Regina, Overgard Directories, [1957], c1956.

Three samples of this book are held in Weyburn Public Library Branch of Southeast Regional Library, call number 971.244 SOO. Sample content from the book is as follows:

The Prairies in Retrospect

Ruperts Land...The Fur Trade Empire 1670-1869

A brief summary of the Fur Trade and its expansion in the Northwest through barter and trade with the aboriginal dwellers of the wilderness is necessary to correlate events which preceded the migration of thousands of settlers, who broke the sod and transformed the prairies into one of the greatest wheat producing belts in the world.
The dramatic story of the fur traders and the historic role they played covers a period of over two centuries and unfolds like a tale from The Arabian Nights.
Starting with the discovery of Hudson Bay in 1610, by the ill-fated Henry Hudson, one then becomes engrossed in following the colourful adventures of Pierre Esprit Radisson and Medard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers, French coureurs de bois, who were instrumental in establishing Hudson Bay as a possession of England.
Having little fear of the wilderness, these two adventurous voyageurs penetrated far into uncharted territory, trading with the Indians and listening to their accounts of a land far to the north which bordered a mighty sea and was rich in fur-bearing animals.
Their northland trip in the early 1660's had been undertaken without the consent of the Governor of New France, deemed necessary at that time in order to legalize the trade with the Indians. With little thought of the disaster which awaited them, they brought their canoes in laden with valuable furs which were immediately declared contraband, and the lion's share confiscated by the Governor of New France.
An appeal was made to the King of France, who refused to intercede for them. At this time they made a bold decision and took their story to the English.
History records their mission to England was successful. Through the influence of Sir George Carteret they obtained an audience with King Charles II, who became greatly interested in their tales of the far northern land, rich in fur-bearing animals. An expedition was formed under the auspices of the English and a trip was made to Hudson Bay in 1668. With the knowledge he had gained in previous years of fur trading, Grosseilliers was on familiar ground once they reached the Bay. His conversance with every trick of the trade paved their way for profitable barter with the Indians and the expedition returned to England with a cargo of valuable furs. This resulted in the famous Charter signed by King Charles II, May 2nd, 1670, granting to Prince Rupert and 17 other noblemen and gentlemen, incorporated as the Governor and Company of Adventures of England, trading into Hudson Bay and securing for them a monopoly of the trade of the lands, watered by streams flowing into Hudson Bay.
Thus began the organization of a colossal business enterprise which was to expand and penetrate into the very heart of a vast wilderness. One of the most fascinating and profitable business ventures ever to be recorded.
This was to be known as Rupert's Land and the first settlements were made on James Bay and on the Churchill and Hayes Rivers. The company formed to handle the fur trade in this extensive area became known as the Hudson's Bay Company and steps were immediately taken to establish trading posts.
The Hudson's Bay posts were established on the Churchill, Nelson, Red, Saskatchewan and other rivers. With the expansion of the fur trade, routes were opened much farther west and trading posts were established along the waterways.

The North American Indian

The aboriginal race of the North American Continent became known as Indians or the Redman. To the Indian, the white man became known as "The Paleface". Unlike the language barrier which can be bridged, the racial distinction of colour has been made a controversial issue which seems to have little or no solution.
The aboriginal dweller of this vast wilderness was a child of nature with simple tastes and apparently little desire to emulate "The Paleface". His habits were nomadic,he lived in a tent made of tanned skins and had no fixed abode. In the art of tanning hides the Indian has remained unexcelled. He was dignified and proud of his ancient heritage, a formidable opponent in battle and a mighty hunter of wild game. He followed the trail of the buffalo, the moose, the elk and the deer. In the barren lands of the north he still follows the migration of the caribou as they move into new pasture lands to feed on the reindeer moss of that region. He delights in the rivers and waterways, pitching his tent where the rivers are patterned with the mighty pines and only the howl of the timber wolf or the weird cry of the loon across some far northern lake breaks the stillness of the night. He finds contentment in the gleam of a camp fire's light as he watches the play of the Northern Lights flashing their myriad colours across the limitless expanse of sky.
The white man discovered that the native was equally at home on the trackless wastelands or following the course of some mighty river in his birch bark canoe, guiding his craft through treacherous rapids or cascading down waterfalls with consummate skill. He knew the haunts of the beaver and the muskrat, where the wild fowl had their nesting grounds or where the wily trout lurked in the deep waters of some hidden pool. He knew the healing properties to be found in the plant life native to the wilderness. It was not merely the barter of kettles and knives and beads for pelts that cemented the relationship between the "Paleface" and the "Redman". This commercial aspect of the exchange was worked out to the satisfaction of both parties, but it is doubtful if the white man could have long survived the cruel tests of the wilderness, had he not had the wisdom of the native to guide him.
There were many native tribes. In the far north dwelt the Chipewyans and the Northern Cree. To the southwest in the territory now known as Saskatchewan dwelt the Assiniboines, the Salteaux, the Crees and the Blackfeet. The latter were more numerous in the territory to the west, now known as Alberta. Culturally the Assiniboine Indians belong with the Dakotas and the Plain Cree.
Inter-tribal wars were waged periodically. The signal fires gleamed, the drums beat, the warriors put on their war paint and donned their war bonnets before taking to the war path. They were relentless foes and superb horsemen. Their weapons were bows and arrows, which they used with amazing skill and accuracy.

The Metis

The Metis were the offspring of white men and Indian women. They were strong and adept in plainscraft, making excellent guides and skillful in the handling of weapons.
The first Metis of Rupert's Land were mostly of Orkney and Northern Cree origin. The children of this alliance reverted more and more to the ways of "The Paleface". Many of them became apprentice workers at York Factory. They also made successful missionaries. As the trade pushed westward, the French Canadians and the Indians made similar alliances and within the next two centuries the Metis were to multiply and become a power in the land.
By 1856 the frontiers had been pushed west to the Rocky Mountains. Trading posts were established and carefully planned routes were traversed by the fur brigades bringing in the annual packet of furs, pemmican and buffalo hides by the waterways or overland trains. At York Factory the cargoes were made ready for overseas shipment, where they were readily sold to buyers for the European market. On the return trip the fur brigades took back the supplies and trading merchandise necessary to stock the trading posts for the coming season.

York Factory...The Hub of Rubert's Land

York Factory is located five miles from the mouth of the Hayes River, surrounded by spruce and northern pine. All Hudson's Bay posts were patterned very much alike. A 12-foot stockade surrounded an open square or compound. Dwellings, stores, counting sheds and workshops were built inside the stockade along the sides of the square. The number of buildings required depended largely on the status of the fort in the company's economy. York Factory, being the commercial capital of Rupert's Land, required many more buildings than Fort Carlton, which was simply a receiving and distributing station. Fort Garry grew rapidly as the business expanded westward. The buildings of Fort Garry were built of limestone. Poplar was used for the plain posts and the northern posts were built of unscaled pine logs. As the years passed improvements were made. The factors and staff dwellings were oftentimes beautifully panelled in pine, the hand-polished ceilings reflecting the gleam of the firelight from the huge fireplaces made of field stone and usually covering one complete wall. Designed with simplicity, the homemade furniture and bear skin or buffalo rugs gave them a unique charm. Everything was kept in immaculate order and a military neatness prevailed. From the flag, staff flew the ensign of Great Britain, with the blue letters HBC on the fly.
Many of the beautiful log lodges in the north country today are patterned after the old Hudson's Bay style, with modern conveniences added for comfort.
York Factory remained the storehouse and port of the Hudson's Bay Company until 1875, when the chief accountant of the northern department closed the books for the last time and transferred them in person to Fort Garry. Two years supplies covering all posts were kept on hand. This was to guard against shipwreck or other unforeseen misadventure to ships and supplies on their way through the perilous northern waters. The business and personal accounts of the staffs were brought in by the officers of the fur brigades as they brought in the furs from the districts. Log books or daily journals, giving a detailed account of the various transactions and daily events which transpired were kept at each post. An inventory was held in the spring, everything counted and recorded, reports made, furs, pemmican and hides packed ready to hand over to the officer in charge of the brigade on its way to York Factory to bring back fresh supplies, brought in by the boats from England. Lists of merchandise, supplies and necessary equipment for the coming year were made up, the huge fur press in the yard was in constant use, as the bales of furs and hides were made ready for the trip. Everything was in readiness to load when the fur brigades arrived.

Hudson's Bay Company Factors and Staff

The management of the trading posts was placed in the hands of carefully chosen men who were known as Hudson's Bay Factors. The old payrolls of the Hudson's Bay Company records the names of many men picked from the Highlands of Scotland, honest, reliablemen who served the company well and were diplomatic in their relationship with the Indians. The personnel of the staff usually included the appointment of a chief factor, chief trader, clerk and accountant for the district, postmaster, guide and interpreter. Numerous apprentice clerks signed up for the five-year term, learning the business from the ground up and advancing to hold high positions with the company.

The Annual Arrival of the Supply Ships

The arrival of the sailing vessels from England meant a busy time for York Factory. The York boats had to be loaded with the annual supplies for the trading posts in the various districts. The fur brigades then started on their homeward journey, their boats packed to overflowing with mail and parcels from home, flour, sugar, tea, tobacco, gun powder, beads, pans, kettles, axes, candle wick, blankets, bright red cloth and a thousand other articles used in their trade with the Indians. Money was never used, credit slips being exchanged between missionaries, Indians, traders, and the itinerant fur traders of Metis origin, who followed the buffalo hunt and carried their merchandise with them. The trading posts generally advanced credit to the tribes to carry them through the hunt, but this practice was curtailed during the later years. Inter-tribal warfare killed off many of the braves and the debt stood on the books unpaid.
The first step on the return trip was Norway House, 400 miles from York Factory. There were 34 portages which had to be crossed, either the supplies had to be packed across and the boats carried on their heads or one half the crew scrambled along the shore, tugging the boats, inch by inch, with cod lines or cables, while the rest of the crew stayed in the boats to guide them. Either tracking against an ordinary current or inching their way against the force of a rapid or waterfall requires great strength. Both strength and skill are required in rowing or poling upstream. Add to this the mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies and deer flies which hover in black swarms above their victims, viciously attacking whenever and wherever they are able to dart in, one then gets some idea of the life of a boatman.
Camped for the night, the usual fare was bannocks and pemmican. The bannocks were a mixture of flour and water, fried or baked in a frying pan. This with a drink of strong black tea made in a smoke blackened pail, which was suspended on forked branches over the camp fire, brought back their strength and the courage to carry on for another day. At ease around the camp fires they pulled away at their pipes, filled with tobacco newly arrived from their homeland. Where wild game or waterfowl were plentiful, they varied their fare with "Ponask" duck, spread-eagled over the camp fire on forked sticks and crisped to a golden brown, or rolled in clay, feathers and all, and baked in the glowing embers of the camp fire. Deep lake trout, white fish and Wall Eyes were plentiful in those northern waters and made a pleasant change in their bill o'fare.
Norway House is located on little Playgreen Lake near the mouth of the Jack River. After unloading the supplies for Norway House they proceeded on their way to Fort Pelly, one of the original old forts on the Assiniboine River, close enough to the Swan River to portage across the supplies. Fort Pelly was the distributing centre for the boat brigades arriving from York Factory. Supplies for the plain posts were transferred at this point to the overland routes.
Later, the winter brigades from York Factory and Fort Garry met at Norway House, continuing there to Carlton House on the northern branch of the Saskatchewan River. Fur brigades from Mackenzie River and other northern posts met the incoming brigade at Carlton House, transferring their loads, supplies going north and hides and pelts returning with the brigade to York Factory. The supplies for the Swan River district were at this time distributed from Fort Ellice. Due to this change in the fur trade route, Fort Pelly was abandoned as a distributing centre in 1872, in favour of Fort Ellice. Owing to the arrival of the early settlers, its trading value declined and it was abandoned. The buildings were purchased with the land adjoining by one of the homesteaders. For well over half a century Fort Pelly had held its place as one of the top ranking posts of the Swan River district.
The big event of the year was definitely the arrival of the supply boats from England. For over a hundred years their schedule seldom varied, the boats arriving in August. In 1875 Fort Garry took over the role so long held by York Factory. Sailing vessels made the long perilous journeys across the Atlantic until the advent of steam. Steam navigation began in 1809, but the earlier crossings of the Atlantic used considerably more sail than steam. In 1838 however, the "Sirius" sailed from London to New York via Cork with 100 passengers, arriving safely. By 1869 the shape of things to come became manifest in many ways. South of the border railroads were extending their lines further west. Flint and steel would soon be abandoned in favour of the new coal oil lamps, which had been brought into the plain posts in 1867. Heretofore the homemade candle wick sent out from London with the yearly supplies had been the only available light. Matches were being imported from St. Paul, Minnesota, expensive, yes, and only the fur brigades on the trail were allowed a few for emergencies, but it was progress.
In the early '70's steamboats, flat boats and stern wheelers made their appearance on the waterways. The Hudson's Bay Company introduced their first steamer to the fur trade. These were used on Lake Winnipeg and plans were being made to put stern wheelers on the northern branch of the Saskatchewan.
These modern inventions foreshadowed the doom of the York boat, as well as York Factory, for more than a century the very heart of the fur empire. The Red River cart introduced by the North-West fur traders at Pembina in 1801 and for many years used for freighting on the plain trails, would be discarded in favour of the democrat and the buckboard. Steamboats even then running on regular schedules across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans would supplant the sailing vessels and every vestige of this golden era was to disappear. The slate would shortly be wiped clean of forts, trails, buffaloes and fur traders.
The closing chapter was near at hand. By 1875 this great historic role came to an end, not only in Canada, but in Siberia, Alaska and the United States. A new era was dawning, ushering in the Man with the Walking Plow.

