Everett Baker Award for Saskatchewan Heritage

2020 Winner: Kaley Evans

Kaley has been working on his Saskatchewan music archive - the Prairie to Pine Archive Project - since 2015. He has single-handedly cataloged nearly 1000 records by Saskatchewan recording artists. Kaley has spent countless hours researching the histories of these records. He shares his research through his blog (www.prairietopine.com), his YouTube channel (Records from Saskatchewan), and Instagram (@prairietopine).

Kaley's blog features short profiles on fascinating, yet nearly forgotten records, recording studios, musicians and music venues from Saskatchewan's music scene over the past century. Through the posting of curated mixtapes, film clips, and archival photos, followers of Prairie to Pine can imagine an older Saskatchewan and find new meaning in familiar Saskatchewan places. A striking quality in Kaley's work is his devotion to Saskatchewan's diversity. First Nations music, Ukrainian wedding songs, Metis fiddling, Doukhobor choir music, old-time Scottish dance tunes, and Cowboy ballads all may find new audiences through this work. Kaley's masterful use of social media has made Saskatchewan culture and music history easily accessible to a broad audience. The Prairie to Pine Archive Project is a fascinating and significant project that helps people to discover or re-discover albums from Saskatchewan artists, and the stories that go with them.

Congrats to Kaley!

2020 Winner: Friends of the St. Victor’s Petroglyphs

The Friends of St. Victor Petroglyphs is a small but passionately dedicated group formed in 1989 by local people concerned about the deterioration of the St. Victor Petroglyphs, the largest grouping of Indigenous rock carvings in southern Saskatchewan.

This all-volunteer group has put in an incredible amount of hard work over the years. In addition to advocating for the site, they have fundraised for an array of planning and educational projects. These include commissioning two major planning studies for site protection and interpretation, a significant book that examines the archaeological and ethnographic history and interpretation of the ancient art at this site, numerous guided tours for visitors, newspaper articles and social media education, and the development of a small interpretation centre in the hamlet of St. Victor, near St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park.

Congrats to the Friends of St. Victor!

2020 Winner: Les Oystryk

As a long-time resident of Northern Saskatchewan, Les has spent countless hours researching and promoting Northern history. He has published various articles and papers on topics in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Les is an active supporter of the Northern Gateway Museum at Denare Beach. He regularly lectures on Northern history. He has made significant volunteer contributions to many Boards and Committees, including Heritage Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Archeological Society. One of the unique ways Les contributes to the history of the North is through his work as a resource person for a wide range of northern history projects. Whenever asked, he tirelessly lends his keen understanding of topics such as the fur trade, archeology, aviation, and the various communities across the North, making referrals as needed to connect people interested in exploring and promoting Northern history. Over the years, many people have had the good fortune to receive valuable input from Les Ostryk on numerous research projects.

Since 2015, he has administered two active Facebook pages (Reindeer Lake History and DNR Family - Tales and Trails). He regularly contributes to several others on the same themes. His efforts here have helped result in a remarkable surge of interest in community histories for Northern Saskatchewan. In this regard, Les's role has been a significant factor in this newfound sharing of knowledge and photos from times gone past. This medium has effectively raised the profile and reflective value of the heritage that matters for many people.

Congrats Les!