Does the name “Babushka Trail” catch your interest? Or is the newer moniker, “Pysanky Path” more intriguing?
Whichever you prefer, this route — spread across six municipalities in Manitoba’s Parkland — makes an interesting day trip, with an emphasis on Ukrainian culture. If you want to explore all of it, it could even take two or three trips. The section north of Riding Mountain National Park alone needs a day, while sites south of the park could occupy two more.
Why it matters: The route spreads both north and south of Riding Mountain National Park and highlights the culture and history of small towns in the region.
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Exploring the southern part of the trail requires pre-planning and a good map, as many features are off the main highways along gravel roads. The Pysanky Path pamphlet, found at local gift shops, tourism centres or downloadable online, is an essential addition. A backroad map book for Manitoba is also invaluable. These are available at gas bars, bookstores and tourism centres.
Make sure to check opening hours while planning your trip. Many attractions list telephone numbers.
Most churches will be closed, but visitors can explore the grounds, snap exterior photos of the buildings and sometimes peer through a window to glimpse inside.
You can begin the path from various directions, but Parkland Tourism suggests starting at Angusville, east of Russell on Highway 45. This works well for anyone coming from the west. Those coming from the southeast could also start at Oakburn or Sandy Lake.
Angusville’s attractions include the Holy Redeemer Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church — a small church built from a school — and the Ivan Franko Heritage Hall, built in 1934. These buildings are a sample of Ukrainian architecture, as both have the characteristic onion domes.
If this is your launch point, continuing east on Highway 45 brings visitors to the Rossburn Museum, which features a replica Ukrainian village. Tools, a printing press, pioneer kitchen and other artifacts are on display.
The next stop, farther along the same highway, is the village of Oakburn, north of Shoal Lake. There, visitors will find the Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church, another example of Ukrainian architecture.
Continuing north on Provincial Road 577, travellers will find other stops. Just to the west of the road, south of Patterson Lake, a monument marks the mass grave of Ukrainian immigrants claimed by scarlet fever in 1899. Three adults and 42 children were claimed by the outbreak. The monument also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada (1891-1991).
From the monument, drive back to Provincial Road 577 and continue east for two miles on the gravel road. Take a turn to the north for a mile, followed by half a mile east. Then, following the sign, turn north onto a dirt road. That path will wind through trees before landing at a unique structure: a budda.
This was the first type of home used by early Ukrainian pioneers in the area. Classed as an historic site of Manitoba, it is a small, tent-shaped building made of branches, sod, clay and straw. It has no windows. Originally, there were two replica buddas, constructed in 1978 by Michael Swistun, a local settler who had once achieved fame as the strongest man in the world. Unfortunately, one budda was destroyed by fire several years ago.
From the budda, drive back to the gravel road, backtrack half a mile west and then continue a mile north and then a mile west to the village of Olha. Alternatively, travellers can go back to Provincial Road 577 near Patterson Lake and turn two miles north to reach the village.
This tiny hamlet has two interesting features. St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (see photo at top) was built in 1904 and is a designated historic site. Renovators were at work when I visited and I managed to view the interior icons, painted in 1927. Across the road is the Olha General Store. Owned by Marion Koltusky, a Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Medal awardee, the store is open every day of the year.
The public service medals are slated for 1,000 Manitobans and started to be handed out last year.
To the northeast of Olha, Parkland Tourism’s pamphlet highlights several other churches: Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, built in 1938 in the Seech Lake area; the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church to the north, built in 1911, and the Holy Eucharist Greek Catholic Church in the village of Horod, opened in 1922.
Horod also displays a one-room school, built in 1906. The interior is set up with desks and books from the period. A wood stove dominates the middle of the room. The original teacherage sits on the same site.
From Horod, drive south on Provincial Road 354 back to Highway 45. Turn east to Sandy Lake, where the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Museum, Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church and St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church all provide photo-taking opportunities.
If Sandy Lake is your first stop on the Pysanky Path, do the other stops in reverse.
Whichever direction you choose, be prepared to backtrack or change plans. Some of these cultural sites have signs showing the way, but not all. Part of the fun will be trying to locate all the attractions shown in the pamphlet.
