A Tourist Destination in the "Middle of Nowhere"

Big Beaver, SK - The Big Muddy Valley is a place of wonder. A drive through its towering buttes and rolling hills fires the imagination and brings to mind images of gun-slinging cattle rustlers and hard hearted horse thieves. The Old West seems very much alive throughout these "bad"lands, and in the past, it certainly was. Things are a little quieter these days, but one doesn't have to look far to find history. Sam Kelly's Outlaw Caves, Carlyle Coulee - the site of a murder and a hastily dug grave; these are not scenes from a Hollywood western movie, but places in the Big Muddy where the real events that inspired all those movies actually took place.

Spread across south central Saskatchewan and dipping down into northeastern Montana, the Big Muddy Valley is one of the most beautiful regions in the entire province. Its stunning landscape of hills, buttes, and cliffs guards the secrets of a rich and fascinating history. No wonder the area has long been a major draw for tourists. Despite its isolated location and less than stellar roads, the Big Muddy attracts thousands of visitors each year. One of the most interesting stops on a tour of the Big Muddy takes visitors to the Circle Y Ranch.

Circle Y Ranch has been in the Burgess family for seventy years. Today the cattle operation is run by Michael and Tamela Burgess, Michael's parents Edward and Ferne, and their children Britt, 24 and Lane, 22. Michael and Tamela's eldest daughter, Tiffany, lives in Sylvan Lake, AB with her husband, but is still very much involved with the ranch.

Circle Y is situated on the eastern edge of the Big Muddy on Highway #18 between Minton and Big Beaver. The ranch is the site of thousands of years of history. Their 20,000 acre spread boasts magnificent scenery that is dotted with hundreds of tipi rings, effigies, a medicine wheel, and ancient aboriginal artifacts. The Big Muddy was a major area for aboriginal cermonial activity, and it's easy to see why they would find spiritual significance in such awe-inspiring surroundings.

In more recent history, the area around the current Burgess ranch is situated along the Willow Bunch trail. During July of 1881, the famous Sioux chief, Sitting Bull of Battle of the Little Big Horn fame, rode right through where their yard stands today on his way to surrender to the American army across the border, only 2 /2 miles south of Circle Y Ranch. It was also the site of a NWMP detachment in the early twentieth century. Their ranch was also once home to Jasper Huntley, an early rancher who lived on both sides of the law - helping out famous outlaws such as Sam Kelly and Dutch Henry, all the while hosting NWMP officers during their patrols.

Besides cattle barns, thousands of acres of pasture land and some of the most interesting scenery in the world, Circle Y Ranch also boasts an art gallery. The Old Porch Gallery is home to Tamela Burgess's artwork and Michael Burgess's cowboy poetry, as well as a mini museum displaying historical artifacts that the family has collected over the years.

Tamela began painting in her 20s as something to do during the long winters. She hadn't been particularly interested in painting as a child, but her new hobby quickly became a passion, and one she had a talent for. The self-taught artist has always drawn inspiration from the valley she has called home her entire life, the ranching life, and her family. The idea for a gallery came in the early 90s.

At that time, Tamela was displaying her artwork in their home, and over the years as she created more paintings, there simply wasn't any more room for them. Also, people had heard about her paintings and would come - sometimes at inconvenient times - to check out her work. "My husband decided my artwork needed a place of its own," said Tamela.

In 1994 she took the front porch off an old home, built in 1916, that stood on their ranch. The porch became the art gallery, and son Lane referred to it as the "old porch gallery." The name stuck. Tamela decided to build the gallery at the ranch rather than in town so that it could always be open. "I thought, if people want to see my artwork, they'll come out to the ranch." She was right. People came in droves, right off the bat. "It didn't take long for us to get publicity," said Tamela. The gallery stood as it was for four years, but as more and more tour groups came through and Tamela produced more art, it was clear that an addition was needed.

In the summer of 1998, Tamela took down an old house from Big Beaver that belonged to Michael, brought it to the ranch, and rebuilt it onto the gallery, doing most of the work herself.

It is a truly unique tourist destination - an art gallery depicting some of the must stunning scenery in Saskatchewan, and just outside the door, the landscape is there in real breathtaking beauty.