Treaty of 1874 Signed at Fort Qu'Appelle

Touchwood Hills Post established in 1852 was followed by an outpost from Fort Ellice on the prairie south of the Fishing Lakes and southeast of the site upon which Fort Qu'Appelle was later built by Peter Hourie, between 1863-1864. The Indian trade with the Wood Mountain Stonies and Old Wives Lake was handled from this latter point.
Located on the Qu'Appelle Lakes in the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley, Fort Qu'Appelle soon outrivalled the Touchwood Hills Post. From the higher points one is impressed with the magnificent view of this chain of lakes extending through the valley, Lake Katepwa, Mission Lake and Echo Lake. Qu'Appelle, meaning "Who Calls?" is taken from an Indian legend. Qu'Appelle River was designated as "The Calling River". The overland trail followed the Qu'Appelle Valley and was the original route used by the overland trains on their trips from Carlton House to Fort Ellice and down to Fort Garry.
The building of the Fort was the work of an artist. Stockades and all buildings were whitewashed a gleaming white, which made a pleasing contrast to the green wooded slopes and the sparkling waters of Echo and Mission Lakes. The factor's home was built of poplar logs, with beautifully panelled walls and ceiling. Store and counting sheds were placed in the usual pattern inside the stockade, with the fur press in the centre of the square. The stockade gates of Fort Qu'Appelle were opened to travellers from the east, the west, the north and the south. The flagstaff of Fort Qu'Appelle flew the Ensign of Great Britain, with the blue letters HBC on the fly.
It was at Fort Qu'Appelle on the 15th day of September, 1874, that the first Treaty negotiated with the Western Indians was signed. It is known as Treaty No. 4. The treaty ground was part of a level plain on which a monument was erected in 1915, commemorating the first Treaty between the Indians of the Northwest Territories and Queen Victoria, represented by her Commissioners, The Hon. Alexander Morris, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the Hon. David Laird, at that time Minister of the Interior, and the Hon. W.J. Christie, a retired Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. They were escorted by 100 men of the active militia under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Osborne Smith. There were about 1,000 Indians present at the Treaty. The Tribes dealt with were the Crees and the Salteaux (Soto). The latter were much harder to convince. The conference lasted six days and an area of 75,000 miles surrendered.
The reserves were allotted on a basis of 128 acres for every man, woman and child. Much of this land was later turned back to the government and the proceeds of the sale placed to the credit of the bands to which they belonged. The Indians were allowed to select their land and showed great shrewdness in their selection. A department was set up later to administer the affairs of the various Reserves and Indian Agents appointed.

Establishment of the Dominion Government in the Northwest Territories

The British North America Act of 1867 established Ottawa as the Capital of the Dominion of Canada (Sir John A. MacDonald, first Premier of Canada). The Transfer of November 19, 1869, made by the Hudson's Bay Company, changed the status quo of the Northwest Territories and Rupert's Land became a part of Canada July 15th, 1870. In 1873 Sir John A. MacDonald introduced a bill respecting the administration of justice and for the establishment of a police force in the Northwest Territories. In the autumn of that year steps were taken to organize the Force which became famous as the North West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills District was built in 1876. An important N.W.M.P. Post was established at Wood Mountain. The treaty of 1874 made with the Crees and the Salteaux Indians at Fort Qu'Appelle, left the government free to formulate plans for dividing the Northwest Territories into districts.
By an Act of the Dominion Parliament in 1875 a district of the Northwest Territories was given definite existence. Extending from the western boundary and covering the southern portion was designated as the District of Assiniboia. The northern portion was designated as the District of Saskatchewan. The Northwest Territories Act of 1875 also provided for the appointment of a Lieutenant Governor and Advisory Council to administer the local affairs of the Territory that stretched westward from the Manitoba Boundary to the Rocky Mountains and northward from the American Boundary to the unknown silence of the Arctic.
November, 1875, Hon. David Laird of Prince Edward Island, Minister of the Interior in the Dominion Cabinet, was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories and Council appointed. 1877 First Territorial Seat of Government. Fort Livingstone, three miles northwest of Pelly, Saskatchewan, on the Swan River, was the first seat of the Territorial Government in 1877.
The first session was held here in that year. On the spot on which the Governor's house stood, built originally as the residence of the Commissioner of Police, and in which the memorable first session was held, a tablet was erected which reads: "On this spot the first Northwest Council was held on March 9, 1877. Presided over by Hon. David Laird, Lieutenant Governor; Lieutenant Colonel J.F. MacLeod, Commissioner of the N.W.M.P.; Hugh Richardson, Stipendiary Magistrate." Fort Livingstone, Swan River Barracks, N.W.M.P., was built in 1874 and destroyed by fire in the spring of 1884. The N.W.M.P. headquarters had been moved to Shoal Lake, 160 miles south in 1878.
In 1876 the first mail route was established by the government between Fort Edmonton and Winnipeg. The mail was carried in winter by dog sleds and in summer with horses and democrat. Mail arrived at Fort Livingstone every 21 days, where it met the Edmonton mail coming in. Between Winnipeg and Edmonton, mail stations were approximately 150 miles apart. The mail couriers were Metis. Eight miles south of Pelly, Saskatchewan, on the Assiniboine River is the site of Old Fort Pelly, one of Saskatchewan's oldest historical landmarks.
Shortly following the memorable first session at Fort Livingstone, the Hon. David Laird, Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories, departed for Battleford, the site chosen for the future capital, arriving in August of 1877. In 1882 the area below Parallel 60 was divided into the Provincial Districts of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Athabaska and Alberta. That same year the main line of the C.P.R. was completed across the western prairies and Regina was named the capital of the Northwest Territories March 27, 1883, and incorporated as a city in 1903. An Act of 1887 gave representation to the Territories at Ottawa and an Act of 1888 set up an electoral territorial legislature at Regina, the new capital of the Northwest Territories. In 1905 the Districts of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan were united to form the Province of Saskatchewan. Hon. Walter Scott, first Provincial Premier (1905-1916).

REGINA:
The capital and governmental centre of the Province of Saskatchewan was so named in commemoration of Queen Victoria by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyle, wife of the then Governor General of Canada. The legislative building, overlooking Lake Wascana, is indeed worthy of its name. Built of beautiful white Manitoba tyndal stone and approximately 600 feet in length, it is an architectural achievement of which Regina and Saskatchewan are justly proud.

SASKATCHEWAN:
Is a corruption of an Indian expression signifying "Rapid River" or "Swift Current". Originally it was applied to any river having such peculiarities until it finally became restricted to the Great River "Saskatchewan" of the western prairie fertile belt. The province derived its name from this river.

The Last of the Buffalo

The buffalo herds began to diminish in the 1870's and a decade later in the early 1880's they had disappeared from the plains. Tales of the mighty buffalo stampedes, their thundering hooves biting the prairie dust, would be told around the camp fires for many years to come, but the buffalo had simply vanished like a puff of smoke in the wind.
The last organized hunt was conducted in the foothills of the Moose Mountains in the Arcola and Kisbey area. Historians generally agree that the spring of 1882 witnessed the last of these drives and they advise us that 700 Red River carts arrived from Manitoba, which returned loaded with hides and pemmican. The buffalo were rounded up in the ravines and coulees, then slaughtered unmercifully by the hunters. Man's insatiable greed to kill more than he could carry left the hunting grounds a field of carnage and desolation.
The buffalo grounds were the bone of contention among the different Indian tribes. Setting a bounty for the killing of the buffalo created an industry in procuring robes which quickly settled the destiny of this mighty monarch of the plains. After the Custer massacre, following the gold rush in the Black Hills region in 1876, Sitting Bull and 4,000 of his warriors, came into Canada, spending some time in the vicinity of Maple Creek and the Cypress Hills, where they engaged in buffalo hunting. Later in the fall they returned to the American reservation, but not before they had taken their toll of the buffalo.
In 1882 the Crees burned the prairie all along the international boundary at Wood Mountain in a vain endeavour to prevent the buffalo from moving south. Favourite feeding grounds of the buffalo were the Moose Mountains in southeastern Saskatchewan and the coulees and ravines south of Mortlach to Lake Johnston and Old Wives Lake. When Laird's Council took over in 1877 an ordiance was passed in an attempt to save the buffalo, but it was of little avail. By the fall of 1882 the last of the great buffalo herds had disappeared or were wiped out. Stray bands were to be found as late as 1888, but their numbers were few.
The Staples of Oxbow settled in that district in 1884. William Staples having arrived in 1882, had made his choice of the land avaiable and the family followed two years later. In a recent converstation with W.A. Staples, who recalls making the long trip from Moosomin to their homestead by oxen in 1884. We broached the subject of the orgainzed buffalo hunts that were staged in the Moose Mountains to the north of their homestead. His recollections were of buffalo trails overgrown with grass when they arrived. To his knowledge they never saw a buffalo, nor had they heard of any one who had encountered the old monarch of the plains. He describes the prairies in those days as being white with bleached buffalo bones which were gathered by bone pickers wandering over the prairies. $5.00 a ton was paid for the bones, which were shipped out by rail to the wholesale markets farther south, where they were manufactured into fertilizer and used for the refining of sugar. T. A. Perry of Estevan recalls huge piles of buffalo bones piled along the railroad tracks at Estevan in 1895. The great historic role of the Indian tribes ended with the disappearance of the buffalo. For centuries the buffalo hides had supplied them with moccasins, clothing, tents and food. Pemmican, an essential part of their diet, was made from the meat.
Too late the Indians realized the folly of their ways. Bewildered and lost they wandered the prairies picking up the bleached and whitened bones of the buffalo, trying to make enough money to eke out an existence. They resented the Paleface who tried to make them cultivate the land. They clung to the old ways. Hunting, fishing and trapping were occupations they could handle with skill and dexterity. Plowing the ground and planting wheat could be done by the squaws: this was not work for the valiant warrior and the mighty hunter. Thus they became dependent upon the white man's bounty. They looked to the government and the missions to supply their needs. Regular chiefs and tribal councils became institutions of the past. The ancient customs began to disapperar and they aquired the vices as well as the virtues of civilization. The new order meant the complete overthrow of their way of life. The attempts made to transform the Redman into the image and likeness of the Paleface has never met with the success originally expected.
The advent of "The Iron Horse" and "The Knife", drawn by oxen, which stripped the buffalo grass and dug deep furrows into the earth, completely destroyed their hunting grounds. In a vain attempt to curb the invasion of the settlers the Indians and Metis along the norhern branch of the Saskatchewan River staged an uprising led by Louis Riel, an educated Metis, who took this stand, in a futile attempt to help his people. Historians have written detailed accounts of the massacres, bloodshed and burnings of those perilous days. The arrival of General Middleton and his forces turned the tide of events and the rebellion was quelled.
Fear filled the hearts of the settlers in the southern portion of Saskatchewan then known as the District of Assiniboia. The boundaries were vigilantly patrolled in case Sitting Bull and his warriors should take the notion to join forces with the northern tribes. The settlers in the south country would in that case find themselves the first targets. But Sitting Bull and his warriors had evidently had enough of the Paleface bullets in their skirmish with General Miles in the Big Hole Territory of Montana. The fears of the south country subsided when General Middleton's forces arrived.

First Indian Industrial School Built in the Beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley

The history of this mission dates back nearly a century. The exact year was 1865 when Bishop Alexander Tache (O.M.I.) on a return journey from Isle a la Crosse to St. Boniface, passed through the Qu'Appelle Valley on August 25th, and entranced with the beauty of what is now Mission Lake, envisioned this spot as ideal for the location of a mission. In view of this choice he planted a wooden cross pending his return. At that time all that met the eye was an encampment of Metis established on the shore of the lake.
On his return to Manitoba, Father Richot, then parish priest of St. Norbert, was sent out to establish the first mission (1866). In 1868 Father Decorby was appointed as resident missionary,building the first church in the valley which was later destroyed by fire. In 1870, Bishop Tache revisited the spot to dedicate the new church which had been erected to take its place. Seventy years later services were still being held in this little church and to generations of valley people it had become a symbol of their faith. The present church was completed in 1926.
In 1874, Father Joseph Hugonard (O.M.I.) was sent out to assist Father Decorby, taking over complete charge of the Mission in 1878. Father Joseph Hugonard (O.M.I.) was born in France in 1848. At the time of his appointment to the Qu'Appelle Mission in 1874, Qu'Appelle (which takes its name from a beautiful Indian legend) was then but a fur trading post. The name Qu'Appelle is taken from the Cree language meaning "WHO CALLS". Many of Pauline Johnson's poems are centred around this chain of lakes, especially Echo Lake. The name Qu'Appelle was changed in 1884 to Lebret, Father P. Lebret being in charge of the mission at that time. This was deemed advisable to avoid confusion in mail between Fort Qu'Appelle and Qu'Appelle.
The first mission was established on the shores of this beautiful lake at the site chosed by Bishop Tache (O.M.I.). The lake became known as Mission Lake. Since that time Qu'Appelle (now Lebret) has been a mission centre for the Crees, Salteaux and Assiniboines who live in southern Saskatchewan.
In 1919 a sanctuary was completed by Father J.B. Boyer (O.M.I.) dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on the spot where Bishop Tache first erected the wooden cross in 1865. Since that time an annual pilgrimage has been held which draws pilgrims from all parishes in the vicinity. In earlier days special trains carried the throngs to this point. Today the tradition is still carried on by an annual procession to the shrine on the feast day of Corpus Christi. Lebret is some fifty-five miles northeast of Regina and four miles east of Fort Qu'Appelle, which was one of the main trading centres for the Hudson's Bay Company. The old Hudson's Bay trail follows the Qu'Appelle valley and was the scene of much activity during the early fur trading days, when the overland trains travelled via Fort Pelly to Fort Qu'Appelle and on to Fort Garry.
Archbishop Alexander Tache, O.M.I., was the founder of the first Indian Industrial School and Father Joseph Hugonard, O.M.I., became the first principal of that school. The Qu'Appelle Indian Industrial School was erected in 1884 by the government of Canada for the education of the Indians of southern Saskatchewan (then the District of Assiniboia). Under the competent leadership of Father Hugonard the school developed from 15 pupils in 1885 to 228 in 1894. Boys are taught all manner of trades and the girls are trained in domestic arts. The school attained a great reputation; it was visited by several governors-general of Canada and by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. The first school was destroyed by fire in 1904. The second one, built in 1905, was again gutted by fire in 1932. It was rebuilt thorugh the efforts of Father G. Leonard, its principal, in 1934, and opened in the spring of 1936. Cardinal Villeneuve visited the school in 1936.
Father Joseph Hugonard died in 1917, having spent 43 years in furthering this great work.
Following closely in the wake of the fur traders came the missionaries establishing missions along the fur routes. Under the direction of the Oblate Fathers of The Pas, Manitoba, we find missions established at Beauval, Buffalo River, Buffalo Narrows, Chagona, Cumberland House, Isle a la Crosse, Island Falls, La Loche, Whitefish Lake (Post), Swan Lake, Birch Strait, Lac des Oeufs, Pelican Narrows, Sturgeon Landing, Cross Lake, God's Lake, Island Lake, Lac du Brochet, Nelson House, Norway House, Patitawagan and many other points, some dating back to the early days, others of more recent years. As early as 1844, Ile a la Crosse was visited by the Oblate missionary, Rev. Jean Baptiste Thibault. It was established as a mission post July 8th, 1846, by Father L.F. Richer-Lafleche who associated the newly ordained Father Alexander Antonin Tache in the work.
The history of St. Paul's Anglican Mission, Churchill is linked closely in date, as are many missions of the North, to the movements of the Hudson's Bay Company. On their establishement at Churchill, visits of itinerant missionaries were made, mainly from men in charge of the missionary work at York Factory. It was not until 1860 at the request of the Chipewyan Indians, that a permanent mission was established, with J.P. Gardiner in charge. The names of some of the early Anglican missionaries to Churchill, include Gardiner, Kirkby, Lofthouse, Fairies and Sevier, all well known in the annals of the Church of England in Canada.
Henry Budd was the first of the early missionaries at The Pas. Being a native Cree, he came to The Pas in June of 1840 to teach the Indians of this area. To him belongs the honour of founding the work which was afterwards to be known as Devon Mission and Christ Church Parish. He was not in orders at the time but was later ordained and returned to labour for second and third terms in his old field. One of the old established missions conducted by the Anglican Church is located at Fort a la Corne near the James Smith Indian Reserve No. 100, which is under the jurisdiction of the Duck Lake Indian Agency.
A Presbyterian Mission was founded at Prince Albert in 1866 by Rev. James Nisbet near a settlement of English-speaking Metis. The name Prince Albert was chosen in honour of the Prince Consort.
At Duck lake we find St. Michael's Residential School for Girls and Boys, conducted by the Oblate Fathers with the aid of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, for the Indian children of Beardy Reserve, One Arrow, Maskeg, Mistawasis, Sturgeon Lake and Fort a la Corne. This school was founded in 1894 and rebuilt in 1924. Duck Lake Indian Agency is approximately three miles west of town.
In 1870 an influx of white settlers arrived in Manitoba and began to settle the territory surveyed by the government. The Metis arose against the invasion of the country. Historians have written detailed accounts of this rebellion on the Red River and came to settle around Duck Lake, Batoche and Carlton, between the two branches of the mighty Saskatchewan river. On account of their increasing numbers these new settlers begged for missionaries who would live among them. They trusted "The Black Robes" and this is how in 1870, a delegation from the surrounding tribes brought Father Moulin from Isle a la Crosse. In 1871, Bishop Grandin recalled Father Moulin and named Father Andre as his successor. Father Andre came from St. Albert and some months later he was joined by Father Bourgine. On October 8th of the same year the mission of St. Laurnet was founded. It counted fifty families, served by the two zealous missionaries. The site of the mission was destined to become known throughout the land, as many thousand pilgrims annually made the pilgrimage to the St. Laurent Shrine, which is eight miles north of Duck Lake. St. Laurent exists no longer as a mission but has become the St. Laurent Shrine.

