairs was closed off and not opened again until 50 years later, when the Beaudrys started peeling back the layers, revealing the building’s heritage features.  For example, when they removed the wallboard in one of the second-storey guest rooms, they found the entrance to the balcony once located above the front door of the original hotel. 

Sam and Ada Wright owned the Borden Hotel in the 1940s. Courtesy of the Borden Museum

“When I walked in, I felt like I was home,” Helen said of her first look at the hotel in 2008. “I thought, ‘Wow! This has a lot of potential’.” The Beaudrys put in a successful bid of $25,000 with the Borden village council, which had taken over the property from the former owner. “We were bidding against four other people, but they gave it to us because we weren’t going to tear it down.’ said Helen.

The Borden Hotel in 2006, two years before Tony and Helen bought it. Joan Champ photo

The Beaudrys financed and did all the restoration work themselves. The first thing the couple did was gut the lobby, bar and kitchen. It was a dirty job as can be seen in the “before and after” photos on the hotel’s web site. The current restaurant space once served as the original hotel’s rotunda, an ice cream parlour, the owners’ residence, and finally a games room – complete with VLTs and pool table. The Beaudrys removed these gaming items and opened both sides of the hotel’s main floor as family dining areas. A five-foot lobby separates the two areas, and stairs lead up to the second floor.

The games room in 2006 before it was converted into the Grille. Joan Champ photo

Tony Beaudry looks over the Model-T Grille, 2010. Joan Champ photo

The second-floor guest rooms are laid out like an old boarding house. At the top of the stairs, there is a seating area where hotel guests can relax. Three regular rooms, each with a sink, share two bathrooms and a shower down the hall – just like in the old days.  Two larger suites feature a double bed, fireplace, toilet, sink and claw-foot tub with a shower attachment. The rooms are named after Borden-area school districts: Concordia, Thistledale, Saginaw, Diefenbaker, and Baltimore. “We opened up the side that had been closed since the 40’s,” Tony explained. This section will soon be the Halcyonia Suite, which will sleep six guests. Helen and Tony have carefully chosen authentic period furniture and fabrics for each room.

Upstairs hallway, 2010. Joan Champ photo

Old-fashioned comforts of a Borden hotel guest room, 2010. Joan Champ photo

The Model-T Inn, Bar and Grille received provincial heritage designation in 2009.  “If I had the money, I’d buy up all the small town hotels in Saskatchewan and renovate them to their original splendor”, said Helen. The Beaudry’s commitment to this big restoration project has turned the old hotel into something the town of Borden can once again be proud of. The couple’s passion will continue to carry them through as they renovate the hotel’s exterior this coming summer.

© Joan Champ and Merrill Edlund

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Prelate Hotel Fire

Photo by Suzanne M. Howg. Image source

On the morning of August 10, 2009, the 97-year-old Prelate Hotel burned to the ground. The owner, Sherri Farrer, and her son were out of town at the time of the fire, and no one else was in the hotel. The Prelate volunteer fire department we unable to save the hotel, even with the help of fire crews from surrounding towns. “The wood was so dry and old it was like a can of gas,” said Prelate volunteer fire chief, Brad Goldade.

Prelate Hotel, June 2007.  Joan Champ photo

The three-storey Prelate Hotel was built in 1912. Its first owners were Guy and Mary Linderman. At least one of their children was born in the hotel. By 1918, the hotel was owned and operated by Charles Cohen. The Cohen family observed the traditional Jewish Sabbath, so Saturday was their day of rest. This must have been a bit of a challenge for Charles' son, Edward (Eddie) Cohen, who by 1935 was managing the hotel - complete with licensed bar. 

In 1961, Ed Paul, the owner of the Prelate Hotel, requested a vote be taken by the town to allow mixed drinking. The vote carried, and for the first time women were permitted to drink in the beverage room of the Prelate Hotel. The hotel was then sold to Peter J. Kosolofski, who ran it for many years. In the late 1970s, Larry and Linda Steier owned the hotel where they raised their sons.  

Bar of the Prelate Hotel, c. 1995.

The bar at the Prelate Hotel was a popular spot. O’Neil Zuck recalls staying as a guest in the hotel one hot summer night in 1999. “It was an interesting experience," Zuck posted on Facebook. "My pregnant wife was not used to such accommodations and my 4-year-old daughter did not know what to think. The first thing we noticed was there was one common bathroom to share with everyone staying overnight in the hotel. The second thing was we had a room over the bar. We had to keep the window open as it was too hot in the room. It was a breezy Friday evening; the sign swung and squeaked until about 1:00 AM. When the bar closed about 1:00 AM the patrons moved their socializing outside underneath the once squeaky sign. So we listened to boisterous conversations. I think it was after sunrise that we finally fell into a nice restful sleep.” 

