The Mystery of Crooked Bush, Saskatchewan

About 5 kilometers from North Battleford, Saskatchewan (where I live), is a tiny town called Hafford. About 20 kms. northwest of there, along a dusty grid road is a very curious grove of crooked aspen trees like no other in the world. The surrounding trees all reach up straight as an arrow, but this stand of gnarled aspens does not grow in a straight line for more than a foot at a time, twisting and looping in all directions. Research has found that they grow this way because of a rare genetic mutation, but where did it come from? Why did they mutate? And why are no surrounding trees affected?

Folklore and theories run rampant, but I can tell you that walking through this grove is almost a psychological event. Some say that this place is eerie and haunted, but I felt something much different. Standing amidst the branches I felt a solemness beyond the grave- that makes you bow your head. A place that forces a quietness that I've never felt before. Upon entering the grove there was a slight breeze, but once inside, even though there were no leaves at that time of the year, the wind disappeared and the air itself seemed thinner. Perhaps that's why some people get dizzy there. There were no animals at all...not even the sparrows that frequent the surrounding farm areas. This special place is truly an enigma and a wonder.

home.cc.umanitoba.ca...


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This youtube video is the closest thing to being there and the music is SO appropriate:




I consider myself lucky and blessed to live so close to this place.

Sweet! I am from Saskatchewan but never even heard of this place before. I would love to go there. Thank you for sharing!

reply to post by Tasty Canadian


Awesome video, thank you for sharing. I have never heard of this before, but I found it very interesting. Do you have any information on the estimated age of these trees? I looked up a video of Aspen trees and you were certainly correct about them growing straight up. But I also noticed in this video I'm going to post the trees are a bit taller, which tells me they are a different sub-species or maybe just a lot older. Any extra information you have on this would be appreciated. I'm going to research it right now just for the fun of it.

that is awesome! i think i may just have to go visit that place next time im in the province!

reply to post by Tasty Canadian



If those are aspens, that is wild. Are there any others like this known of in the world? Crazy...

I may be moving there soon. Was actually looking at a few places close to the Battlefords. I'll be in this grove soon after if I do.

BTW, where can I get a recording of the soundtrack? Any idea?

That's quite intriguing. I would love to visit some place like that. Very mysterious and magical looking.

I wonder why they grow like that, as another member posted a video of how the tree's should grow/look.

Thanks for sharing op

they have been trained to grow crucked much lie bonsai growers train there trees to grow in intresting ways.

The Canadian Journal of Botany calls this a mutant clone. They were definitely NOT designed by man to grow this way as in the bonsai tree. I have not had a lot of luck with research on this, but I'm still looking.

www.nrcresearchpress.com...

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Thank you C E...that was my first link that I posted....lol

Originally posted by picky
they have been trained to grow crucked much lie bonsai growers train there trees to grow in intresting ways.

Good theory except that in order for a Bonzai shaping to continue, it's a constant task. Being that these trees are now in a protected area and attracts visitors, it would be difficult to keep up the attention that a Bonzai tree needs.

After you stop trimming the Bonzai, they revert to the natural need to stretch towards the light.

reply to post by Tasty Canadian


LOl sorry

I'm embarrassed now

I'm going to delete that post so I don't look like an idiot.

reply to post by jude11


I don't have a youtube account, but you can probably contact the guy who made the video through there to find out about the soundtrack. He goes by the name of "snake whisperer".

That is amazingly beautiful I wonder if they are connected like Pando grove in Utah, here's an article on the largest known organism, discovermagazine.com... It's in Fishlake National Park for those wondering. Thank you for sharing that.

I apoligize if i steal your thunder, but they look exactly like a tree that grows near me called a live oak... its really cool how similar they are

reply to post by jude11


True never thought it through first thin poped up,im going for bad gentics

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


I've not been able to find an exact age of the grove, but one site has them at at least 40 years old.

reply to post by Kaiuk


No apology necessary. They do look similar to the live oak, but these are definitely aspens and are "supposed" to grow straight up like the ones across the road from them do.

reply to post by Golithion


Interesting article G...and a quote from your link that might pertain to this grove:

Unlike giant sequoias, each of which is a genetically separate individual, a group of thousands of aspens can actually be a single organism, sharing a root system and a unique set of genes.