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Great Wall of Saskatchewan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Great Wall of Saskatchewan is a really cool project built by a person named Albert Johnson. It's located near a village called Smiley in Saskatchewan, Canada. This amazing wall is made entirely of stones!

Building the Great Wall

How It All Started

Albert Johnson began building this wall way back in 1962. He started by carefully arranging stones he found on his farmland. As farmers cleared stones from their fields, Albert would add them to his growing wall. He kept working on it for many years, all the way until 1991.

Building Without Cement

What makes this wall extra special is that it was built without any cement or mortar! Albert designed the wall so the stones would hold themselves together. The stones on the outside layer were shaped in a special way. They were tapered, meaning they got narrower towards the inside. This clever design stopped the wall from moving. The inside of the wall was filled with smaller or oddly shaped stones.

A Big Accomplishment

After 29 years of hard work, the Great Wall of Saskatchewan was finally finished. It has a wide base, about 6 feet across. The wall stretches for more than a third of a mile in length! Its height is usually around 6 feet, but in some places, it reaches an impressive 12 feet tall. While building, Albert also planted spruce trees alongside the wall. These trees helped protect the wall from strong winds.

More Than Just a Wall

Besides the stone wall, Albert also built a sod house. This house was made from blocks of grass and soil cut from the surrounding area. He finished the sod house in 1986 with help from people in the Smiley community. In 1991, when the stone wall was complete, Albert started adding stones to the slopes around the wall. He also planted many different kinds of flowers and vegetables, making the area even more beautiful.

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Great Wall of Saskatchewan Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.