Prelate Hotel, June 2007.  Joan Champ photo

The Prelate Hotel was listed for sale in July 2005 by the owner, Sherri Farrer. The 1,800 square-foot living quarters and seven guest rooms were on the second floor. The 87-seat bar – which was the primary business source for the hotel – was on the main floor alongside a restaurant that was no longer in use. The third floor had been blocked off – its windows covered over by the stucco exterior.

By the time the members of the Prelate volunteer fire department got to the hotel on that August morning in 2009, all they could do was watch. There was so much smoke, they had a hard time even locating the blaze. The owner and her son lost all of their possessions.

Photo by Suzanne M. Howg. Image source

Photo by Suzanne M. Howg.  Image source

Photo by Suzanne M. Howg.  Image source

© Joan Champ 2011

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Resorts In Corbett- “Natural Environment With Excellent Amenities”

Every year many visitors from around the country and the world come to accomplish their desire for wildlife to the gorgeous and breathtaking reserve of Jim Corbett National Park. Being placed in the foothills of Himalayas this is one of the most exhilarating holiday destinations in India which can make you have your drive for nature and wild life get complete pleasure. The presence of nature and wild life together is a cusp that simply attracts people from every corner of the world. There are even beautiful river like Koshi and Ramganga flowing from inside the garden which makes it more attractive. Activities like fishing, angling and many other can be enjoyed here with love.

The Resorts In Corbett are much admired for their excellent service to the people coming in from all over the world. They offer great lodging, food and ambience to make your trip with great comforts. Manu Maharani Resort and Wild Crest Resort are the significant Wildlife Resorts in Corbett. Both the resorts situated within the proximity of wild beauty and lush green mountains. The impressive sight of the nearby hills and thick forest make these places the ultimate retreat in the woods.

Manu Maharani Resort offers 33 where as Wild Crest Resort offers 22 Spacious AC luxury cottages in Corbett that come with a private balcony. All these cottages are well prearranged and boast of contemporary amenities. These cottages offer an ideal combination of lavishness and wilderness. The tastefully decorated interiors with a view to die for outside the window, can be a home away from home.

Manu Maharani Resort and Wild Crests Resort both have a restaurant that offers a sumptuous buffet of exotic food for its borders. Apart from the regular Indian, Chinese and continental stuff you also get a lip smacking variety of local Kumaoni cuisine. You need not worry on cold winter nights as the restaurant’s fire place would keep you warm as well as cozy. Both the resorts houses a well stocked bar too where some of the finest beverages are offered.

Experience the marvels of Jim Corbett Park, with their best deals on luxury resorts.

Harris Hotels: Ruby Rush and More

The Commercial Hotel at Harris, c. 1910.  From Harris: Heritage to Homage (1982)

In 1910, three of the seven Gordon brothers bought Commercial Hotel in Harris. Little did Henry (Hank), Wallace and Merritt Gordon know that  a few years later, their hotel would be the headquarters for one of the most infamous events ever to take place in Saskatchewan.

The Gordon brothers, born to Daniel and Maryann Gordon from Quebec, were raised in Minnesota where their father farmed. At least three of the brothers worked for a time in the mines at Butte, Montana, around the turn of the 20^th century.  At that time, Butte had a reputation as a wild town, where any vice was obtainable.

In 1904-05, the entire Gordon family - sons and parents - filed for homesteads in what became the Harris district. There were no towns and the railroad had not yet come through. All building supplies had to be hauled 60 miles from Saskatoon by wagon, so they built their homes from sod. By 1909, the village of Harris was under construction. Alex Shatilla built a three-story hotel on the corner of Railway and Main. That fall he sold the hotel to the Gordon brothers.

Maybe the brothers got bored. Maybe, after the excitement of the mining camps of Butte, Montana, they were looking for a reason to stir things up a bit. Whatever the case, when Alex McCarthy walked into the bar of the Commercial Hotel one hot, dry day in the summer of 1914 with a cigar box full of stones, Hank Gordon saw an opportunity. McCarthy was a bewhiskered American miner recently arrived in the area. He knew the Gordon brothers, so who knows? Maybe the whole “Ruby Rush” was a set-up right from the start.

