Friends at Murrays
The red gem, late 90’s Chevy sitting in front of the iconic Estevan water tower.
You can’t visit Estevan, Saskatchewan without hearing about Murray GM. Sitting boldly, just up past the tracks on Kensington Avenue, the mighty golden bowtie that is Chevrolet reigns supreme in a land of pickups and behemoth SUV’s. Farmers and oil workers populate this beautiful land and many of them can be seen roaming the countryside in a vehicle that was bought right here at Murrays.
You’re welcomed into the showroom by a collection of antique vehicles that force you to yank your phone from your pocket and begin snapping pictures. The sales team smirks as they’ve seen this same maneuver almost daily, but I am thrilled. A tour around the building by Brad, the man in charge, shows that this is no slack operation. A body shop filled with vehicles of all shapes and sizes, a wash bay with gleaming chrome and a bustling service center. Complementary coffee and pop can be enjoyed in the company of any one of the friendly faces you’ll meet during your time at Murrays.
One such conversation led me to discover that Brad was enjoying a “set of wheels” he had originally procured due to the widely known shortage of new vehicles. Being from out east where the vehicles rust as quickly as you can bust a rim on the monstrous potholes, I was intrigued to see this late 90’s pickup that I heard was so clean. To my surprise, it was clean and I had to take pictures. Brad arranged for it to be cleaned and waiting that weekend.
By this point, I had been in Estevan for about 3 weeks and had driven around and seen enough to know the spots I wanted to shoot this gem. I wanted to highlight what my new view of Estevan had shown me. They don’t call Saskatchewan the “Land of the Living Skies” for nothing and that had to be my first shot. Driving somewhere between Bienfait and Estevan, on a wide gravel road, I pulled the truck to a crunching halt. As I got out to begin snapping shots, a local dusted past in a much newer, much larger Chevy, flashing a wave and a small as he carried on. When I say that Saskatchewan is beautiful, Estevan is the hub of my current experience with this vast province. Capturing this truck in this location was a positive breath of literal fresh air.
Into to town I drove, with nearly 50 shots already resting and waiting for me on my camera’s sd card. Estevan is a transit town and it was time to show the Chevy down by the tracks, followed by some mint shots of it perched in front of the iconic Estevan water tower. 157 drops of my shutter later and I was nestling the red Chevy back into its spot in the Murray wash bay.
As I’ve said in previous posts, Saskatchewan has been a surprise to me with it’s freedom skies and stunning landscapes. Estevan has been warm and welcoming and Murray GM has been no different.
-Canadian James
