William (Bill) Armstrong's photos with the keyword: Val Marie

A grain elevator at Val Marie, Saskatchewan, which is being restored by local people. Grain elevators were called beacons on the prairies because they were often the most visible object on the skyline, giving the location of the next community.

A sunset in the Frenchman River Valley near Val Marie, Saskatchewan.

After the cattle are branded, and in some cases given ear tags, they are released from the corral and begin the journey back to their respective ranches.

In 2006 I witnessed a cattle branding for the first time. Cattle form six ranches were trailed to a corral, where cowboys sorted them out for branding. To a tenderfoot like me it looks like organized chaos, which I tried to portray in this image.

Calves being branded as six ranchers come together for the annual branding event. Taken near Val Marie, Saskatchewan in 2006.

In 2006 I witnessed a community branding event for the first time. Five or six ranchers drove their cattle to a central corral, where the calves were separated from their mothers and branded. It is a well organized operation, with each calf branded with the distinctive mark of the ranch it belongs to. This image shows the cattle being sorted before the branding.

Found in a scrap yard near Val Marie, Saskatchewan in 2006. Taken with Fujifilm and a Minolta 6000 camera.

I found these discarded saddles on a trail near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Looks like they were well used before they were retired. Do not use this image on blogs, websites or other media without permission. © 2014 William Armstrong. All rights reserved.