About Bankend Page

 

 

 

     The little community of Bankend straddles Highway 35 south of the Quill Lakes between Elfros and Leross.  

 

     While once much larger, the population of the hamlet is now less than 50. The rural farm population in the area is probably several hundred.

     This is mixed farming country with both small and large grain farms and livestock farms.

     Basic services are available here, there is a thriving Coop store with groceries, fuel and farm supplies for the local people and a number of home based businesses. There are no lodging or eating facilities in Bankend.

     Medical facilities are available in Lestock, Wynyard, Foam Lake or Wadena.  All are about a half hour drive away.

     Local government is provided by the Rural Municipality of Emerald with an office in the neighboring Hamlet of Wishart.

    

 

   The little community of Bankend straddles Highway 35 south of the Quill Lakes between Elfros and Leross.
     About half an hour from full service towns, Bankend serves its farm community with some basic and some very advanced services.
    

Here is a map of the streets of Bankend.

Here are some aerial pictures of Bankend, take a look, figure out where the old buildings used to be and then come to visit us.

    The name Bankend is not a financial reference as one would think, but rather a railway reference.
    Apparently in 1928, when the railway was being built, this was the end of the rolling hills to the east, and the start of the flat prairie to the west. Since railway tracks must be laid flat, Bankend was the site of the last hill (bank) to be cut down to make a flat rail bed.
    The railway is long gone but you can still see that last bank on the railway bed in the aerial pictures. Can you find it?

     This picture shows the Main Street area. The Coop Store is the collection of buildings with green roofs. The Community Hall is the last building on the right, next to Highway 35. The former restaurant, hotel, locker plant, garage and welding shop buildings can be seen along the highway. The railway line was along the north side of town, top of the picture, parallel to Railway Avenue

     This picture, taken from the northwest, shows the railway line and Railway Avenue in the foreground. The grain elevators were along Railway Ave, in about the center of the picture. The large green square was the school grounds, now a campground and park. You can see most of the residential area, but there are not as many houses as there used to be. Can you find the church and the post office?

     This picture gives a good overview of Bankend from the northeast. Highway 35 is on the left side of the picture and we are looking southwest. The former Leons Manufacturing shop is at the lower left and the last bank on the railroad is next to the shop, surrounded by a small bushes.