Qu'Appelle Valley

Qu'Appelle Valley

Province: Saskatchewan

The Qu'Appelle Valley gets its name from the Indian legend about a young brave who is going on a journey in his canoe, but soon after setting out the beautiful young maiden he loves falls ill, and calls his name. Although some miles away, he hears her voice and turns around with the cry "qu'appelle?" - who's calling? When he gets back home the maiden is dead, and it is said that ever since his cry can be heard echoing through the valley.

Pauline Johnson, the well-known Indian writer at the turn of the century, enshrined the valley in several of her poems. The beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley, north of Regina between the TransCanada and Yellowhead Highways, extends along the Qu'Appelle River which rises in Lake Diefenbaker to the west of the province. In the floor of this steep-sided valley, carved out of the gently undulating prairie by the glacial waters following the Ice Age, there is a rich garden-style landscape.

With good timber for both fuel and building it became a staging post for the fur traders before later attracting the pioneers. Eight lakes are strung out along the valley, from Buffalo Pound in the west to Round and Crooked Lake in the east, as well as several scenic parks and little townships.