Raw rubies from a mine. Image source

The story of the “Great Ruby Rush” goes like this:  While working on a road gang in the Bear Hill about 20 miles northwest of Harris, McCarthy spotted some red pellets in a big black rock that looked an awful lot like rubies. Knowing that the Gordon brothers had extensive mining experience, he put the stones in a cigar box and headed for the Commercial Hotel. Over a glass of beer, McCarthy showed his find to Hank, who then called in his brothers. “We’ll look after it,” McCarthy was told. Word spread that the Gordons had stolen off to Saskatoon to stake their claim. Someone alerted the Saskatoon Star, for soon the newspaper was running headlines of a ruby and gold discovery near Harris. Within days, thousands of “prospectors” arrived in the village of Harris by train, wagon, buggy and on foot, some no doubt dreaming of instant riches similar to those of the Klondike Gold Rush sixteen years earlier. The mad Ruby Rush was underway.

Garnets

The Gordon brothers and the Commercial Hotel profited greatly from the Ruby Rush. “Rubies” from the site of the discovery – a large black stone in the Bear Hills – were put on display at the hotel. The Gordons hauled loads of lumber, food and booze to the site where they operated a saloon, a restaurant and other entertainment in three large tents.  Prostitutes, card sharpies and con men followed in the wake of the Ruby Rush. Drunkenness was rampant, to the point that one man was found dead from alcohol poisoning. Eventually, word came from Saskatoon that the rubies were really garnets of little value.

For years afterwards, the people of Harris did not talk about the Ruby Rush.  It was a forbidden subject, especially as the main players and their families still lived in the community. It became easier to forget after the Commercial Hotel burned down in 1923.

From Harris: Heritage to Homage (1982)

Charles, the eldest Gordon brother, farmed at Harris until 1929 when he moved to BC. He died there in 1951. Hank maintained his interest in mining, and had mining ventures in Hope, BC. Fred’s family still farms near Harris. Lawrence (Larry) moved to Debden where he ran a cattle ranch. Francis (Frank) was a member of the Harris Elks Lodge for years. After the hotel fire of 1923, the Merritt Gordon family moved to Vancouver where for the next 20 years he owned and managed various hotels. The seventh son, Merritt, moved his family to Perdue and then Vancouver where he operated other hotels until the day he died.

The big black stone, source of the "rubies," in the yard of the Harris Museum

The Harris Hotel

Harris Hotel, 1980.  From Harris: Heritage to Homage (1980)

It was not until 1950 that Harris got another hotel. Fraser Laing moved a building from the “24 Wilson Farm” onto two lots on Railway Avenue and started the Harris Hotel, complete with beer parlour and family restaurant. A 2011 real estate listing stated that the hotel was not operating. The seven guest rooms were in need of renovations and the second floor required a fire escape. The hotel was for sale for the "drastically reduced" price of $99,000.

Harris Hotel, 2005. Photo courtesy of Ruth Bitner

© Joan Champ 2011

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Rouleau Hotel: AKA Dog River Hotel

Rouleau hotel in 2007. Image source

Built in 1905 as the Arlington Hotel, the 42-room hotel in Rouleau served as a recruiting office during the First World War, and as an emergency hospital during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Due to Prohibition, implemented in July 1915, it was closed for a couple of years. When A.D. Hierlihy bought the hotel in 1920, it was quite run down. After a great deal of cleaning, painting and redecorating, the Hierlihy family moved into the hotel and it was opened for business once again.  

Tony and Esther Van Oostdam purchased the hotel in 1932, advertising the “Dining Room known for Best of Food and Elegant Service.”  Rooms were rented by the day, week or month. The hotel boasted a licensed beverage room after 1935, which served as a meeting place for the men of Rouleau. A fire in the hotel in 1947 necessitated more renovations.

In 1994, the Rouleau Hotel was operated by Reid Junek and Joanne Desfosses. From The Buckle of the Grain Belt; Rouleau and District History, 1894-1994

Rouleau, c. 1950.  From The Buckle of the Grain Belt; Rouleau and District History, 1894-1994

In the summer of 2003, filming began in Rouleau for the CTV sitcom, Corner Gas. The town of 450 was renamed Dog River, and the Rouleau Hotel became the Dog River Hotel. The exterior was refurbished for filming, and dressing rooms were installed on the upper floors. Corner Gas wrapped up filming the sixth and final episode in September of 2008. The series finale aired on CTV on April 13, 2009.

The bar at the Dog River Hotel was open for business in April 2007. Image source

© Joan Champ 2011

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The Unlucky Landis Hotel

The Landis Hotel, c. 1915. Sign beside the door reads "Chautauqua."  Image source

Reading about all the people who once owned the now-demolished Landis Hotel really makes me want to learn more about them. There are stories in every hotel, but something tells me the stories in this one are truly compelling – and sometimes sad.

