Gunnar Benson

Source: From Sage to Timber history book

Belle Parsonage Lloyd memories:

“The [Gunnar]¹ Benson family lived up Battle Creek. They lived there about 10 years [1896-1907]² and had come from Wisconsin. They had seven children, six girls and Johnny. In the fall of [1907]³ Ida, age 17 years, was ill with consolidation of the lungs. Dr. Graham saw her and advised them not to move her, however, they tried to get her to Medicine Hat in a covered wagon, a distance of about 60 miles. She died on the way and is buried in Medicine Hat. They eventually left the Cypress Hills and went back to [Nebraska].”

From W.X. Wright story by Heather S. Beierbach:

“At some point W.X. Wright acquired the Benson Place, [now a part of the West Block of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park]. This was one of the spots in the Hills where many old time picnics and rodeos were held. W.X. later sold it to Frank Nuttall”. [The Saskatchewan government would acquire it from Frank in 1955.]

Added Notes: Several trails in the West Block of the Cypress Hills still are known by the Benson name – North Benson, West Benson, South Benson.

When the Frank and Ella Nuttall family moved to the Benson Place in 1943 “they lived in the old sod-roofed house there”⁴ until their new log house was built. It was located across Battle Creek and up the hill from present day [2016] location of the Boy Scout Camp. The log house was later moved to other Nuttall property when Frank traded the Benson Place to the Saskatchewan government.

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¹personal communication, Clay Yarshenko
2Clay Yarshenko
3Clay Yarshenko
⁴ From Sage to Timber,  (Altona, MB: Friesen Printers, 1989)  132.