The Old Porch Gallery and Circle Y Ranch welcome approximately 700 visitors every summer from all over the world. "In the spring I always get excited wondering 'where are they going to come from this year?'" said Tamela. "You just never know what accent you're going to hear." Tamela's paintings are now all over the world - from Germany to Australia.

A visit to the Old Porch Gallery is more than just artwork and artifacts, however. Visitors are treated to a history of the outlaws of the area by Tamela. She grew up four miles south of Circle Y on a ranch near Outlook, MT, hearing stories about the interesting past of the badlands, but it wasn't until she was an adult that she started taking a real interest in the history of the area. "I decided I wanted to see what this area was really about," said Tamela. She started doing research behind the names and places she'd heard about as a child. When visitors came to the Old Porch Gallery, Tamela would tell them some of the fascinating stories of outlaws, NWMP officers and ranchers in the Big Muddy. Many of these visitors would ask if she had written all of these stories down. It was at their urging that she decided to put all of her knowledge down into a book. "People kind of demanded the book," said Tamela.

The book encompassed four and a half years of research. Tamela spent a lot of time in archives and poring over history books, as well as talking to descendants of people who had been in the area during the time of the outlaws. All of her work culminated in the fascinating book "The Big Muddy Badlands: Past to Present," published in 2007. It also contains over twenty portraits that Tamela drew herself, as well as several historical photographs. The book is already in its second printing and is available for purchase at the Old Porch Gallery or through the family's website, www.circleyranch.ca.

Tamela gets a great deal of satisfaction from changing people's interpretations of Saskatchewan's history. "I've had a lot of people from outside of Canada who tell me how surprised they are when they hear about the history of this area," said Tamela. "They always thought that Canada was such a new country, that it didn't have a lot of history. This may be a young country, but there is definitely a lot of interesting history."

Circle Y Ranch is the lunchtime stop on the Big Muddy Badlands tours which are based out of Coronach. As well as entertaining tourists several times a week and keeping up with ranch chores, Tamela is busy with her newest hobby: building miniature stagecoaches and carts. The beautiful replica carts are displayed outside the gallery.

The ranch has also attracted the attention of film production companies wanting to film television shows and movies. The Burgess's are very careful about the conservation of their land, and they do not want to risk wreaking havoc on the native prairie landscape or starting prairie fires. However, when Bonterra Productions approached the Burgess's about filming two episodes of the popular OLN show Mantracker in the spring of 2007, the Burgess's were assured that the production was low impact. "It was very environmentally friendly," said Michael. The production crew consisted of two "prey", the Mantracker, three cameramen, and the executive producer. Tamela was put in charge of craft services - providing three square meals a day for all of the crew. Britt Burgess was credited as a production assistant. She escorted the executive producer around the ranch. Michael Burgess was the Mantracker's "sidekick" or local guide on one episode, and Lane on the other.

The filming process took two weeks to produce two sixty minute episodes during May of 2007. The first episode featuring Michael aired in late June of this year, and will be re-aired on Saturday, July 26th at 11:00 pm. Lane's episode will air later this summer. Stay tuned to OLN, and you may just catch the Burgess's in action.

Although having the production on their ranch for two weeks interfered with their daily work, the Burgess's all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. "It was fun," said Michael. "It was like taking a holiday at home."

Despite the many tourists that come to Circle Y, it is very much a working ranch. Michael and Tamela, as well as Michael's parents Edward and Ferne and their three children are all involved in the ranching life. Lane left the ranch after high school, and has worked all over - the oil patch in Alberta, custom combining in Texas, operating a backhoe in Montana. However, Lane felt the lure of the Big Muddy and wanted to return home. He now lives in Minton and drives truck for LaBatte Trucking as well as working on the ranch. Their daughter, 24 year old Britt, always knew that the ranching life was for her. After a couple years at SIAST, she returned home and now lives on the ranch. She has her own cattle, and also raises and trains registered quarter horses.

The Circle Y Ranch has seen ancient First Nation ceremonies, the journey of a famous Sioux chief, horse thieves and cattle rustlers, NWMP officers, and tourists from around the globe. The present day dwellers of the site are proud of its history, and are happy to welcome visitors who want to know more about it. But for them, more than anything else, Circle Y Ranch is home.

"This ranch means everything to me," said Tamela. "It's home. I can't imagine living anywhere else."