when 1922 rolled around, so did the end of bootlegging that fueled govenlock's prosperity. it was then that the government of saskatchewan announced it wanted better control of the liquor trade and restricted liquor export houses to cities with 10,000 people or more. this started the slow end of the once promising pioneer town of govenlock. over the years and one by one, stores and shops soon closed and residents left. in 1962 the only grain elevator left in govenlock was toppled and demolished. by 1990, rural municipality officials brought in the bulldozers and demolished all but one of the remaining buildings that stood in govenlock, including the old govenlock hotel.