Noble and Gertrude Woodworth, originally from Nova Scotia, came to Saskatchewan in 1917 to try their luck a farming in the Landis area. As suitable land was not immediately available, they decided to run the Landis Hotel for a year. Built in 1909 by contractors Lee, Hope and Meldrome, the hotel had been in a slump since the start of Prohibition in 1915. To make matters worse, the Spanish Flu hit the village of Landis in the fall of 1918. An emergency influenza hospital was set up in the Landis Hotel. 

Hotel at the end of Main Street, n.d. Image source

Landis Hotel, 1913. From The Landis Record (1980)

The flu epidemic started in the trenches at the end of the First World War in May 1918.  It spread across the Atlantic as troops returned to Canadian ports in the late spring and early summer, and reached Saskatchewan on October 1, 1918. Infected soldiers bound for home disembarked from troop trains in Regina and from there, the flu spread rapidly throughout the province.  

Almost 4,000 Saskatchewan people died during the first three months of the epidemic, and the largest number of deaths occurred in villages (12.6 people out of 1,000). Landis was not spared. It was thought that the flu was brought to the community by troupe of Chautauqua performers. (A Chautauqua was a travelling summer fair featuring music, drama and educational lectures, popular across North America during the Teens and Twenties.) So severe was the epidemic that literally every household in the village and surrounding district was stricken. The Landis Record reports that schools and businesses were closed, “and it was difficult to find enough able-bodied people to tend the sick.” Several people from Landis and area died. The wife of the United Church minister, Mrs. Trevor Williams, died at age 30, leaving behind a daughter who was only a few months old. Four members of the Geary family succumbed to the flu, including Ted Geary, his wife and son.

The next year, the Woodworths moved to a quarter section of land on the outskirts of Landis. Their two room shack, with no conveniences and with straw and manure banked up around the foundation to keep the place warm in winter, was likely a welcome change to the sadness the couple witnessed in the Landis Hotel in the fall of 1918.

Anna Haas (right) with her sister Clara.
From The Landis Record (1980)

Anna Haas ran the Landis Hotel from 1919 to 1921. Anna, the eldest daughter of Adam and Mariana Haas, had immigrated to Canada from Galicia in 1900 when she was only a few months old. The family originally homesteaded in the area of Gimli, Manitoba, on Lake Winnipeg.  In 1918, when Anna was 18 years old and working in the garment industry in Winnipeg, her parents and siblings moved to Landis. Perhaps the family thought the operation of the village hotel would be a good opportunity for Anna, for she arrived by passenger train shortly afterwards.  Anna’s younger siblings lived at the hotel while they attended school in town. They helped her with some of the lighter chores like carrying wood and washing dishes. In 1921, Anna decided to return to Winnipeg, and then to Edmonton, where she worked for the G.W.G. Garment Company. Anna was “stricken with a mental disorder” in 1928. She was committed to the Weyburn Mental Hospital where she lived for 50 years, dying at the hospital in 1978 at 78 years old. She is buried in the Landis cemetery.

John and Mary Ann "Grannie" MacLeod in front of the hotel, c. 1940.
From The Landis Record (1980)

John MacLeod his wife, Mary Ann, and their six children farmed near Lockwood, Saskatchewan for five years before taking over ownership of the Landis Hotel in 1923. The MacLeod family ran the hotel until 1961. John passed away in 1942, at which time his son Hector, who had been working in the hotel since 1930, bought the business. Mary Ann passed away in 1951. 

The following year, Hector converted the dining room of the hotel into a café, and hired Woo Sing Kee from Rosetown to run it. Mr. Sing, as he was known, had a wife in China, but Canada’s restrictive immigration laws prevented him from bringing her to join him in Saskatchewan. Instead, he brought young Raymond Kwan from China to help him out. Raymond attended school in Landis when he wasn’t working at the hotel cafe. After Raymond left, Mr. Sing had Wing Woo and Wah Woo working with him in the café. The Chinese Immigration Act was finally repealed in 1947, but it wasn’t until 1958 that Mr. Sing’s wife joined him in Landis. Mr. Sing died two years later, in 1960. His wife continued to live in the Landis Hotel, with Wing Woo and Wah Woo looking after her until her death in 1968.

The empty Landis Hotel, March 2006.  Joan Champ photo

By 2006, the hotel was abandoned and empty – open to vandals and the elements – a real safety hazard. Its wooden exterior had been covered over with stucco at some point, painted in bright colours. At the back there were several small additions to the original structure – sheds, lean-tos and even a dog house, with doors everywhere. Looking around the place, one could not help but say, “If only these walls could talk....” The Landis Hotel was torn down a couple of years later.

Rear of the Landis Hotel, 2007. Image source

Rear of the Landis Hotel, 2007. Image source

© Joan Champ, 2011

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