The Arrival of the First Train - August 23, 1882

The main event of the year 1882, as far as the settlers were concerned, was the completion of the C.P.R. main line across this virgin wilderness.
W.C. Van Horn took over as General Manager of the C.P.R. construction on New Year's Day, 1882. Previous to this time he had been associated with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railways.
At this time there was nothing in the prairie country for the coming season's construction. He had promised his directors he would lay 500 miles of track on the prairie section during his first year. He is recorded as being a man of great courage and dynamic force. Obstacles in his path were hurled aside. As the gleaming rails wove their ribboned trail across the prairie the gigantic undertaking became an established fact and by October the wire stringers had reached Gull Lake, a distance of 279 miles from Oak Lake, Manitoba, their starting point. Train loads of material were routed up the Mississippi Valley and through to St. Paul, Minnesota, then over the track that was laid the preceding summer across the Assiniboine.
Battleford, located at the junction of the Upper Saskatchewan and Battle Rivers,was the territorial seat of government in the spring of 1882. Supplies were freighted in over the old fur trader's trails or brought in by river boat from Winnipeg, 600 miles to the southeast. Lieutenant Governor David Laird left Battleford at the close of 1881 and the Honourable Edgar Dewdney succeeded him as Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories. Deeming it advisable to have the capital located on the main line of The Canadian Pacific Railway, then under construction. Governor Dewdney selected a new capital site on the prairies June 30th, 1882.
Under the capable supervision of W.C. Van Horn, work advanced rapidly on the C.P.R. and by August the track was completed to the crossing of the creek near the present RCMP barracks. The capital was moved from Battleford to Regina, March 27th, 1883.
Rumours circulated freely in Winnipeg and other cities, apropos the proposed new capital site. There were those who favoured Fort Qu'Appelle, which at that time had a Hudson's Bay Company Post and store, a detachment of Mounted Police, four general stores and a dozen huts or dwellings. Supplies and mail for Fort Qu'Appelle were freighted in from Fort Ellice, 135 miles to the east, at the junction of The Qu'Appelle and Assiniboine rivers. Fort Ellice in turn was supplied from Brandon by boats on the Assiniboine river. Fort Ellice in turn was supplied from Brandon by boats on the Assiniboine river.
A few days previous to July 1st, the Honourable Edgar Dewdney, termed "the most elusive man in the territories" had left Fort Qu'Appelle, keeping his whereabouts secret. After consulting with T.S. Gore, Dominion Government land surveyor stationed at Pile O'Bones Creek, he nailed this notice to a post near the creek.
NOTICE: I hereby give notice that all government land in Township 17, Range 20, west of the second meridian is reserved and will continue to be so until otherwise ordered.
- By Order, E. Dewdney, Lieut. Gov.
Landseekers who blazed the trail to the Northwest Territories in the spring and early summer of 1882, usually shipped their supplies to Oak Lake, Manitoba, at that time the end of the steel and the starting point for the CPR construction work west. Then in carts, wagons, buckboards or democrats they travelled to Fort Ellice, from this point they followed the trail of the fur traders west, which branched off to Fort Qu'Appelle. This was a nine day trip and on reaching the fort, those bound for the rumoured site of the new territorial capital were directed to follow the fur trader's trail southwest to a favourite camping site of the buffalo hunters, at the old crossing of The Pile O'Bones Creek, twelve miles north and somewhat west of the present city of Regina.
Wascana is a corruption of the Cree word for bones. A great pyramid of buffalo bones capped a low hill close to the Old Crossing. This huge pile of bones gained the district its name.
According to the legend of the Crees, this unique shrine represented an offering of thanks to The Great Manitouwho had provided their sustenance throughout the ages. The Hudson's Bay fur traders referred to this district as The Pile O'Bones Valley.
Buffalo pounds built by the Indians to trap the mighty Monarch of the Plains, left the hunting grounds a field of carnage and desolation. Cautious and ever wary of danger, the buffalo would change his course rather than follow the old trail where they had once been trapped. Consequently every trace of a former hunting ground must be wiped out, if they were to lure the animals back to their old feeding grounds. Quite understandably then, the removal of the bones became a religious rite.
Phoebe Weaver an aunt of L.E. Weaver, represented the GNW Telegraph Company in 1882, making the first trip west on the special train out of Montreal, which carried the official party over the track of the CPR which had been completed as far west as the crossing of the Pile O'Bones creek near the RCMP barracks. W.C. Van Horn provided the champagne from his private stock and Princess Louise, wife of the Governor General of Canada christened the new Territorial Capital "Regina" August 23rd, 1882.
After the christening ceremony the ladies were taken to view the buffalo mounds at the old crossing, making the trip in work wagons used by the construction crew. One of the highlights of the day was barbecued buffalo meat and venison served in the horse tent which had been cleared for the occasion.
A party of six formed the first trail blazers, Frank and William Callender, Neil Martin, Fred Tate, Fred Cochrane and Matthew Henderson, arriving with wagons and teams from Cobourg, Ontario.
They reached the old crossing May 23rd, 1882, as no decision had been reached regarding the proposed site of the new capital, they pitched their tents and waited for news, when word of the proclamation reached them they changed their location to the crossing of the creek, near the present RCMP barracks.
The spot eventually selected for the townsite was some two miles east, an old buffalo wallow which cost in the neighbourhood of $27,000 to drain and is now Regina's business centre.
The McCannell party arrived June 10th, 1882 and following the advice of T.S.Gore, the Dominion Government Land Surveyor, they located good land.
W.H. Duncan, R.G. Hamilton and The Honourable H.C. Cameron, reached Regina in July via Moose Jaw Creek. Having failed to locate Governor Dewdney at Fort Qu'Appelle, they attended the first of July celebration, where they met R.H. Williams, who had just arrived with a party of nine. On leaving Fort Qu'Appelle they travelled to the west side of Last Mountain Lake, this circuitous route brought them into Regina from the west.
Before the establishment of train service, landseekers continued to arrive over the old trail. Many were young men for this was a young man's country and only those with rugged constitutions could hope to tame this vast wilderness. Listed among the first arrivals were George Grassick and James Bole, names long familiar in the City of Regina. James Grassick travelled with his parents, making the long trip from Rapid City, Manitoba in an ox drawn cart.
A new system of transportation was introduced shortly after the establishment of train service. Jim McLean was awarded a mail contract in 1883, which he transferredto Leeson & Scott, who organized the first stage coach line from Troy to Prince Albert, then on to Edmonton. Half-way houses were opened every forty miles, with a man in charge during the winter months. Food and lodgings were available for the passengers at a reasonable cost and relays of horses were kept in readiness to make a quick change on arrival of the coach. Four horses were necessary to carry the heavy loads.
This was to make Troy one of the busiest spots on the main line of the CPR. The stage-coach line was kept in operation until 1890, when the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan railway was completed from Regina to Prince Albert. During the Riel Rebellion, General Middleton and his army of eight hundred men detrained at Troy, which became the supply base for all army shipments. Shortly after 1885 the name was changed and today is known as Qu'Appelle.

The Man with the Walking Plow

John Deere was the pioneer originator of the first steel plow in 1837. This was used until 1903 when the new Deere Sulky Plow with a foot lift was introduced. In 1911 and 1912 the John Deere people brought in their first binders. The McCormick Reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831. This was a crude version of the modern grain binder, with gradual improvements being made between 1860 and 1880, when the modern style horse binder was put on the market. The Hay Mower was pioneered by Donald Massey in 1846.

These were the forerunners of the farm implement industry which was to take over when the fur trade ended, rapidly developing into one of the largest industries on the western prairies.

The year 1882 brought in many new settlers from Ontario. This vast wilderness was not easily tamed. The pioneer settlers won the battle of the sod by the sweat of their brow and their unremitting toil from dawn till dark.

Across the border in Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota, the same titanic struggle to break the sod was being carried on by the Man with his Walking Plow. Frost, mud and rocks retarded his progress, but with dogged determination he forged ahead.

Before the turn of the century, the sodbuster with his walking plow had turned thousands of acres of virgin prairie land, often times sowing the seed by hand and garnering his harvest with the crudest of implements. As the seasons passed nature rewarded his effots with bumper crops, which brought in an unprecedented era of prosperity.

With hoppers of golden grain filling the elevators and modern methods of farming being introduced "the Man with the Walking Plow" having turned the first farrows relinquished his role. Nevertheless his memory will long remain as a lasting symbol of the first steps in agricultural development on the western prairies.

Diary of Gavin Middleton, 1882-1883, Location of Homestead, Section 18, Twp.2, Rge. 33, W 1st.

