Museum Musings: Paddockwood Red Cross Outpost Hospital

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: Paddockwood Red Cross Outpost Hospital

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

At the conclusion of the First World War, the employment and residential needs of the men who had served in the armed forces became an issue for the federal government.  For those men who were looking to take up agricultural responsibilities, there were two primary locations in western Canada which were considered to be appropriate.  One of these was an area to the north of Edmonton, Alberta, but the better location was north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  It was reported in May of 1920 that the local Soldier Settlement Board had placed 900 new settlers in northern Saskatchewan, most of them in and around Paddockwood.

Although the land was reported to be excellent for farming, it was very isolated.  Roads were few, and those that did exist were not easy to travel.  A return trip to the nearest large community, Prince Albert, could not be accomplished in less than three days.  As there was no hospital, clinic, or doctor in the newly opened agricultural community, illness or accident would result in long periods of suffering and, too often, would be fatal.

In January 1920, a meeting of the Soldier Settlement Board, the Victorian Order of Nurses, and the provincial Red Cross resulted in a plan being devised which might address the issue of the lack of medical care in these remote communities.  Money had been left over from funds which had been raised by the Red Cross for relief work amongst the soldiers fighting overseas.  It was agreed that these funds could be used to provide relief for the soldiers who were attempting to start their new lives.

The Soldiers Settlement Board would work with the Red Cross to meet the needs of these returning soldiers, as well as in the interests of Canadian colonization, in the areas around Paddockwood, and areas north and south of Tisdale.  The Victorian Order of Nurses, which had been established specifically for such purposes, advised through their chief superintendent, Mrs. Harrington, the “hearty cooperation” of that agency provided that the need could be clearly shown, and that arrangements could be made to secure a building and site in which to carry out the service.  Through the work of the field supervisors and the home branch of the Soldiers Settlement Board, data was established regarding the need, and a promise was made to ensure that the settlers would provide a building which would be built according to regulation plans.

Photo Courtesy Bill Smiley Archives
The Paddockwood Red Cross Outpost Hospital in 1949.

The provincial Red Cross, at a subsequent meeting in Regina agreed to take on the responsibility of equipping the hospitals, and to meet any deficits incurred in the maintenance of the facilities over the first two years of operation.

The community of Paddockwood was consulted at a meeting, with Colonel F.J. O’Leary and a number of Prince Albert men attending to outline the plan.  The community was encouraged to provide the site and a suitable building, to which they agreed. 

Fund raising began almost immediately.  It having been determined that the site and building would cost in the neighbourhood of $2,000 (about $32,500 in today’s terms), the community set out to raise $1,000 with the citizens of Prince Albert agreeing to raise the other $1,000.  Colonel O’Leary, superintendent of the Settlement Board, addressed the Prince Albert Rotary Club in April, seeking their assistance in raising Prince Albert’s portion.  He noted how desperately the hospital was needed, and reported that the settlers had already cut most of the logs for the building.  It was noted that the project was being watched closely by those in other provinces, and that it had the support of the local medical fraternity and the Red Cross.  The club quickly passed a motion to call a public meeting to consider the matter.

At a public meeting held shortly thereafter, it was stated that the area, comprising 30,000 square miles (nearly 77,700 square kilometres), had 800 settlers, and that the women amongst those settlers were exposed to unnecessary distress.  Miss Margaret McKillop of the home branch of the Settlement Board explained that the hospital would be a pioneer of its kind, with the settlers putting up the building and the Red Cross equipping it and maintaining a nurse for a two-year period.  All that was required would be for the people of Prince Albert to assist with the interior finishing and other work on the building.

The hospital would have four beds in the main ward, living quarters for the nurse, and a kitchen.  It could also include living quarters for a teacher, which would make it easier to secure a quality teacher for the community.

Dr. Stephen MacMillan spoke from the perspective of the medical profession.  He noted that the trails off the main road were often impassible, and there was no communication to help guide the doctors in finding the correct trail.  With the hospital located on the main Paddockwood road, it would be much easier and quicker for the doctor to attend to the patient.

Other local persons addressed the meeting which, at the end, established a committee to raise the necessary funds as quickly as possible.  The committee included P.W. Mahon, C.F. Clare, R.H. Hall, G.H. Carr, A. Elliott, the Reverend J.W. McIntosh, Canon J.I. Strong, and the MLA, Charles McDonald.

A large advertisement appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald on April 29th, 1920, advertising the need for money to help fund the outpost hospital.  It noted that the project was “a worthy object” and asked the readers if they would help.  The community, it declaimed, would be canvassed the following Monday, with lists opened at the Post Office, City Hall, and Avenue and Empress Hotels. 

