Holy Trinity - Golden Valley

     The Golden Valley church owes much to Mrs. J. A. Brew, a settler of 1904.  She missed her church very much and wrote to the Bishop of Saskatchewan for help and offered her home for the services.  Her home was already a happy gathering place for the lonely settlers around because they had a piano and other music.  [See the Brew Piano story in Bordering on Greatness]  The result was that a Mr. Bernard Hunt, newly arrived from England, a lay minister, came to the area.  He remained for five years and was a very popular young minister. 

     He was the grandson of the Rev. Robert Hunt who was responsible for building Stanley Mission, two hundred miles north of Prince Albert, the oldest church in Saskatchewan (1860).  ... Rev. Canon Bernard Hunt of Norwich, England was invited to take part in the Stanley Mission centennial services and at that time revisited his old mission at Golden Valley.

     It was in 1910 that a meeting was held to discuss building a church and a committee of F. Byrt, Lewis Brew, E. Hibble, F. Shaw and J. F. Scott was formed.  Gifts and grants of money came in and in March of 1911 the committee held a meeting with St. John's vestry at which it was agreed that a church should be built.  ... The church was built by voluntary labour under the direction of J. F. Scott.  It was dedicated on August 7, 1911 as Holy Trinity - Golden Valley.

     In September of 1912, a new organ arrived from Heintzman and Company of Toronto.  Mrs. Brew had been a milliner to Queen Alexandra and the Queen kindly donated the money upon learning that an organ was needed.  It arrived just in time for the Harvest Festival services.

     On August 2, 1914, the church and grounds were consecrated by Bishop Newnham of Saskatchewan with help from Rev. Trench.  A basket lunch, picnic and soccer match between Golden Valley and McLaughlin followed.

     In 1970, the church was closed but it still stands (2005) on the corner [of Secondary 619 and the Blackfoot Road] as a monument to days gone by and a people devoted to their Lord.  For more details of Holy Trinity see the books - West of the Fourth and The Lloyd Minster.

     author unknown