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A Saskatchewan village that’s home to only about 52 people still manages to get recognition from around the world, especially on Valentine’s Day.
Love, Saskatchewan, located off Highway 55 between Prince Albert and Nipawin, has earned a reputation for both its unique name and its iconic postmark, which features a teddy bear holding a heart.
(Village of Love/Facebook)
Mayor Shelley Vallier spoke with Gormley on Tuesday to share some of Love’s history. She said Valentine’s Day is always a special occasion for the village.
“We had people come from all over,” Vallier said. “A lot of the people that come every year are families. We have three and four generations of families coming back every year.”
The teddy bear postmark was originally designed by Pauline and Dale McKinnon, Vallier said. Pauline was once Love’s postmaster, and Vallier said people love sending mail to the village just to get the stamp.
“From all over the world, the post office gets wedding invitations (and)Valentine cards,” Vallier said.
“We just had one from a gentleman who was married for 60 years, and he drove down from The Pas, Manitoba to have his cards stamped with our special stamp and sent off to his wife.”
The McKinnons also came up with the names of streets in the village, like Pucker-up Alley, Cupid’s Way and Lovers Lane.
Vallier said there are different stories explaining how Love got its name, but the one most residents accept is the tale of a train conductor named Tom Love, who operated the first train to pass through the village.
“Love, at one time, was a booming little community,” Vallier said. “There was 250 people living here. They had two or three sawmills. They had grocery stores and a hardware store and pool hall bar. It was a very busy community.”
Vallier said there are only about 52 people living in Love today, but it’s growing. It’s also a tourism destination, the mayor added.
“It’s a steady stream, actually, in the summertime of people coming in to get a photo taken by one of our signs or in front of our post office,” Vallier said.
The village hosts an annual event each August called Love’s Party in the Park, which Vallier said also brings in a lot of visitors.
