Hip-roof Chronicle

Like the prairie elevator, the hip-roof barn is an important part of the history of our countryside. Most farms in the area included the signature hip-roof barn but the harsh prairie climate is taking its toll on many of them, some of them built a century ago.
Unfortunately, barns are not a part of a heritage program and no funding is available to help owners restore or keep their's in good shape.
In many states,funding is available to heritage barns through normal preservation grants programs, including the Preserve America grants program, the Save America's Treasures grants program, as well as individual state preservation grants.
Photographer and author, Kathy Gudnason of Bengough, SK has undertaken the task of chronicling the hip-roof barns in the area.
Over the next year those of you who have a hip-roof barn standing in your yard may become familiar with this term - hip-roof chronicle.
Gudnason is excited about her new project. "While there are still hip-roof barns standing I want to record their stories. Many of these barns date back to early times in this area and barns may have had uses other than to house livestock. They are also a structure that just isn't built anymore and as these barns age they will slowly go the way of the prairie grain elevator. I want to capture their essence before they are a memory of time past."
Gudnason intends to record as much information as possible about each barn including size, builder, date built, location, special characteristics and usage over the years. She will also take photos of the building as it stands now and welcomes photos of past years.
For this project, Gudnason is concentrating on barns found within the following boundaries: #13 highway to the north, #6 highway to the east, #2 highway to the west and the U.S. border to the south. If you live just on the other side of any of these highways your hip-roof barn can be included.
Though photo taking won't begin till spring of 2010, mapping out locations and initial barn statistics can begin now. This way as many hip-roof barns as possible can be included.
Gudnason intends to publish the gathered stories in book form. There is no cost to barn owners to have their barn included other than their time.
If you would like more information or would like your barn included, you can contact Kathy at (306) 268-2024 or kathybengough@hotmail.com. "I should mention that there will be a section for barns of the past as well, so if folks had a hip-roof barn and have pictures of it, that story can also be included." said Gudnason.
This won't be the first book on barns by a local writer.
In 1995, former resident and teacher at the Coronach School, the Late Dave Aldous published a book, "Barns in Saskatchewan". In it he wrote about the early barns on the prairies, many different kinds of barns, including, sod barns, log barns, straw barns, stone barns, barns built into the side of a hill and round barns.
The main focus was barns in his home province of Saskatchewan but he also had some barns from across Canada.
He included specifications and plans, life in the barn, the school barn, the livery barn and grain handling and uses of barns today.
Aldous was instrumental in the development of the current project in Indian head where they are rebuilding a stone round barn.
Gudnason can not give an estimate as to when her book will hit the shelves but has a bit of a timeline set out for the writing. "I would hope to have the research done by spring 2011 though that may be optimistic. It will depend on the response to the project. If I can map out locations between now and spring in an orderly fashion then I can begin the process of recording histories and taking photos over the summer and fall months." concluded Gudnason.