These excerpts from an original diary kept by Gavin Middleton typify the daily life of "The Man with the Walking Plow" as lived on the prairies, District of Assiniboia, N.W.T., in 1882-1883.
Sunday, Sabbath, April 9th, 1882
Arrived in Winnipeg about 5p.m. A great number of people at the station to see us come in. Got lodging in the immigration shed at 25 cents per day. Went out to see the town. It was very frosty. Went up to the freight station. The snow was piled 10 feet high. Looking for my trunks but could not find them. The sheds were packed full. A great deal of work going on in Winnipeg. The road is blocked to Brandon with snow. Train loads of cattle have been here since Saturday going to Brandon.
He spent some time at Brandon, building a shanty and working for various people. Left for Winnipeg on June 2nd. The following entries tell the story of his trip west.
Thursday, June 1st, 1882, Brandon
At home today. Mr. Rennie from Elora, Ontario, came to visit me and we went out to see the country. Saw six yoke of oxen ploughing on one farm. One ox jumped into the well. They pulled him out with another yoke, put a chain around his neck and pulled him out.
Friday, June 2nd, 1882
Started for Winnipeg to look for my goods. Stopped at Poplar Heights. Got in about 11 p.m. The road was awful wet and had wet feet.
Saturday, June 3rd, 1882
Started for Winnipeg. Met two Indians, one of them offered me a little whiskey. Met Charles and Walter half way to the station. Got dinner at Poplar Heights station and got to Winnipeg about dark.
Monday, June 5th, 1882
At Winnipeg looking for my household goods, but could not get any trace of them.
Tuesday, June 6th, 1882
Went back to Brandon. Found Parsons wating for me. He had bought a yoke of oxen. Paid $230.00 for them. He got an old Ontario wagon for $11.50 and ox harness for $15.00 and a lot of provisions.
Wednesday, June 7th, 1882
Parsons and I started at 3 p.m. to look for land. This morning I bought a plow for $23.00 and about $15.00 worth of provisions. I also bought out Rennie's outfit. He went back and we went forward. Got to Poplar Bluff.
Thursday, June 8th, 1882
Left the Bluff about 5 a.m. and travelled until 7 a.m. Camped for breakfast. It came on a shower of rain but soon cleared off. Got to Plum Creek (now Souris) about 4 and had to get our things taken over Plum Creek in a small boat. We had to take the wagon to pieces, and the oxen had to swim, cost us $1.50. Got about four miles past Plum Creek that night.
Friday, June 9th, 1882
Got to Malta about 11 a.m. It was about 1/4 mile wide and about three feet deep. Parsons had to take off his pants and drive the oxen through. Reached Morrisons about sundown.
Tuesday, June 13th, 1882
Arrived at Dans about 8 a.m. Stopped for breakfast. Went and had a talk with them. They seemed well pleased with the country. Went up the south side of the North Antler instead of the north side. Camped about 15 miles west of Dans. The mosquitoes were awful here. Had to smudge them.
Wednesday, June 14th, 1882
Got to within 10 miles of Carnduffs.
Thursday, June 15th, 1882
Arrived at Sec.33, Twp. 2, Range 3 W about 12 p.m. Met a Mr. Preston, Mr. Barker and four other men who had squatted there. They told us to leave our oxen with them and look around at the land. We left our oxen with them and went as far as Sec. 18. We thought it very good so we went back and stayed all night with the men.
Friday, June 16th, 1882
Arrived at Sec.18, Twp. 2, R.33 about 10 a.m. Pitched our tents, unloaded our goods and went to look for the river to get some wood. We found that we were about four miles from the river and lots of wood. Carried home all we could and it lasted till Monday.
Saturday, June 17th, 1882
Ploughed a little piece for potatoes.
Monday, June 19th, 1882
Went with the oxen to the river for a load of wood. Mr. Parsons and I met Mr. McGregor Rapelge plowing on Sec.14, 2, 33.
Tuesday, June 20th, 1882
Ran a furrow with the plow along the north and south side of Sec. 18 and half of the south side.
Wednesday, June 21st, 1882
Ran a furrow right through the centre of Sec. 18 from north to south. Preston takes the east side and I the west. Came on rain at noon and rained all afternoon.
Friday, June 23rd, 1882
Parsons went to McArthurs and Welsteads to get a clevis.
Saturday, June 24th, 1882
Still ploughing. Parsons came home without a clevis. I said someone will have to go to Brandon and get a clevis and some other things. We must keep the plough going. Parsons said he would rather plough than go to Brandon on foot. So I said that I would go.
Monday, June 26th, 1882
Ploughed till noon and then started to walk to Brandon. Left Sec.18 about half past two and arrived at the South Antler about 6 p.m. Water very high--had to strip off, make my clothes and provisions into three bundles and fasten one at a time on the top of my head and by paddling with all my might I got them over. The water was about four feet deep. Got to Mrs. Welsteads about dark, nearly eaten with mosquitoes. Put in an awful night in their tent, nearly eaten alive. Got two hours sleep. Had wet feet and socks from the South Antler and got dry socks from the boys.
Tuesday, June 27th, 1882
Started from McArthurs and Welsteads about 8 a.m. Went a half mile and came to water two feet deep and had to take them off again. Went another 1/2 mile and came to water again so I walked through everything I came to after that. Had to take off my pants at Hostsetters and Dans, to get across the North Antler. Got to Gould and Elliots about sundown. Stayed with them all night. Walked about 30 miles today.
Wednesday, June 28th, 1882
Started from Gould and Elliotts about 7 a.m. paid 95 cents to cross the river. Not a house for the first 10 miles. Came to the Dead River and a great job to get over. Pants had to come off again, came to a large slough and thought that it was not deep, rolled pants to my knees and when about the middle I went into a hole, wet my pants, went right through with pants on, water up to my middle. Got to Higgins at dark.
Thursday, June 29th, 1882
Started from Higgins about 6:30 a.m. Feet getting sore and legs very sore, had to stand in a great thunder storm--thunder and lightning very heavy. Arrived at Plum Creek about 5 p.m. Paid 10 cents to cross the Souris and stayed at Plum Creek all night.
Friday, June 30th, 1882
Left Plum Creek about 7 a.m. Legs and feet very sore, had walked about 15 miles when a team came up and took me to Brandon. Arrived in Brandon at 7 p.m. His tribulations on the way back were not quite as bad but the last two nights he became lost on the prairies.
Saturday, July 15th, 1882
Lost on the prairies all night.
Sunday, Sabbath, July 16th, 1882
Got lost on the prairies and had to stay out all night. Made a fire of grass to keep off the mosquitoes. At 3 a.m. daylight came on and I found a post and found where I was and got to Sec.18 about 4 a.m. Found Parsons in bed, got breakfast and went to bed.
Monday, July 17th, 1882
Found that Parsons had done very little ploughing. The oxen had bossed him. I then started to plow. The oxen went awful for a day and a half.
Tuesday, July 18th, 1882
Ploughing, Parsons digging the well.
Wednesday, July 19th, 1882
Ploughing
Thursday, July 20th, 1882
Finished breaking, the land was now getting too dry, 10 acres broken up. Parsons building my sod shack. During the late summer and early fall he made several trips to Brandon, but none with the disastrous results of his first trip. On one trip he located his household goods and brought his family back.
Wednesday, Nov. 8th, 1882
Started from McArthurs and Welsteads for Sec.18 with two yoke of oxen in the afternoon and one mile from Carnduffs met McArthur. A fine day. Carnduff brothers stable was on fire. Left a ticket on the door to let him know as he was not at home.
In December he writes--
Wednesday, Dec.6th, 1882
Very cold in the house. One pot setting on the back part of the top of the stove froze, while the one on the fire was boiling.
Thursday, Dec.28, 1882
Went for a load of wood for Parsons, had a visit with two sons of Mr. Jones. They told me that Buck (one of the oxen) had the Hollow Horn. They told me to split his tail about 1 1/2 inches and put in a tablespoonful of salt and pepper, then bandage up and put a teaspoonful of turpentine in the top of his head. I came home and split Buck's tail, put on the pepper and salt and had no turpentine. Will try and get some. On Sunday, Jan. 21st, 1883, he writes: A fearful blizzard--dreadfully cold.
Monday, Jan.22nd,1883
In the forenoon shovelling snow out of the porch and in front of the porch. Last night was fearful cold. The bread had been frozen in the bread box for two nights, as hard as a stone. Mrs. M. thinks that she must have got her nose froze a little in bed.
This diary depicts the life of the homesteader in the early 1880's. Cutting wood, breaking the sod and planting the seeds for their meagre harvests which tided them over the following winter. Blizzards, floods and prairie fires were taken in their stride. Supplies were either freighted or carried in through mud and over frozen roads. Their sod houses were furnished with the barest necessities, but they survived and what is more they stayed to play a vital part in the building of a great province.
The first post office in the south country, as shown by an early C.P.R. map, was listed as Carnduff and was located on Carnduff's homestead. John Carnduff was the first postmaster. Postmasters at that time were paid $2.00 per annum, but the prestige accorded the postmaster made up for the small stipend allowed. The C.P.R. steel was completed to Oxbow in 1891. At this time John and Richard Carnduff moved to the new townsite as surveyed by the C.P.R. two miles east of the previous post office location. The name Carnduff was retained for the new settlement.

J.J. Sadler

Sixteen miles east of Carnduff on the C.P.R. is the village of Gainsborough named by J.J. Sadler, a pioneer settler of the district (1889). He chose the name Gainsborough as a tribute to the great English painter whose masterpieces he greatly admired.
Prior to moving to Canada J.J. Sadler had been established in the mercantile trade, manufacturing various chemical products in Lancashire, England. At the age of 40 he decided to move his family to the District of Assiniboia where he intended to start farming on homestead land. With his wife and eight children he left Ulverston, England, in 1889, making the long trip to Deloraine, Manitoba, which was 50 miles from their homestead, located near the present site of Gainsborough. The balance of the journey was completed in an ox-drawn wagon. With their household effects they brought the first piano to what is now southeastern Saskatchewan. Lumber had to be hauled by oxen from Deloraine to build their new frame home, which took some time to complete. In the meantime they made do with a makeshift dwelling made of poplar poles.
J.J. Sadler was inclined to a somewhat braoder view of life than his prairie acres allowed him. Interested in politics he enjoyed meeting men who were promoting the welfare of the country and in this manner met and became a staunch supporter of Nicholas Flood Davin. Irene Sadler, who recently celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary as Mrs. A.B. Stuart, of Estevan, prizes an autographed copy of EOS "An Epic of the Dawn" written by Nicholas Flood Davin and presented to her father in recognition of their friendship.
The year 1904 brought a new station agent to Gainsborough his name was A.B. Stuart and in 1905 he married Irene Sadler.
The Stuarts were pioneer settlers of 1886. A.B. Stuart still remembers his first sight of Winnipeg, arriving with his father, the late James L. Stuart, his mother and eight brothers and sisters. The little family found their way to the Colonist train which was to take them to Killarney, where his father had located land for homesteading.
The years 1915, 1916, and 1917, A.B. Stuart spent as Secretary-Treasurer of the R.M. of Coalfields No. 4, with offices at Bienfait. In 1918 he took the position of town clerk and treasurer for the town of Estevan and held that post until his retirement in 1945. For more than 50 years A.B. Stuart has taken an active part in community affairs. The Stuarts continue to make their home in Estevan.
"Jake" C. Burke, another pioneer settler who arrived about the same time as the Carnduffs, the Middletons and the Prestons, settled on a quarter section in the Elmore district, south of Gainsborough. Florence Burke was the first baby born in that district.

The Land Barons of the 1880's

The contrast between the average pioneer settler's experiences in the 1880's breaking the sod with his walking plow and the historical records left of Major W.C. Bell's colossal organization at Indian Head totalling 60,000 acres, and Lord Brassey's farming ventures, which were given so much attention by the Press that Indian Head became the Mecca for travellers from near and far. These, combined with the equally fabulous descriptions of "Didsbury" the stone mansion built by the Beckton Brothers at Cannington Manor, wove a pattern of opulence that is almost unbelievable, but they flourished as the leaves on the green bay tree for several years, before the capricious moods of the weather broke them financially and dampened their ardour for the prairies.
There were many other colourful colonization schemes which eventually came to naught. The French Counts of St. Hubert took the front page on their arrival in the middle eighties, they settled with the idea of living their life on the prairies in the aristocratic manner. The last of the French Counts departed just before the First World War.
The first organized settlement in Esterhazy was known as "Kapsovar" and was established by Count Paul Esterhazy of Hungary, after whom the village was named in 1905. He brought the first settlers with him.
Lady Gordon Cathcart colonized the district eight miles south of Wapella, Saskatchewan, sending out Donald McDiarmid to look over the land in the Pipestone Valley. The work of locating these Scottish crofters was handled by S.F. Bedford, Inspector for The Northwest Land Company. A quarter section was allotted to each family. These new colonists were Islanders from the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland, arriving in 1883-1884 from the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Benbecula.
S.F. Bedford also located land south of Moosomin for the 18 families sent out by Baroness Burdett Coutts. These colonists were mostly mechanics and their families from the east end of London.
The Hirsch settlement just east of Bienfait derives its name from Baron Hirsch who formed this Jewish Colony. They arrived shortly after the railway was completed, built sod houses and stables and were supplied with a yoke of oxen, a plough, a set of harness and a wagon to start farming. This colonization scheme was not too successful as many of them moved out, but there are still some of the old families left in the district.
M le Comte de Messonnier who settled in Weyburn in the early 1900's is still remembered by many of the old-time residents. The beautiful home he built still stands, one of the few places left to remind us of the short sojourn of our titled settlers of an earlier day.
Years before even a train whistle was heard or the rails laid in the south country, Sir John Lister Kaye and associates became headlines in the news with their 7,000 acre farm investment at Balgonie, which brought that little town into a boom period. That same year, 1885, Sir John Lister Kaye formed the Canadian Colonization Company securing 100,000 acres of land from the government and the C.P.R., as far west as Swift Current and Maple Creek.

Cannington Manor

Dear to the hearts of Saskatchewan people, both old and young, are the twice told tales of Cannington Manor. Their gracious manner of living and the gaiety of their days surrounds them with an aura of high adventure, oddly at variance with the times in which they lived.
This is the story of some 100 families, gentlemen's sons from England who ventured forth with their families to cultivate the sod on the western prairies of the Northwest Territories in the year 1882.
This colonization scheme was promoted by Captain Edward Mitchell Pierce, who arrived in Canada from England in the early 1880's. His son, Duncan, travelling farther west on a tour of inspection, enthusiastically wrote his father glowing accounts of the country, persuading him to join him and see for himself the perfect spot he had located in the District of Assiniboia. His father duly arrived and agreed with his son's choice, which was 40 miles southwest of the present town of Moosomin. Letters to England soon paved the way for the arrival of some 100 families, all carefully chosen from the better class families of England, many with considerable wealth who had decided it could do their sons no harm to learn farming and become gentlemen tillers of the soil.
Lavish expenditures were made in their endeavour to recreate on the western prairies the cultural environment of their homeland.
The Beckton brothers bought 1,280 acres of land which they decided to convert into a pedigreed stock ranch. They purchased purebred cattle, and a stud of 50 thoroughbred horses, which they entered in the racing meets held periodically at "Didsbury". For their home the Beckton brothers created a replica of the old English manor house, built of fieldstone. This architectural masterpiece was ready for occupancy by 1889, complete with stables and foreman's quarters. Importations from England in the way of furniture, costly rugs and draperies added graciousness and charm to the lofty rooms with their carved woodwork. The Cannington Manor Turf Club was formed that same year. Two jockeys were brought over from England and the famous stallion, Jase Phillips, was brought in from Kentucky. Didsbury had kennels for fox hounds, and visitors were royally entertained.
M. le Comte de Roffignac, M. le Comte de Joumillhac and M. Le Comte de Soras and their families from St. Hubert attended the race meets at Cannington Manor, arriving in coach and four, with a coachman and footman in livery.
Captain Pierce named the settlement Cannington Manor, while few of the homes were built in the pretentious style of "Didsbury", nevertheless the same scale of gracious living was portrayed throughout the settlement.
With other members of the colony Captain Pierce formed the Moose Mountain Trading Company, they built the flour mill, the general store, post office and the Mitre Arms Hotel. The school has long since vanished but the church still remains as a reminder of the past. Interest in the colony lagged when the railroad passed them by. Some of the families returned to England and others left for the Coast.
Captain Edward Mitchell Pierce died in June of 1888. The Becktons left some years later.
Dim and shadowy memories are all that remain of Didsbury, Cannington Manor, and the gentle people who dwelt there, but they always remain a treasured legend in the hearts of the Saskatchewan people, portraying a dramatic and romantic era that has long since passed away.

Pioneer Days in Southeastern Saskatchewan

The first railroad south of the main line of the C.P.R. was not completed to Estevan until 1892. Consequently the new settlers found themselves isolated a hundred miles from a railhead. The mail was brought in by stage from Moosomin via Cannington Manor, Dalesbora and Alameda (once a week). Charles and Walter Walsh opened the first post office and general store in Alameda in 1883, naming it after Charles Walsh's former home in Alameda, California. The Walsh brothers ran the stage coach, a two-seated democrat which also carried passengers, the mail and all manner of supplies for the intervening points. At times when the loads or the roads were heavy four horses were used. The roads were prairie trails leading off in every direction. Trails of the south country, whose fame has rung down through the corridors of time, are the old Moose Mountain Trail, now a part of highway 47, the French Trail, named after Lieut. Colonel G.A. French, first commissioner of the North West Mounted Police, and the old Boundary Commission Trail which the N.W.M.P. followed in 1874 on their march from Dufferin, Manitoba, across what is now Saskatchewan and on into Alberta.
The first threshing machine was brought into the south country in 1883 and that fall the first load of wheat was hauled, by oxen, to Moosomin for shipment. Prices were so low that after expenses were paid and a few necessary supplies purchased, the farmer had little or nothing left from a load of wheat. As late as June 1896, wheat sold for 28 cents a bushel.
The hospitality of the open road was a by-word in those days, with food and lodging freely given by the homesteaders to the people passing through.
The years 1885-1895 for the most part were years of famine. There were only two seasons during this time when the harvests were normal. 1891 was a banner year, although there was not much land under cultivation. Wheat yielded 45 bushels to the acre, optimism soared, railroads were being built and this brought in an influx of new arrivals.
Pioneers recall the winters of 1897 and 1898 as the worst they ever experienced. Blizzards raged over the prairies, drifts of snow, higher than the stables, had to be shovelled out before they could feed the livestock. Roads were impassable and had to be tunneled through in spots in order to bring in supplies. The summers brought mosquitoes, grasshoppers,dry hot winds, little rain and no crops.
Completion of the railroad as far as Oxbow brought on a flurry of activity in this community, a flour mill and elevators were soon built and the farmers were saved many miles by bringing their grain to this point for shipment. The following year the Souris branch of the railroad was extended to Estevan, its present terminus, and the year 1893 saw the Soo Line completed.
In 1905 the province of Saskatchewan was formed and the following ten years brought in thousands of new settlers and prosperity to the districts.
Inventions and discoveries were being made at this time which were to completely change the prairie farmers mode of life. Henry Ford introduced his Model "T" Ford in 1909, electricity took the place of the coal oil lamps, and telephones were installed.
The old style Sulky Plow was superseded by John Deere's No.1 Gang Plow which was introduced in 1907. This was considered a great improvement over the old style as it turned three 12-inch furrows at one time and provided a comfortable seat for the farmer.
Wireless telegraphy established communications across the continent. By 1901 Marconi had bridged the Atlantic and Trans-Atlantic communication by wireless was established.
In Yukon Territory rich gravel was discovered on Bonanza Creek in 1895, which led to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1900.
Thomas A. Edison demonstrated his first picture machine in October of 1889. This was a peep show mechanism into which one spectator at a time might look. Thus the motion picture was born.
1900-1902 Wilbur and Orville Wright, bicycle manufacturers of Dayton Ohio, were astounding people with their glider work, which taught them to fly and prepared them for their first powered flight. May 20th, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh made the first solo non-stop Trans-Atlantic flight in the "Spirit of St. Louis". Today the luxury airliners run on schedule across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in less than 24 hours. Transcontinental flights winging their way high above the prairie lands of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are scarcely noticed by the grandchildren of the pioneers.
The use of electricity was to revolutionize the industrial economy of the world. Rural electrification and power farm machinery have taken the drudgery out of farming and with the opening of the CKCK television station, channel No.2, at Regina in August of 1954, a daily review of Canadian Press news keeps the modern farmer up to date on current events.

