The following article and images are courtesy of Discover Estevan
New Mainprize monument connects visitors to local history by Lois Feaver, DiscoverEstevan.com | Tuesday, Aug 18 2026, 4:59 AM
Murlo Note: You may be able to successfully scan the QR code from the picture below to a site with the projects background or you may follow this link to the Documentary Information
A new monument at Mainprize Regional Park is helping bring the story of Dr. William Graham Mainprize and the park’s early history to a new generation.
The monument features a silhouette of Dr. Mainprize, an information panel outlining the history of the original park, and a QR code allowing visitors to learn more about the story behind the site.
Jack Hilkewich, co-producer and director of Mainprize: The Documentary, says the monument grew out of an effort to create a permanent exhibit at the park.
From a Documentary to a Monument
Hilkewich says the documentary team originally hoped to raise enough money to build a building with displays explaining the history of the original park and Dr. Mainprize. “We wanted a building with displays inside explaining the old park and Doc Mainprize, but we never raised enough money for it,” Hilkewich says.
He says Dave and Tami Piper, who were major contributors to the documentary, believed something permanent should still be created at the park. “They really agreed that there should be something out here, and he gave us a bit of extra money to put towards building this monument,” he says.
Hilkewich says the monument was designed by Nathan from Melcher Studios, with Stuart Steele in Weyburn building the structure and Sleek Signs creating the metal information panel. “I think it’s a nice addition to the park,” Hilkewich says. “Sort of explains a little bit of the origin of the old park but also connects it to the new park.”
The original Mainprize Regional Park was established in 1961 in the Souris River Valley. It was later relocated because of the construction of the Rafferty Reservoir, with the current park opening in the 1990s. The park was named in honour of Dr. William Graham Mainprize, a longtime physician in the Midale area.
Remembering Dr. Mainprize
For Hilkewich, the project also has a personal connection.
He says he was delivered by Dr. Mainprize and worked for him at the park as a child. “I was delivered by Doc Mainprize,” Hilkewich says. “And I did work for him at the park.”
Hilkewich recalls that Dr. Mainprize would hire local children to help with work at the park. “He would hire local kids and give them five dollars a day,” he says.
Hilkewich says he was about 10 or 11 when he went to the park to work for Mainprize. “I only did it once because I didn’t know how to work very well at 10,” he jokes. “I was there because I knew I was going to get five dollars.”
That personal connection also helped with the design of the new monument.
Hilkewich provided photographs of Dr. Mainprize to the designer and asked for a way to create a recognizable silhouette. “I gave Nathan pictures of Doc Mainprize and said, ‘Can you come up with a way that we could use a metal cutout and still know who it is?’” Hilkewich says.
“And it’s like, yeah, he came up with the perfect design.”
A 50th Anniversary Sparked a Much Bigger Project
The monument is also tied to a documentary project that began more than a decade ago.
Hilkewich says he first came to the park during the July long weekend in 2011 because it was the 50th anniversary of the park.
At the time, he had a much smaller project in mind. “I wanted to come out and just document the weekend and maybe create a small DVD, talk to some people and then put it up for sale for five bucks,” he says.
But that changed when he started looking through photographs of the park. “When I asked one of the organizers if they had pictures of the park, I got a whole bunch of photo albums,” Hilkewich says. “I thought, great, this will help me. I’ll be able to use that when I edit.”
Instead, he discovered the albums primarily showed the newer park. “And all the pictures were of the new park,” he says.
That led Hilkewich to realize that some of the history of the original park and Dr. Mainprize was not well known among younger generations. “It was kind of like, oh yeah, there are a lot of people of the younger generation that don’t know anything about Doc Mainprize,” he says.
What began as a small project eventually became Mainprize: The Documentary, a much larger undertaking that took more than a decade to complete. The documentary premiered in Midale in 2025.
A Modern Way to Learn About the Past
Hilkewich says the new monument gives visitors another opportunity to learn about that history.
The QR code provides a modern connection to more information, while the silhouette and information panel tell part of the story right at the park. “It does tell the story of Doc Mainprize in the park,” Hilkewich says.
He says the combination of history and technology makes the monument a good way to connect generations. “I think it’s a great bridge from the past to now, especially with a QR code,” he says. “Can’t get more modern than that.”
Hilkewich hopes the monument will continue to stand at the park for years to come. “I’d just like to thank sponsors for this, the Mainprize Foundation, especially Dave and Tami Piper,” he says.
“And I hope that this lasts for a long time.”