A Small-Town Window on the World

When you’ve lived in a small town as long as I have, you’ve seen history play out on a local level. The hard part of that is that you have to take the good historical events with the bad; the fun part is that you see history play out in the faces and places of your little town.

Take my hometown, Castor, for example.

Castor was built by brave pioneers who came from all parts of the world. They brought with them a strength and determination that built schools, a hospital, churches, businesses and farms. They raised their families here. Many of their young men and women went off to wars and fought for their country. Many of them never returned.

My parents came to Castor in 1940. My dad bought Castor Billiards, also known in some quarters as the Den of Iniquity. The local ladies didn’t dare enter Castor Billiards and they could only enter the local Cosmopolitan Hotel bar room through the entrance, “Women and Escorts.” The “Men Only” side was taboo.

The pool room was frequented by local retired gentlemen who would line up on the creaky wooden benches on the east wall, near the spittoons. These East Wall Gang members were the experts on all things in the community.

The pool room was just one part of our small prairie town. There were machinery and car dealerships, garages and hardware stores, a hotel, a bakery, a drug store, grocery and clothing stores, a theatre, a dance hall, elevators, restaurants, trains and a Greyhound bus. Schools and a hospital ensured the health and the education of the children. Saturday Night meant late night shopping. Nothing was open on Sundays; only the churches, which were full.

These days, there’s no Castor Billiards. Time passed, owners changed, and it closed. The East Wall Gang moved on and the building is now part of one of the local grocery stores. It’s just one of many changes in Castor over the years. We’ve seen young people leave to work in the cities and then return home to their roots to raise their families, many “commuting” to work from behind laptops. We can find stores open on Sunday and ladies can enter the Cosmopolitan Hotel through any door they want!

There have been a lot of changes over the years, but many of the important things have stayed the same. Castor is still a beautiful town found within the County of Paintearth, with its winding creeks, beautiful parks and treelined boulevards.

And just as it has always been, Castor is a warm and caring community. Neighbors help neighbors, farmers and oil patch workers labour side-by-side, and young and older work together, helping where they’re needed, when they’re needed, in their hometown.

“I love those dear hearts and gentle people who live in my hometown.

Because those dear hearts and gentle people will never ever let you down.”