Sifton's Men in Sheepskin

In 1903 a fresh influx of newcomers brought the first shot of prosperity to the settlements. These were the advance waves of Clifford Sifton's Colonization Plan. German Russians from Odessa, near the Black Sea, peasants from the Ukraine and Romania, wearing their sheepskin coats, high boots and the women with their shawls or Babushkas, Ruthenians, Polish emigrants, Swedes and Norwegians.
They came on cattle boats or as steerage passengers on the larger boats, landing in New York or Montreal. They were routed west on colonization trains to Winnipeg where they were transferred to trains bound for the Northwest Territories. The immigration sheds at Winnipeg were packed to overflowing, tiers of bunks were placed along the wall. Twenty-five cents was the charge made for one night's lodging, stoves were provided on which they cooked their little parcels of food. Finally after endless hours and endless miles of travelling, these homeless, bewildered landseekers, who came from the Steppes of Russia and the Fjords of Norway, located land on the western prairies. Having complied with the rules and regulations of The Homestead Act, in three years time they were landowners in the Dominion of Canada. In the next few years thousands of their friends and relatives would follow in their wake. The immigration arrivals in western Canada for the month of May 1903, totalled 19,126. The destination of the new arrivals were 615 for Western Ontario, 9,382 for Manitoba, 8,201 for the Northwest Territories and 732 for British Columbia.
The majority of European immigrants brought their families and whatever personal belongings they had, including a few crude agricultural implements used in their native land. Flails and hand machines for the grinding of wheat. The language barrier was undoubtedly their greatest problem. Most of them were willing and anxious to learn the Canadian way of life, others clung to the old ways of their homeland. The process of assimilation was slow and often times humorous. Not until the second and third generations appeared was it possible to break down the invisible walls which arose apropos the transplanting of these people from their native land to Canadian soil. Culturally their ancient beliefs, customs and languages became a drawback in their association with the native born Canadians. Nevertheless as the seasons rolled by these new Canadians began to assume an important role in the economy of the west. They had burned their bridges to the past and were here to stay. Their children attended the village and rural schools, eager to learn. They brought their studies home from school, sharing their new knowledge with their parents, with the result that the shy immigrants of 1903 have now become progressive citizens and prosperous land owners. They will proudly give you the names of some 30 or 40 grandchildren and list their various accomplishments, most of them established on modern farms in the district and it is not unusual to find them holding university degrees. Reliable and industrious, we find the second and third generation are honour students, taking advanced courses to enable them to hold responsible positions in the urban centres. Others have entered the commercial field and have prosperous business places of their own.
The tradition of the west is still in its embryonic stage. Future generations will doubtless blend their role in to a new mosaic of Canadian life, joining the bits and pieces together into a united whole.

The Famous "Soo Line" and its People

The Souris Valley Coalfields

Lignite deposits in the Souris Valley are the second largest coal deposits in the Dominion of Canada. Coal from the valley is reported to have been used by the blacksmiths in their portable forges during the march of the North West Mounted Police in 1874, as they followed the old Boundary Commission Trail and camped at Roche Percee for several days.
The Pocock Brothers, for many years residents of Emerson, Manitoba, discovered out-croppings of coal in the Souris Valley in 1880. Returning to Winnipeg with samples they aroused considerable interest in their exhibits, which resulted in an expedition to Roche Percee, organized by the late Hugh Sutherland of Winnipeg. This expedition mined the first load of coal and placed it on barges, with the intention of floating the coal down the Souris River into the Assiniboine and on to Winnipeg. This plan proved to be unfeasible and costly as the barges became stranded on the shoals. Consequently this method of transportation was abandoned.
The foundation of the present coal industry was due primarily to the efforts of one of the early homesteaders by the name of Hassard. His land was in S. 4, Twp. 2, R. 6, W 2nd. He discovered a large seam of coal in a ravine near his house, which he proceeded to develop. The Hassard mine was undoubtedly the first to be known as such. By 1891 this mine had been developed considerably. The coal seams were approximately eight feet thick. The removal of the coal left a corridor about the size of an ordinary room. The floor was fairly level, the tunnel having been driven straight into the bank which eliminated lifting the coal to the surface as was the usual procedure from the pit mines. With the expanding of the drift the roof was kept from falling in by wooden rafters placed to support the structure.
Settlers came to the Hassard mine from all over the south country to obtain their winter's supply of coal. They were allowed to fill their wagons for one dollar. Old time residents ofthe valley say they have counted as high as 62 ox trains in one caravanon the old Moose Mountain Trail, all headed for the coal fields. One hundred and thirty-five wagons have been counted at the mines in one day. With the nearest railway 100 miles distant it was hopeless to even try to interest outside capital in the project. The settlers who arrived in the early 1880's expected the railway south of the main line within a year, but it was not until 1892 that the steel was finally completed. The first shipment was from Bienfait. All winter the coal had been hauled in from the Hassard mine and shovelled into coal cars on the siding. With the completion of the Soo Line, the coal was hauled to Roche Percee.
In 1895 the first coal company was formed and the name was changed from the Hassard Mine to the Souris Coal Mining Company. Shortly after, the original owner of the Hassard mine sold his interest in the venture and moved to the southern States.
Gow and Russell had developed other mines in the district. The old Gow mine was taken over by a new company and named the Roche Percee Collieries and a branch spur was laid from the spur of the Souris mine into their mines. Other mines were developed and the coal business became and industrial asset to the valley. Closing dwon the old Taylor mine when Tom Taylor became affiliated with the Souris Mining Company, increased their holdings. Other rival companies were bought out and their plants closed. With these increased operations they found it necessary to move their plant up on the prairie. A spur track was laid into the new plant from Bienfait, a distance of five miles. A stone store and warehouse were shortly erected and homes for the miners built. The post office, know as Coalfields, was changed to Taylorton. With the development of the coalfields, strip mining was introduced and modern equipment took the place of the old pick and shovel. Today more than 8,000 tons of lignite coal are shipped out daily form The Western Dominion Coal Mines Limited, of Taylorton, Saskatchewan, who have been a contributing factor in the development of southeastern Saskatchewan.
Several other large mines were developed in the district. The Manitoba and Saskatchewan (M & S), the Bienfait Mine, the Hawkinson Mine and the Crescent Collieries.
Today only a few of the smaller mines still sell coal to the farmers, but in pioneer days, bunk houses were built where the haulers could sleep at night. Boarding houses supplied meals to the miners and farmers, although many of the farmers packed their grub in with them, while grain and feed was available for their teams.
When the local homesteader needed coal he simply took a wheelbarrow, which, combined with a pick and shovel and the sweat of his brow, provided him with all the coal he could use for the digging. Many of the homesteaders found coal on their own land and coal mines were soon dotted all over the landscape. As the mining field developed hundreds of miners were necessary to carry on the work. In 1908 miners were paid by the hour. They supplied their own picks and shovels, also the carbide lamps and carbide for the cap lamps. The coal miner averaged $1.50 a day. Room and Board came to $4.00 a week, beds were supplied in the bunk houses, but the miners brought their own bedding. Coal sold for $2.00 a ton delivered. Local deliveries have now been discontinued, but at one time coal was delivered 20 miles in the country for $1.20 a ton. Many European emigrants worked in the mines, saving every cent to send back to the old country, that their wives and families might be able to make the long trip west to join them. They were paid much higher wages than the men on the section who averaged 85 cents a day.
The first strip mine began operation in 1928 on the hill above the brickyards a mile east of the town limits of Estevan. Connected with this mine were David Bannatyne, Sr., Dr. James Creighton, William Niblett and John Gallaway a mine manager. This mine was operated for a period of two years. In 1930 the Truax-Traer people brought in a 600tin "Bucyrus Erie" electric shovel. This marked the beginning of the end of shaft mining. Strip mining is the only form now in use with the exception of one tunnel mine south of Estevan.
The coal industry developed in the lignite coal fields of southeastern Saskatchewan has obtained considerable recognition in mining circles, but has a restricted market as it comes into competition with the higher grade house and furnace coal of Alberta. Mining operation today is carried on in the modern manner, under the direction of experienced mine managers and a selected staff of qualified mining engineers and field workers who are experts in their line of work.

Lignite deposits in the Souris Valley are the second largest coal deposits in the Dominion of Canada. Coal from the valley is reported to have been used by the blacksmiths in their portable forges during the march of the North West Mounted Police in 1874, as they followed the old Boundary Commission Trail and camped at Roche Percee for several days.
The Pocock Brothers, for many years residents of Emerson, Manitoba, discovered out-croppings of coal in the Souris Valley in 1880. Returning to Winnipeg with samples they aroused considerable interest in their exhibits, which resulted in an expedition to Roche Percee, organized by the late Hugh Sutherland of Winnipeg. This expedition mined the first load of coal and placed it on barges, with the intention of floating the coal down the Souris River into the Assiniboine and on to Winnipeg. This plan proved to be unfeasible and costly as the barges became stranded on the shoals. Consequently this method of transportation was abandoned.
The foundation of the present coal industry was due primarily to the efforts of one of the early homesteaders by the name of Hassard. His land was in S. 4, Twp. 2, R. 6, W 2nd. He discovered a large seam of coal in a ravine near his house, which he proceeded to develop. The Hassard mine was undoubtedly the first to be known as such. By 1891 this mine had been developed considerably. The coal seams were approximately eight feet thick. The removal of the coal left a corridor about the size of an ordinary room. The floor was fairly level, the tunnel having been driven straight into the bank which eliminated lifting the coal to the surface as was the usual procedure from the pit mines. With the expanding of the drift the roof was kept from falling in by wooden rafters placed to support the structure.
Settlers came to the Hassard mine from all over the south country to obtain their winter's supply of coal. They were allowed to fill their wagons for one dollar. Old time residents ofthe valley say they have counted as high as 62 ox trains in one caravanon the old Moose Mountain Trail, all headed for the coal fields. One hundred and thirty-five wagons have been counted at the mines in one day. With the nearest railway 100 miles distant it was hopeless to even try to interest outside capital in the project. The settlers who arrived in the early 1880's expected the railway south of the main line within a year, but it was not until 1892 that the steel was finally completed. The first shipment was from Bienfait. All winter the coal had been hauled in from the Hassard mine and shovelled into coal cars on the siding. With the completion of the Soo Line, the coal was hauled to Roche Percee.
In 1895 the first coal company was formed and the name was changed from the Hassard Mine to the Souris Coal Mining Company. Shortly after, the original owner of the Hassard mine sold his interest in the venture and moved to the southern States.
Gow and Russell had developed other mines in the district. The old Gow mine was taken over by a new company and named the Roche Percee Collieries and a branch spur was laid from the spur of the Souris mine into their mines. Other mines were developed and the coal business became and industrial asset to the valley. Closing dwon the old Taylor mine when Tom Taylor became affiliated with the Souris Mining Company, increased their holdings. Other rival companies were bought out and their plants closed. With these increased operations they found it necessary to move their plant up on the prairie. A spur track was laid into the new plant from Bienfait, a distance of five miles. A stone store and warehouse were shortly erected and homes for the miners built. The post office, know as Coalfields, was changed to Taylorton. With the development of the coalfields, strip mining was introduced and modern equipment took the place of the old pick and shovel. Today more than 8,000 tons of lignite coal are shipped out daily form The Western Dominion Coal Mines Limited, of Taylorton, Saskatchewan, who have been a contributing factor in the development of southeastern Saskatchewan.
Several other large mines were developed in the district. The Manitoba and Saskatchewan (M & S), the Bienfait Mine, the Hawkinson Mine and the Crescent Collieries.
Today only a few of the smaller mines still sell coal to the farmers, but in pioneer days, bunk houses were built where the haulers could sleep at night. Boarding houses supplied meals to the miners and farmers, although many of the farmers packed their grub in with them, while grain and feed was available for their teams.
When the local homesteader needed coal he simply took a wheelbarrow, which, combined with a pick and shovel and the sweat of his brow, provided him with all the coal he could use for the digging. Many of the homesteaders found coal on their own land and coal mines were soon dotted all over the landscape. As the mining field developed hundreds of miners were necessary to carry on the work. In 1908 miners were paid by the hour. They supplied their own picks and shovels, also the carbide lamps and carbide for the cap lamps. The coal miner averaged $1.50 a day. Room and Board came to $4.00 a week, beds were supplied in the bunk houses, but the miners brought their own bedding. Coal sold for $2.00 a ton delivered. Local deliveries have now been discontinued, but at one time coal was delivered 20 miles in the country for $1.20 a ton. Many European emigrants worked in the mines, saving every cent to send back to the old country, that their wives and families might be able to make the long trip west to join them. They were paid much higher wages than the men on the section who averaged 85 cents a day.
The first strip mine began operation in 1928 on the hill above the brickyards a mile east of the town limits of Estevan. Connected with this mine were David Bannatyne, Sr., Dr. James Creighton, William Niblett and John Gallaway a mine manager. This mine was operated for a period of two years. In 1930 the Truax-Traer people brought in a 600tin "Bucyrus Erie" electric shovel. This marked the beginning of the end of shaft mining. Strip mining is the only form now in use with the exception of one tunnel mine south of Estevan.
The coal industry developed in the lignite coal fields of southeastern Saskatchewan has obtained considerable recognition in mining circles, but has a restricted market as it comes into competition with the higher grade house and furnace coal of Alberta. Mining operation today is carried on in the modern manner, under the direction of experienced mine managers and a selected staff of qualified mining engineers and field workers who are experts in their line of work.

The "Old Mac Coal" Mine Roche Percee, Sask.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan Coal Company Ltd., Bienfait, Sask.

