HO Scale Canadian Prairies Pioneer Store

HO scale model of an early 20th century shop or office common on the Canadian prairies.
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updated March 29, 2025

Description

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These little one-room buildings were found in many western Canadian prairie towns in the early years of the 20th century.

This model is based on photos and fire insurance maps from the towns of Watrous and Vonda, Saskatchewan, from 1908 to 1911.

The ubiquity of these little buildings makes me wonder if they were a catalog item that you could order from Sears and Roebuck or Canada's T. Eaton Company. The wings on the false front, hiding the roof eaves, make me think this was a catalog design -- I don't think an early settler would add this detail if they were designing the building themselves, as it would just be extra work and material.

Parts are separated for printing in different colours or for easy painting. Print all parts at 0.1mm layers with a 0.2mm extruder.

The cedar shingles on my model are from a free-for-personal-and-educational-use pattern I found online, inkjet printed on paper, and glued down with a thin layer of contact cement. I don't include the pattern here as I don't think the license for this pattern allows for redistribution. 

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The author marked this model as their own original creation.

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