History
The first organization was a Local Improvement district. The first meeting was held on January 10, 1910 and those present were Julius Joel and John Bartley of Elbow; G.H. Potts of Loreburn; O.N. Akre and John Finnerty of Strongfield; and W.H. Jay of Hawarden. A referendum was held on August 30, 1910 and the resulting vote favored the formation of a municipality. The first council meeting was held on December 10, 1910 and consisted of Reeve G.H. Potts and councilors Julius Joel, John Bartley, Ed Book, O.N. Akre, W.H. Jay and John Finnerty. R.A. Thompson was the first secretary and the first meeting was held at the Reis’ Hotel in Loreburn.
The boundaries of the municipality extend from two miles north of Hawarden, two miles south of Elbow, west to the Diefenbaker Lake and east 7 miles from Highway 19. In area it comprises Townships 25, 26, 27 and 28, in Ranges it includes 4, 5, and 6 except in township 28 where it just includes range 5, and in township 27 where it includes range 7.
During the 1960’s the building of the Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River brought many changes to the countryside and also to farming practices in the area. The creation of Lake Diefenbaker made irrigation a new agricultural option. It also made the area a beautiful tourist location.
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This church was built in 1917 and was known to be the largest Norwegian Lutheran Church in the Canadian district. Architecturally, it is a gothic style. It has a steeple of unique design, with a truncated witches cap steeple, surrounded by a widows walk type railing. It still brings remarks from visitors of its size and uniqueness of an old country church. It is still used during the summer months.
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In 1928, after filling the school house to capacity every Sunday, the Bonnie View Church opened its doors, free of debt. What makes this church so remarkable is that the members of the congregation provided all the labor and funding for construction. By the congregations’ own perseverance and canvassing for funds, no money was used from the churches’ coffers. The congregation found pride in their resourcefulness but also in the workmanship in the building. Even today, the attention to detail is especially evident in the main auditorium. Many members of the community still have strong ties to the Bonnie View Church and wish to see it stand for years to come. The Bonnie View Church was a place of unions, worship and gatherings for the area for over 30 years. It has great architectural value, as well as historical importance to so many people.