The Manitoba and Saskatchewan Coal Co. Ltd. (M & S) started operations at Bienfait, Saskatchewan, in 1907, shipping coal to outside points. Head Office: 503 Avenue Building, Winnipeg, Man.; General Manager, Sir Daniel McMillan of Winnipeg, at one time Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
1956 President, William Whyte; Vice-President, Wm. H. Barker; General Manager, C.M. Thomson; Head office, 503 Avenue Building, Winnipeg, Man.
The years of 1907, 1908 and 1909 witnessed the rapid development of deep seam mining into a major industry throughout the entire area covering the coalfields of southeastern Saskatchewan. The M & S Mines were well equipped to handle the increasing demands for lignite coal mined in this region.
At that time shafts were sunk to a depth of 90 feet and timbered. Underground rooms branched off the entry ways, allowing the miners plenty of space for their work. Underground tracks were laid along the entry ways and the mine cars when loaded were conveyed to their destination by pit horses. The coal was mined off the solid, the mines extending approximately a mile and a half horizontally from the shaft. The average shipment in those days was around three boxcars a day. Oil cap lamps were used by the early miners until the carbide lamp was introduced. These lamps, with picks and shovels, were necessary equipment. With the installation of undercutting and shearing machines, the work advanced rapidly. Electric haulage motors were brought in around 1925.
In 1938 T.W. Phillips was appointed mine manager for the M & S prior to this time he had been affiliated with the Peabody Coal Company of Springfield, Illinois. The first four years he made his home in the mine manager's residence at the mines. The new (black top) highways have made it possible to make the trip to Estevan in less than no time, under the circumstances, the Phillips find it more pleasant to make their home in Estevan. The daily output of coal in 1938 was around 1,500 tons a day, 45 cars comprising a daily shipment. The yearly average was 300,000 tons.
The year 1956 shows a complete change in the mining picture. Underground mining has been abandoned in favour of surface or strip mining. Coal is now uncovered by dragline and loaded into 18-ton trucks by power shovels, which convey the coal to the tipple or preparation plant, where it is screened and sized to suit the trade. As the work proceeds the pits are filled in. An average of 3,000 tons is shipped out daily or 650,000 tons a year. Today electricity turns the wheels, and lights the homes of the miners. Only a few old timers still recall the days of the carbide lamps, the pick and shovels, and the hardships of pioneer mining days.
Central heating has been installed in the mine offices, manager's home and store. Nostalgic memories of the good old days are aired now and again with tales of tunneling through drifts of snow in order to get to work with frozen hands and feet. The younger generation listens with amusement to these tales of a bygone day, content to relinquish the laurel wreath to the pioneers in favour of their modern age.
The M & S Mines list 115 employees on their payrolls, which includes the office staff and labouring personnel of the camp. Ninety-five per cent of the mine labourers live at the camp. Neat, well built, white houses are available at $2.00 a month per room. Some live in single units, others have two or three rooms, depending on the size of the family. Fuel is supplied by the company at considerably less than cost. Reasonable prices at the nearby boarding house attracts many of the miners who are not inclined to be domestic. The mine store is well stocked with miner's supplies at reasonable prices. Mail is received at Bienfait which is nearby. Recreation for the miners is well looked after with a good sized curling rink and an open air skating rink. The children attend the public school at Bienfait. There are 70 houses provided for the miners at the camp.

North West Coal Co. Ltd.

Miners and Shippers of Deep Seam Coal

Mine equipped with modern shaker screens "plus value or Sasko coal"

Bienfait, Saskatchewan
In 1932 the Konopake Brothers of Bienfait, in partnership with Dan Bozak, Alex's brother-in-law, opened up their present mine and registered it under the name of the North West Coal Ltd., with Alex Konopaki as mine manager.
Deep seam mining at that time had become the major industry in the coalfields of southeastern Saskatchewan.
They proceeded along the regular lines of deep seam mining, sinking a shaft 62 feet on a gradual slope, then timbered, as the work progressed, to keep the roof from falling in. Underground rooms branched off the main entry way, which was one-half mile long. Twenty-pound steel was used for the tracks laid in the main entries and 16-pound steel for the tracks laid into the rooms where the miners dug the coal. Mine cars were loaded and conveyed to the bottom of the slope with pit horses.
Pit horses seldom left their underground stables, which were cleaned immaculately every day, feed loaded in mine cars was hauled to the underground stables. Plenty of water was available from the underground seepage off the coal. Pressure pumps were used to pump the water into barrels. Pit horses became accustomed to their underground quarters and unless it was necessary to take them out to be shod, they often times were kept underground until they were retired to pasture. Even then they occasionally wandered back to their old home to escape the cold. When the work slacked off in the spring they were allowed the run of the pastures. They were well trained and soon learned to handle the cars without lines. Many were even trained to open the doors, which were used to give ventilation to the miners.
This method of mining produced around 3,750 tons of coal a month and necessitated employing 15 miners to do the work. 1937, 1938 and 1939 the work had progressed considerably and the payrolls recorded 50 men employed at the North West Mines. Production figures rose to 360 tons a day, which when loaded filled eight boxcars. The mined coal was loaded on trucks and transferred to the tipple or preparation plant where it was screened and sized, suitable for trade needs. Then loaded into boxcars ready for shipment to various points in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Due to the high cost of production, deep seam mining was discontinued in 1947, in favour of stripping or surface mining. This necessitated the installation of modern mining equipment. Dragline and Caterpillar tractors are now used for stripping. Diesel load shovels transfer the coal from the pits to the trucks, which in turn convey it to the tipple for grading and sizing.
In the early 1930's electric culling machines and pumps were labour-saving devices put to good use. The main entry ways were electic lighted but the miners still used the carbide lamps. Previous to 1915 oil lamps with wicks were used, but with the introduction of carbide lamps, which were safer and easier to handle, the oil lamps were abandoned.
Six grades of coal are shipped out from the North West Coal Co., Ltd.: Bugdust or slack used in power plants and industrial plants; domestic and industrial peacoal; stoker coal, booker or nut coal; egg coal and domestic cobble and lump coal, also 2 to Z industrial used for paper mills and larger industries.
Production figures are considerably higher, one day's output often exceeding 1,200 tons or 100,000 tons a year. The payrolls list 18 employees, which includes office staff, mine labourers and truckers who deliver the coal from the pit to the mine tipple. Modern equipment saves time and cuts down on the number of men necessary to handle the work.
Alex's father, the late John Konopaki, made the trip from the old country to Canada in 1905, working in the Nova Scotia mines before he moved west to work in the Bienfait mines. By saving every cent he made he was able to bring the rest of the family over in 1913. Their first farming venture was at Frobisher in 1917. At their father's death in 1925, Alex and Louie took over the farm. In 1930 continuous drought and dust storms brought farming operations to a standstill. At that time Alex decided to make a tour of Canada, thinking he might find prosperity lurking in some unforeseen corner. Failing in his quest for the land of milk and honey he returned to Bienfait in 1932 to find practically in his own backyard the place he was looking for. That same year the brothers opened their present mine and have prospered with the passing years.
The Alex Konopakis make their home at the mine, which is approximately six miles east of Estevan and 2 1/2 miles west of Bienfait. They were married in 1926.

Rock Formations at Roche Percee

The village of Roche Percee derives its name from the strange geological formations of large sand stone rocks, resembling everything from castles to animals and fish. One exceptionally large rock had a pierced hole in the centre. The name "Roche Percee" meaning "pierced rock" was derived from this stone. Along the valley east of Roche Percee there are many of these rock formations. Geological surveys have uncovered and identified fossils of ichthyosauria at Roche Percee. These were lizard-like animals of immense size which roamed these areas millions of years ago.
Rude carvings on the walls of the caves, according to Indian Legends depict the life story of a people who dwelt here in aeons gone by, whose origin and very existence has been lost in antiquity, leaving in passing these strange petroglyphs on the sand stone rocks. The Roche Percee country has been the ancient hunting grounds of the Assiniboines in centuries past and the site of their famous Sun Dance Lodge.
Whether these rock formations are the petrified remains of some aquatic age or simply the different shapes the sandstone rocks have assumed from the action of the wind and the weather wearing them down, one finds them a fascinating study and it is to be regretted that so many of them have crumbled away or have been dynamited for the sake of safety.
Doubtless some atavistic urge in the heart of man creates a desire to perpetuate for posterity the date of his existence, his initials and any other data which differentiates him from his fellow men. The initial carver is not discriminating in his choice of objects, nor particularly as to the locale. He will enthusiastically attack any surface which will bear his mark, chiselling his way through the bark of trees, on sandstone rocks, or the broad side of any old landmark. Thus many fine specimens of this ancient art have been preserved for future generations to figure out.
The sandstone rocks at Roche Percee are no exception to the rule. The N.W.M.P. in 1874 found the countless hieroglyphics a source of great interest and they in turn left their initials carved on the rocks, still discernible today. Vigilantes from Montana have been credited with carving their initials and names on the rocks, along with these illustrious carvings are the initials of renegade whites, cattle rustlers and horse thieves from the Montana territory across the border.
The Assiniboine Indians from the Assiniboia reserve near Montmartre are reported to have staged their last Sun Dance at Roche Percee.

Woodend

Another historical site of southeastern Saskatchewan is Woodend, approximately seven miles south of Estevan, not far from the United States boundary. The first North West Mounted Police border patrol followed the old Commission Trail from Dufferin through to Fort Macleod. Lieut. Colonel G.A. French, first commissioner of the North West Mounted Police, and his men, camped here in 1874. The establishment of this patrol assured the settlers of a modicum of security from the cattle rustlers and horse thieves from the Montana Badlands, who found it unwise to trifle with the N.W.M.P.
According to local information Woodend was formed as a remount post for the border patrol, refitting them for the next lap of their journey.
Freighters and travellers on their way south found Woodend a convenient spot to break their journey. Wheat in the early days was freighted in caravan trains south to the Great Northern Railway. Prices were good and many miles were saved. As high as 40 wagons have been counted wending their way southward to the border.
This route was abandoned when the Soo Line steel was completed in 1893.
During the rum running decade (1918-1928) Woodend revived and became a favourite rendezvous for the rum running pirates, as they sowed their seeds of corruption and destruction. Rival feuds were carried on between the rum runners and the hijackers. They settled their disputes with gun shot. With their utter disregard for law and order, the citizens of Estevan found them a bad lot to cope with. In order to discourage their activities, the town placed a stiff licence fee of $500.00 on each of the three warehouses they had established in Estevan.
The premises were kept locked and the labels, bottles and other necessary supplies for their spurious liquor traffic were zealously guarded. Outside of their own coterie few outsiders were even allowed a glimpse of their manufacturing equipment. One local party advised me he was allowed inside the premises just once and enumerated the labels, supplies and paraphernalia they had on hand. Eventually they moved to Gainsborough where they were able to carry on their operations closer to the border.
The buildings at Woodend have long since been torn down, but many of the old timers still recall the place and the events which occurred here.

Wellock's Hereford Ranch

Is owned and operated by John P. Wellock, a son of the late Major P. Wellock, pioneer settler of 1907 who died in 1952 at the age of 71.
John McLeod's Dairy Farm, two miles north of Estevan, needed a man and the young Yorkshire man needed work. In this manner Major Wellock became a pioneer settler of Estevan, 1907, and in the coming years was to play an important role in the growth and development of the town.
John McLeod opened the first butcher shop in Estevan and Major Wellock entered into partnership with him in 1915. Wellock's new market was built in 1925 across the street from the old market at 1226-4th St. Major Wellock retired in 1946 leaving the management of the shop to his son John. The shop was sold to the present owners in 1953. Knight and Newton continue to do business under the old name of Wellock's Meat Market.
John purchased his ranch of 1,920 acres of three sections in 1947, stocking it with a fine commercial herd of Herefords numbering around 150 head. Today, with 38 registered females, he is building up the herd, concentrating on quality breeding. The registered foundation stock has been purchased from well known breeders, Alex Mitchell of the Battle River Ranch, Lloydminster, Sask., Cudmore Bros. of Manor, A.J.Cook of Hardy and Houze of Meyronne, Saskatchewan.
His last two herd sires have been purchased in partnership with Ernest M. Tedford of Outram--CAERLEON STANDARD 57th--203521, bred by Crawford-Frost of Nanton, Alta., and ZATO TONEHEIR 2 E-302466, purchased from Smith's Registered Hereford Farm at Gainsborough.
John P. Wellock is well known in the Estevan district as an auctioneer of farm sales. His wife is the former Marion Rae of Benson, Sask. Her father, Sidney B. Rae, was a pioneer settler of that district in 1902. The Wellocks make their home in Estevan. John P. Wellock is a member of the Estevan and District Agricultural Society.

