The Plum Coulee Curling Club was the village's social hub during the winter – through the '50s and '60s at least. The outdoor skating rink, with its ramshackle warming hut, was immediately adjacent, so hot chocolate, potato chips and parents were always near at hand in the curling rink.
As hard as it is to hold to the assertion now, growing up in that tiny burgh was (mostly) a wonder-filled, magical experience. From my perspective, several non-related developments in the early-to-mid '60s spelled an end to whatever vibrancy Plum Coulee might have laid claim: Dr. Hugh McGavin, the village's only doctor, had died in 1958 and was never replaced; the province's consolidation of schools into divisions resulted in the high school being moved to Winkler; and, some of Winkler's business owners began an aggressive expansion and advertising campaign. The commercial locus became our rival, Winkler. Only one Plum Coulee business, the Co-op store under the management of Jake Penner, demonstrated vision. He switched the store's focus from general merchandise and groceries to white goods, which resulted in dramatic market expansion – rather than stagnation and closure like virtually all the other businesses of Plum Coulee.
Without the benefit of contextualizing this image in my negative files, I'm guessing this photo was taken in the late '70s or early '80s. It's almost certain the curling club was still operational at the time, but the use of a permanent marker to inscribe "Closed" (for the season) on the wooden door seems more generally prophetic.
Prophetic indeed, and very well seen.
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