Pioneer Merchants of Estevan

In 1892 and 1893 the railway construction crews had completed their work and mile after endless mile of shining steel stretched from the United States Boundary to the Main Line of the C.P.R. Outside of Estevan, established in 1892, the Soo Line was to record no other settlement along this 145-mile run northwest to Moose Jaw until 1899 when Weyburn was founded and Ontario Settlers took up land in the district, prior to this time all that met the eye was an occasional section house or a curl of smoke from a rancher's sod shack on the bank of the Souris River. By 1902 land seekers were arriving from every direction and carloads of building materials were brought into the little hamlets which burgeoned along the lines of steel. So rapid was their growth that every ten miles a flurry of activity could be discerned, where carpenters sorted out tar paper, lumber and shingle nails, which with the aid of a few hammers and saws would shortly emerge as the first general store in the district.
George Murray of Weyburn, now nearing his ninetieth birthday, worked with the supervisor's crew on the Soo Line in 1892. He recalls the one lone sod shack which belonged to Arthur Kelly and was the only sign of habitation as they surveyed the line through what is today Estevan.
Shortly after the townsite was surveyed the first founders of the town arrived, setting up tents, pending the arrival of household effects and building material. Estevan was Incorporated as a town in March of 1906, today with a population of 5,000 it is recognized as the marketing centre of southeastern Saskatchewan.
George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railways, was elevated to the peerage in 1891 and received the title of Lord Mount Stephen. W.C.Van Horn became the second president of the Canadian Pacific in 1888, and was knighted into the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1892. The origin of the name "Estevan" is derived from a combination of these two names George Stephen and Wm. C. Van Horn.
Gordon Gallaway arrived in Estevan in 1892. His father, the late John Gallaway, operated a dairy farm at the edge of the settlement, near where the collegiate stands today, he recalls the business places which were established at that time. Dorsey, the grocer, later became immigration officer at North Portal, Patterson & Lindsay, general merchants, Bradley's Hardware, P.C. Duncan, livery and feed, Stockwell's Hardware, John McLeod, butcher, his son, the late Norman M. McLeod, was M.L.A. during the Liberal Administation. Town meetings and all public gatherings were held over Bradley's Hardware. The upstairs of Kelly's Livery Barn was converted into a rooming house, which accommodated the travelling public until the new Kelly House was built in 1894. Dr. M. N. Scott was the first doctor, druggist and postmaster in Estevan. Drug store and dwelling were combined and occupied the space where the Campbell Block now stands. Dr. M.N. Scott is also credited with building the first hospital in Estevan. The disastrous fire of 1908 burned the Kelly House, Dr. Scott's Drug Store and other frame buildings in that block.
The present International Hotel was built on the Kelly House site by McKenzie & Prevost. Recently renovated and now under the management of the friendly Ropchan Brothers, the International continues to be a favourite stopping place for travellers. The Empire Hotel across the street dates back to 1905, built by Wm. L. Sandhoff, rancher and horse trader. Substantial and designed to last, these two hotels have weathered the storms of half a century, a credit to the builders of 50 years ago.
Peter Brovold, pioneer contractor of 1903, now well past his three score year and ten, came from Bottineau County, North Dakota, locating a homestead 14 miles north of Estevan, not far from Macoun, which at that time was in the hammer and saw stage of existence. As a contractor he soon became acquainted with the people of Macoun, Estevan and the surrounding district, later he purchased a livery and feed barn on Fifth St. in Estevan. Land seekers were beginning to arrive from across the border and the livery business was flourishing, hundreds of miners were employed in the coalfields a few miles distant and practically every line of business was represented: Kinna Brothers, lumber yard and farm implements, McDonald & Murphy, livery and feed, McLeod Bros., grocery and farm implements, Yardley and Lea farm implements, Hastings and Musgrave, hardware and general merchants, P.C. Duncan, harness, furniture, flour and feed, Arthur Kelly owned the hotel, livery barn and the Old Reliable General Store, Stockwell & Perry Hardware, W.A. Wolsey, jeweller, Stephen Devine, barber, A.L. Forcier, dray and transfer, Philleo & Croyman's bowling alley. B.B. Teed, barrister, covering both Alameda and Estevan. W. Hamilton, horse dealer. Victor Marquis, grocer and confectioner, was busy at that time putting the finishing touches on the New American Hotel. Dr. D. R. Davies opened a new drug store July 1st, 1903. Nels Mikkelson handled real estate and insurance and was the village banker. Dr. M. N. Scott was the veteran doctor, postmaster and druggist. Eggs were quoted at 15 cents per dozen and butter sold for 15 cents a pound. The market quotation gave No.1 hard wheat at Fort William, 80 cents, market strong. Crops were exceeding all previous records and every one headed for the big picnic at Coalfields in July. Fifty new business houses and private residences, finished and under construction, such was Estevan's building record the year of 1903. The first elevator was built by the Imperial Elevator Company. By 1903 extra storage space was needed and new elevators began to make their appearance.
George Rooks of Estevan was an exceptionally fine stone mason, it is due to his excellent workmanship that many of the old stone buildings still standing today throughout the south country, have survived the wintry blasts and will undoubtedly be as good as new 50 years from now.
The first Presbyterian Church was built in 1903 by George Rooks, Dr. Carmichael officiated at the opening. The first Presbyterian pastor was Rev. A. T. Macintosh. The Anglican Church had Rev. G. P. Terry. The Methodist Church, Rev. Charles Endicott, and John McLeod was Leader of the Plymouth Brethren. Today the Salvation Army have taken over the old stone Presbyterian Church, sturdy and strong as the day it was built. The stone Central School is also due to George Rooks' craftsmanship. It was necessary to build on an additional wing in 1905 and in 1955 the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren of the pioneer settlers still attend the same stone school.
Another fine contractor who contributed much to the building trade is John Phillips, now retired, who did more than his share in former years to build and promote the growth of Estevan.
The first issue of The Mercury, Estevan, District of Assiniboia, N.W.T., was mailed out to everyone in the district on June 26th, 1903. Bailey & Sons, editors and publishers. "Gink" Bailey soon became one of Estevan's popular leaders. Donald C. Dunbar, Sr., took over the Estevan Mercury in 1905 and for the following 25 years compiled and edited the news for the district. In 1939 his son, Donald M. Dunbar Jr., became publisher and editor. Andrew King purchased the paper in 1944, he was well-known as the publisher and editor of the Rouleau Enterprise. His two sons, A. Stirling King, manager of King's Show Print, contrive to make it possible for their parents to winter in the southern States. The Kings, Sr., leave Estevan when the cry of the Canada Goose is heard, winging its way southward and they do not return until these mighty birds start on their northern journey in search of summer feeding grounds, presaging the approach of the summer season, with its attendant summer fairs, carnivals, and circus tents. A busy time for the Kings, who are recognized from coast to coast as Canada's poster printers.
The Eureka Coal and Brick Company Limited was established in 1904, within a mile of Estevan, mining coal on their own property. The owners were from Willmar, Minnesota, and their brick plants supplied the Winnipeg markets. The bank of British North America was one of the first to establish a branch at Estevan. In 1906, N. J. Lockhart opened a law office, the Estevan Lumber Company started a private bank and John Olson became established in flour, feed and furniture. D. L. Irvine, now retired, took over the drug store from Dr. D. R. Davies in 1907. They became a Rexall store and were presented with a certificate from the Rexall people. For the past 49 years they have continued in business, with the framed certificate of 1908 still hanging on the wall. Keith Irvine took over management of the store at his father's retirement. The Estevan Milling Company began operating in 1906 and Nelson-Ford opened a new lumber yard in 1907. J. A. Smith was the wholesale liquor dealer, and John Holmgren opened his new hardware store.
By 1908 Estevan had a population of appoximately 1,000 souls, wooden sidewalks, and not a tree to bless the place. Today the tree lined streets and avenues have completely changed the picture presented 50 years ago. It was to be expected that the pioneer merchants should view with pride the advancement of their little prairie centre. Their families joined together in a freemasonry of understanding and memory of hardships shared. They began to build themselves fine homes of brick and frame and stone. The children of the pioneer merchants attended the stone Central School. They married and in turn the younger generation added their share to the tradition of the school. Thus they continued through the years. After completing the Estevan Collegiate course, many left for Colleges and Universities to further advance their knowledge in the fields they had chosen, obtaining degrees which fitted them for work in the far corners of the earth. Scientists, doctors, teachers, mining engineers and chartered accountants are numbered among the pupils who started their ABC's in the old stone Central School.
The year 1909 ushered in an era of prosperity which continued until the outbreak of war in 1914. A new town hall was built in 1909. for 47 years the Mayor's office, Town Clerk's office and the town police headquarters have been quartered in this building. Water and sewer installations were made in 1909 as well as adequate fire protection, these improvements amounted to $50,000.00. The Dominion Government built a new post office building and Dominion land office. The Bank of Hamilton opened a branch in Estevan that year, and new branch lines were being surveyed by the C.P.R.
By 1911 a steady increase in population had brought the census figures up to nearly 2,000. The Estevan Collegiate was built in 1912. June 5th, 1913, a cyclone struck the town, it lasted but a few minutes but destroyed the steel skating rink and the Collegiate. In the fall of 1913 ornamental street lighting was introduced. The town had its own power plant which was not taken over by the Dominion Electric until 1927. Ed Rooney who pioneered Rooney's Livery barn and feed stables in 1907, listing among his assets 18 fine driving horses, three seated democrats, open and top cutters, surreys with the fringe on top and rubber tired buggies for hire, realized the slow but steady trend toward mechanized equipment and established himself in the farm implement business. His choice was a wise one for in the years 1913 and 1914, Saskatchewan, according to statistical reports, listed 7,400 automobiles in the Province and the farm implement industry was surpassing all previous records.
Syver Mork established himself in the insurance business many years ago. In 1907 he was a dray and transfer man for the town and he recalls the rapid rise of the automobile industry. Vaughn & Robinson were the first Ford dealers around 1910, introducing the new Model T. Ford. P.B. Holmgren, who arrived in the district the year of 1903, started a machine and repair shop under the firm name of Patterson & Holmgren. They were among the first to establish automobile agencies. P.B. Holmgren still carries on the business now known as Holmgren Motors, Mercury-Lincoln-Meteor dealers in co-partnership with his sons.
The Prairie Nurseries were opened in 1912, and in 1913 F.W. Henneberg arrived from Manitou, Manitoba, to open a new jewellery store. It is said that his father, the late August Henneberg, opened the door of the store every morning at 8:30 sharp, without a minute's variation, for a period of 41 years, people automatically set their clocks to the second when they saw him pass by.
Grundeen's Creamery was the first dairy plant established in Estevan. Paul Grundeen, a member of the younger generation, has now taken over the plant, remodelled and installed the latest in modern creamery equipment.
The first silent motion picture was shown in the Duncan Hall. The first moving picture house was named the Delight Theatre, it was destroyed by fire some 25 years ago.
This ends our review of the founding of Estevan and its growth during the following 20 years. As the Estevan Mercury of 1903 painted the opportunities offered in the Souris Valley so glowingly we quote, "COME TO ESTEVAN -- A district that offers unsurpassed inducements. LOTS OF LAND, LOTS OF WATER, LOTS OF HAY AND LOTS OF FUEL".
On March 2nd, 1955, an old landmark was burned to the ground, recently known as the General Hardware, but to the early settlers it was familiar as the Holmgren Hardware, built in 1906 by John Holmgren, who for many years was considered one of the foremost merchants of Estevan.

David Bannatyne

June 13th, 1913, David Bannatyne became manager of the Bank of British North America, which was one of the first banks established in Estevan. At the time of his arrival in Estevan, he was 33 years of age, with an enviable banking record of 17 years to his credit. Born in Irvine Scotland, November 1st, 1880, he joined the staff of the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1896. Five years later he took charge of a shipping office in Irvine.
In 1903 he was accepted as a member of the staff of the Bank of British North America and left Scotland for Canada in February of that year. The following 10 years he transferred to different points in the provinces and on Christmas Day, 1912, married the former Mildred Ann Jones at Winnipeg. Dr. Ralph Gordon performed the wedding ceremony (known to many as Ralph Connor, the Canadian author).
1913-1921 David Bannatyne was manager of the Estevan branch of the Bank of British North America.
In 1923 he established his own insurance business known as the Bannatyne Agencies, also acting as agent for various steamship, bus and airlines.
An indefatigable community worker, he served as mayor from 1929-1932 and again in 1937, 1938 and 1939. The years in between 1935-1936 he served on the town council. He was secretary for the Estevan and district Board of Trade for many years.
41 years David Bannatyne spent in Estevan, giving generously of his time and knowledge, to further the development of this little prairie town. His death on December 16th, 1954, left a vacancy no one person could attempt to fill.

Recollections of T.A. Perry...Estevan's Pioneer Hardware Merchant

In the stone building recently occupied by Patten Printing and Stationery, J. R. Stockwell established the first hardware store in Estevan, 64 years ago (1892).
Richard Perry, with his wife and 11 children, were settlers from the Schomberg district, 30 miles north of Toronto. Their first homestead was near Bienfait, their first home a sod shack.
Arriving in 1892 they hit three bad years of drought, dry winds and no crops. Leaving the unproductive acres of the homestead, Richard Perry moved his family to Estevan in 1895, where he engaged in the cattle business, purchasing a good grade herd of around 125 head.
T.A. Perry recalls as a young lad his impressions of the trip west. Arriving at Oxbow, which at that time was the end of the steel, they made the last lap of the journey in a wagon. He soon became accustomed to their new home on the prairies and the following three years passed quickly. Their move to Estevan gave promise of new adventures, new faces and school. Checking through memory's file he recalls his school days in 1895, the stone school, which had been built, and his first teacher, R.E. McCallagh, who was to remain a staunch friend through the years as his brother-in-law. Strange to say the old stone central school and its first teacher have weathered the storms of 50 years equally well. At the age of 86, Dr. R.E. McCallagh, now a retired United Church minister, residing in Winnipeg, still holds service every Sunday at a little parish 40 miles from that city.
The death of J.R. Stockwell in 1900, left his wife, the former Alfretta Perry, to carry on the business. After three years of coping with business problems and the care of three small children, she entered into partnership with her brother, T.M. Perry, at which time the firm name was changed to Stockwell & Perry. In 1907 T.M. Perry purchased the business outright.
In 1903, T.A. Perry, known as Albert, became a clerk in the store and continued in that capacity until 1916 when he entered into partnership with his older brother. At that time the name was changed to the Perry Hardware Company. In 1935 they incorporated as Perry Hardware Limited.
In 1947 T.A. Perry became president and general manager, while his two sons, D.A. Perry (vice-president) and M.A. Perry (secretary-treasurer) whole-heartedly assisted their father in carrying on the tradition of the store. "The Oldest and Biggest Hardware in Southern Saskatchewan", a slogan they have used for over 25 years. J.M. Perry, the younger son, is a minister of the United Church of Canada at Red Lake, Ontario. The two daughters are now married, (Grace) Mrs. H.M. Williams of Kelowna, B.C., (Muriel) Mrs. A.H. Trout of Saskatoon.
T.A. Perry recalls with a reminiscent smile the early days of the century when he spent 18 hours a day as a clerk in the hardware store. During the summer months the store opened between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. Closing time was around midnight. Stormy days or during the slack season they closed at 9:30.
The store was lighted with coal oil lamps placed in brackets on the wall, with reflectors to insure more light. Later gas jets were installed which were generated from carbide. The stove, which was the centre of attraction for the farmers and miners, who usually came in to get warm and hash over the events of the day, was kept well stocked with coal, in order to heat the outer edges of the room, which often retained a sub-zero temperature through the entire day.
The store was well stocked with barrel churns, wooden wash tubs, wash boards, fancy buggy whips, which were displayed in a cast iron circle, fly nets, wooden butter bowls and flower designed bowl and pitcher sets. Christmas time brought in the fancy coal oil lamps with hand-painted bowls and shades, pressed tin comb and brush holders with inset mirrors. These were hung on the wall with compartments for matches on each side of the mirror. Shaving mugs and moustache cups made an ideal gift for the man of the house. Perrys were well stocked with saddlery, miner's supplies, wagon and buggy harness and other lines which were necessary at the turn of the century. Many farmers took a trip to town just to browse around and pick out what they intended to buy when they sold their wheat in the fall, providing the crops weren't hailed out, devoured by grasshoppers or nipped in the bud overnight by an early frost.
Perry's Hardware had the first telephone installed in the district. T.M. Perry owned one of the first automobiles in Estevan, a McLaughlin-Buick. N.J. Lockhart, the barrister, was the owner of the second McLaughlin-Buick, while Wm. Evenden brought in the third car. In 1907 there were 22 automobiles in the province of Saskatchewan. This invention was to bring to a close the horse and buggy days and the surrey with the fringe on top. Gleaming acetylene headlights made night driving a pleasure. Speeding over the prairie roads at 20 miles an hour, these strange motorists, with their dusters and goggles, bewildered the cattle in the fields as well as the horse-drawn vehicles on the road. The rapid growth of the automobile industry in the ensuing years has today developed into one of the major industries of Saskatchewan. The 1955 registration lists over 265,000 automobiles and trucks in operation.

Max Mandel...Pioneer Merchant

One of Estevan's pioneer merchants is Max Mandel, recently retired and now making his home in Winnipeg, Man.
Born in the little Russian village of Podouluy in 1884 he grew to manhood resenting the hardships and hunger which pressed them on every side. Many of his compatriots had left the country to join friends and relatives in Canada. A new way of life was opening, offering a brilliant future for those who were willing to work. Max Mandel never regretted his decision to leave the old for the new. He arrived in Canada in 1908, spending his first year at Emerson, Manitoba. As Sir John A MacDonald so aptly phrased it in one of his speeches "Most of us will not be content in Heaven if we hear of a place farther west". This desire to see what was "back of beyond" finally brought our young traveller to Estevan where he found employment with J.E. Loughlin, a progressive merchant of the early days, now retired and living in Victoria, B.C. Following his capable guidance, Max Mandel soon became an experienced merchandising man. His happiness was complete when Mollie Fishgold arrived from Russia to join him in the new land. They were married in 1911. Eight years later he opened his own store in the Campbell Block. As the business prospered larger quarters were necessary and in 1937 he purchased the Hugh Werry Block. The store now operates under the name of M. Mandel & Co.
Max Mandel has played an active part in the community life of Estevan, giving generously to any worthy cause. The Mandel Memorial Award is presented each year in the form of a medal to the collegiate student winning the highest honours. The medal is in memory of his son, Dr. Jake Mandel, who made the supreme sacrifice during the Second World War. A former collegiate graduate he later attended the University of Saskatchewan, completing his studies at the University of Alberta where he received his degree.
Captain Jake Mandel lost his life while serving with the Medical Corps attached to the 12th Brigade in Normandy, 1944.
The Mandels have one daughter, now married to Dr. H.A. Brookler.
Their only remaining son, Henry, served with the R.C.A.F. during the war and has now taken over complete management of M. Mandel & Co., making his home in Estevan.

John Mather

John Mather, now retired and living in Estevan, recalls the days of 1906 when he pioneered as a miner in the coalfields.
The Eureka Coal Mine and Brick Yard was located where the Saskatchewan Clay Products operate today. Nels Mikkelson opened up the Eureka Coal Mine with J.A. Peterson as General Manager and J.E. Bardsley as Coal Mine Manager. In 1913 J.A. Peterson bought the Shand Mine and Brick Yards.
In 1906 the Eureka mine was a high production mine employing some 50 miners. Bunk houses, a cook shack and several small units for miners with families solved the housing situation.
Mrs. John Mather recalls the day she arrived from Lancashire, England, with their two small children, Harry and Kathleen. One look at her future home filled her with despair and she was tempted to take the next train out, but England was thousands of miles away and money was scarce so she decided to make the best of it and started housekeeping with a Gem cook stove, a bed and a cot, converting a packing case brought from England into a cupboard. This left standing room only. They found it necessary to use the trunks placed along the wall for chairs. A trap door led to the root cellar.
In 1910 J.A. Peterson bought the Eureka and changed the name to the Estevan Brick and Coal. Bricks manufactured at the brick yards were shipped to Winnipeg. From five to six brick kilns were kept in constant use. Locally there was considerable demand for the brick for use in the various construction projects then being completed.
John Mather's arrival in Estevan September, 1905, coincides with the Golden Jubilee Year of Saskatchewan, marking their respective half century marks.
Norah Mather, for the past 10 years Town Clerk and Treasurer for the town of Estevan, is one of 10 children which the Mathers brought up in the Souris Valley, having held this appointment since the retirement of A.B. Stuart in 1945. Frank Mather is well known as the owner of Mather's News.

Peter McDonald

Peter McDonald arrived from the east in 1882, taking squatter's rights on a quarter section of land in the Alameda district. The usual procedure in those days was to locate their land, obtaining their registration papers when the land office was established, providing they had turned the specified amount of sod and been in continuous residence for the required length of time, necessary to comply with The Homestead Act. The first purchase was a yoke of oxen and a walking plow, building a sod house the next step. This completed Peter McDonald returned to Stratford, Ont., to advise his family of the work he had completed. He returned west in 1883, followed shortly by his wife and baby daughter, Isabella. Arriving at Moosomin they took the stage to their new home at Alameda. Their second daughter, born October 17th, 1883, has the distinction of being the first white baby born within a radius of 100 miles. They named her Alameda.
The year 1888 Peter McDonald filed on a pre-emption claim nine miles north of Estevan at Lake McDonald, named after the McDonald family. A stone house was built and the McDonalds became ranchers maintaining some 50 shorthorn cattle and 50 head of horses. In 1903 Peter McDonald changed to the livery and feed business in Estevan. The firm was known as McDonald & Murphy.
Peter McDonald was a familiar figure around Estevan for many years and in 1928 the McDonalds celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. The event was attended by their eight daughters, at that time married and established in homes of their own. This was to be their last family reunion as Peter McDonald died that same year at the age of 76. His wife, Annie, survived him eight years, her death occurring in 1936 at the age of 78. Three daughters still reside in Estevan, Isabella, now Mrs. Isabella Muirhead; Laura is the wife of Harry Nicholson, mayor of Estevan for the past 15 years; Alameda married Charles Boakes in 1911, another early settler from Kent, England. Arriving in Estevan in 1903 he filed on a homestead. The Boakes ran a grocery store on Fourth Street between 1911 and 1916, at which time he took a position with the railroad, retiring in 1939.
Alameda McDonald Boakes, now past her three score year and ten spends much of her time compiling work on the early days, when the Metis roamed the prairies picking up the buffalo bones which were scattered over the land. Her knowledge of life on the prairies during the early part of the century has been recorded and filed in the collegiated library for future generations to read.

St. Joseph's General Hospital

St. Joseph's General Hospital-Estevan, Sask.

There are some 30,000 Sisters of St. Joseph, belonging to 60 mother houses, many of them far distant from the place of their origin who are today internationally known for their excellent work as teachers, nurses and social welfare workers.
The Order of the Sisters of St. Joseph was established in the Diocese of Peterboro, Ontario, in 1890, with the opening of a new hospital. Since that time hospitals have been opened at Wainwright, Alberta (1931), Clandonald, Alberta (1932), Edmonton, Alberta (1946), and Estevan, Saskatchewan (1938). The Radville Union hospital has been established under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Pembrook, Ontario.
November 30th, 1938, St. Joseph's General Hospital was opened at Estevan, Saskatchewan, under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Peterboro, Ontario.
Estevan is the marketing centre for southeastern Saskatchewan located in the heart of the beautiful Souris River Valley, to the west of the lignite coalfields. The hospital is built of Estevan Brick, surrounded by landscaped grounds with paved walks leading to the main entrance.
The growth of the hospital can be traced through its various stages of expansion. In 1938 a 38-bed hospital was opened. By 1942 it was found necessary to build a small wing to accommodate a larger laundry and to provide facilities for isolation. A children's ward and sufficient beds to bring the bed capacity to 60, not counting basinettes, was the next step on the expansion program. A steady increase in admissions necessitated the opening of an annex in the building, formerly used as the hospital for the R.A.F. training station, five miles south of Estevan. This provided accommodations for 45 more patients. This auxiliary unit is still in operation and is serviced entirely form the main hospital. The new central stores built at the rear of the 1942 wing opened August 10, 1954. Work on a new boiler room is well under way, at which time increased laundry space will be made possible and plans have been made to install modern laundry equipment.
The government rating for the Estevan General Hospital is at present 75 beds. The General Hospital keeps abreast of the times with modern equipment for X-ray, operating room and laboratory diagnosis and treatments.
Fully qualified nurses and a competent medical staff completes the picture of one of the finest hospitals in Saskatchewan.

The Origin of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Dates back to 1648 when the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph was founded by Henry de Maupas du Tour, Bishop of Le Puy-en-Velay, France.
Le Puy, the capital of Velay, is a very ancient town built at the base of two volcanic needles of eruptive rock, Mount Corneille and Mont St. Michel. The cathedral (Notre Dame de Puy) is centuries old and of great interest to archaeologists.
October 15th, 1648, six volunteers were constituted into a religious institute, under the name of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The cradle of the congregation was a refuge for orphans and homeless women.
The expansion of the Institute of St. Joseph continued during the opening and succeeding years of the 18th Century. The district of Velay-Forez-Lyonnais and Auvergne became dotted with hospitals, schools and orphananges, in which the Sisters continued to give their services to the needy.
The French Revolution brought many changes. The sisters, in order to avoid arrest, took refuge in caves, but were later discovered and thrown in prison. Weeks and months of the Great Terror passed and the little group of Sisters calmly awaited the death sentence, to which the judges of Robespierre had sentenced them. The Terror reached its climax in the summer of 1794 and was brought to a sudden end by the assassination of the tyrant on July 28th, one day before their execution. Nevertheless seven Sisters of St. Joseph in other locations were given the death sentence, during the reign of the Terror, marking one of the darkest spots on the pages of history.
Despoiled of their convents, hospitals and property, the Sisters were forced to start over again, with nothing but their intrepid spirits as a foundation.
A new and brighter order began with the advent of Napoleon Bonaparte (1799). Under the guidance of Mother St. John Fontbonne, new mother houses were established at Chamberry, Annecy, Bourg and Bordeaux. In 1836 she sent the first band of Sisters to America. Their first mission was Cahokie, almost opposite the present city of St. Louis, Missouri. Floods and their attendant devastation caused them to move to their convents in St. Louis and Carondelet. Years of arduous work followed; overcoming obstacles was a necessity which had to be met in those early pioneer days. "We Sinais climb and know it not" well befits their steady advancement. In 1851 the Congregation of St. Joseph was established in Toronto, Canada. Later convents and hospitals were built in the smaller towns. The following 50 years became a half century of progress. A new scholastic wing was added to the Mother House, built in 1884, accommodating the rapidly increasing enrolment.

South Eastern Saskatchewan's Oil, Coal, Power Centre - Estevan

Land Boom (1906)--Oil Boom (1956)

The year 1956 marks a milestone in the history of Estevan, the fiftieth anniversary of its incorporation as a town. 1906 was a colorful year with the land boom in full swing. Thousands of new settlers were arriving with their household effects, and queues of land seekers awaited their turn at the land registration office. The following five years show a steady increase in population, and by 1911 the census records gave Estevan a population of 1,981.
History repeats itself in 1956, with population figures taking an unprecedented upward spiral, due to the oil boom which has brought in countless numbers of new workers to the oil fields.
The total number of oil wells capable of production in southeastern Saskatchewan listed May 1st, 1956, numbered 294. The records change rapidly and are now well over the 400 mark as the drilling continues in this area. These fields include Alida, Frobisher, Hastings, Kingsford, Lampman, Steelman, Nottingham and Midale, all comparatively easy to reach from Estevan. As a result of these discoveries, Estevan became general headquarters for some 50 to 75 oil development and oil well supply companies who have bought property, rented every available space and are constructing offices and warehouses, literally transforming Estevan from a marketing centre of fifty years standing to a city with a future as yet unpredictable. COAL, OIL and POWER are the three mighty factors which will determine the future of this new city in the heart of the Souris Valley.
COAL
As the above mentioned lignite coal fields constitute one of the greatest natural resources in Canada, there is enough of this coal readily available to generate power for the proposed $40,000,000 generating plant (244,000 kilowats) planned for construction at Long Creek, south of Estevan. The Saskatchewan Power Corporation plans to utilize coal from the Souris Valley to produce power at a cost level, nearly competitive with hydro power. A 30,000 kilowat extension is to be added to the existing plant, bringing it up to 72,250 kilowats. Thus the Estevan area becomes a keynote in the power production field. Power is transmitted over high tension lines for rural electrification and electricity for the smaller centres of Southeastern Saskatchewan.
A new dam is now under construction at Long Creek, which will fulfill a long felt need. This has been pushed through by the Saskatchewan Power Corporation. The prime purpose of this dam will be threefold: cooling, water conservation, and flood control. Estevan is also building a new pumping and filtration plant on the north bank of the Souris River.

BUILDING PROGRAMME

The building projects which are now under way will transform Estevan from the marketing centre it has been heretofore into a thriving industrial and distributing centre. Some 72 lots have been surveyed for the new sub-division to be known as Rattray Place. This will constitute one of the new residential sections. Water and sewer installations are to be extended to Hillside, a boon to the residents of this district who have hopefully awaited this event for the past fifty years. Twenty-two new mercantile houses are now under construction. The head office for Westspur Pipe Line is to be located on Sixth street. A new $215,700 federal building is under construction. The site chosen for it is hallowed ground, as it is none oother than the lots formerly occupied by the old stone school, a niteteenth century landmark, wherin the majority of Estevan's population learned the three R's. Undoubtedly the demolition squad who worked on this project were quite unaware that they were tearing down a sizeable portion of Estevan's history. The architectural firm of Stack & Ransey, Regina are building a new mercantile block adjacent to the new Federal building.
The old as well as the new are enlarging and renovating their business places. In the restaurant field, the Canada Cafe, which changed hands in September, 1955, has been remodelled by a Winnipeg firm, Display & Fixture, Manitoba Ltd. at a cost of $30,000. Acoustic tile ceilings, panelites and plastic and nylon coverings give to one of Estevan's oldest cafes a note of sophishtication lacking in the old. The Princess and the General cafes are following the same pattern.

AIRPORT-THE ESTEVAN FLYING CLUB

Customs and immigration points of entry into Canada are located just south of Estevan, as well as customs offices at the airport to accommodate international flyers.
The Estevan airport is an "Off-th-Airways' airport. The runway is hard surfaced, 3,000 feet in length.
Mayor Harry Nicholson is president of the Estevan Flying Club and "Ken" Nicholson is manager and flying instructor. The businessmen of Estevan formed the club in 1946, which is listed as a member of the Royal Canadian Flying Club Association.
The airport at Estevan was originally designed and built by the Department of Transport as a training school for pilots during the second world war at a cost of $3,000,000. In 1956 the town of Estevan took over a number of the buildings necessary for the continued operation of the airport. Today a great many of these buildings are used to house the new army of workers who labour in the oil fields.

ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL, 1956

Saturday, May 12th, 1956, a new wing was officially opened at St. Joshep's Hospital, the cost of this new additon being $500,000. Incorporated in the bulding are modern facilities which include a new maternity ward, nursery, X-ray room, with lead-lined control centre, well equipped laboratory, increased kitchen space, a cafeteria accommodating 48 persons, and elarged office space for the administrarive personnel. Oxygen supply is piped from a central supply source to all wards. Conforming with the origianl structure, this new wing of modernistic design is constructed of Estevan brick on a steel frame. An additional 35 beds are now available.

GCS/gs 18/20Dec2006, Jan2007 - Inputting by library staff: James Skelton, Laurie Sokol.