Another supportive article appeared in the Daily Herald that same day, indicating that the “new Paddockwood Hospital” would attract more rapid settlement.

On May 3rd, the Daily Herald carried an editorial strongly advocating for, and supporting, the canvass to raise the necessary funds.  It pointed out that the Red Cross had sponsored the project, and that support was being provided for it by the Soldier Settlement Board and the Board of Trade.  It called the new hospital an “advance post in the attack by modern humanity on the kingdom of pain”.  It further encouraged all the pioneer settlers to recall the difficulties they had faced when no medical assistance was available to them, and suggested that the younger generation be open to the “universal call of the brotherhood of mankind”.

On May 4th, the newspaper carried a story indicating that the canvass for funds had been successful in Prince Albert.  At the close of the canvass the previous day, $1,066 had been raised.  Some subscriptions were still outstanding, suggesting that the total may easily reach $1,350.  (The eventual total was $1,421.)  A building committee comprised of Charles McDonald, F.J. O’Leary, and Louis Campbell took control of the money with the intention of ensuring that it was expended in accordance with the published objective. 

Meanwhile, the Paddockwood canvass was continuing to show strong support, with $600 already raised, and more to come.  Canvassing in the area had been slower than expected due to the distance between residents and the poor spring roads.

Although good progress was being made with respect to stock-piling the materials for construction of the hospital, construction had been delayed while the community awaited information on the route the new railway through the community was to take.  However, accommodation for the nurse had been found, and Miss Reeve, a graduate of the Saskatoon hospital had been employed to serve the community.

It was not until early June that a site was finally chosen for the hospital.  At the same time, a work committee was formed.  Members of the hospital committee included Mrs. I. McLean, L.E. Merrill, J.P. O’Hea, and J. Telfer.  They were joined at their meeting by members of the Prince Albert committee, Major F. J. O’Leary, Charles McDonald, and Louis Campbell, as well as builder Andrew Holmes who offered some suggestions based upon his experience.  Charles McDonald, the MLA, who was by profession a druggist, announced that he would donate the drugs for the first year free of charge. 

By September 28th, the Daily Herald was able to report that building had been erected and was being assessed as having a worth of $5,000.  It was a two-storey structure with a basement, and reportedly well furnished.  There had been some difficulty in the construction as all the material had to be brought by horse team from a distance of 30 miles at a cost of $16 a load.

The hospital was formally opened at a low-key event held on October 1st.  A large gathering of residents and visitors attended, including Charles McDonald, Mr. and Mrs. George Carr, A. Horne, the Reverend G. Dorey, Miss Margaret McKillop, Mrs. Neeley, Miss Hall, C.F. Clare, Mr. and Mrs. Renuart, Dr. and Mrs. Miller, Colonel J.H. Lindsay, and Major and Mrs. F.J. O’Leary.  Committee member, Mr. Telfer, ensured many of the local people were able to attend by picking them up and delivering them in his car.

Reg Dunster, who served as a board member from its opening until its closing, was also in attendance.  His wife will be remembered for donating the first bed to be used in the hospital.  (I remember her for her wonderful steak and kidney pie!)

After the brief opening ceremony, a tea was served, and in the evening a dance was held to celebrate the opening of the hospital.  But while this was the official opening of the hospital, the actual opening had occurred on September 28th, when Nellie Hambleton was admitted and delivered the first baby to be born there, her son Hugh.

Many babies would follow, including the first twins, Henry and Bill Jeffs.  There were also many stitches sewn through human skin, and minor surgeries performed, including tonsillectomies.  The hospital was deemed a huge success, leading to the opening of twenty-five other outpost hospitals in Saskatchewan.

Although the hospital became connected to the outside world shortly after the telephone came to Paddockwood in 1931, it was never connected to power, sewer, or water.

After the Second World War, when roads had been improved, vehicles had become more reliable, and communication systems had improved, the need for the outpost hospital had served its purpose.  In July, 1949, the first Red Cross outpost hospital in the British Empire closed for good.  But it still remains alive in the memories of those whose family members were so well served by it.

                                                                                fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: Thomas Clayton Davis

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: Thomas Clayton Davis

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

Thomas Clayton Davis was born in Prince Albert, Northwest Territories on Sept. 6th, 1889, son of the late Senator Thomas O. and Mrs. Davis.  The Davis family had come to Canada from Ireland.  They initially settled just south of Sherbrooke, Quebec, where Davis’s grandfather farmed.  He later became an organiser for Sir John A. MacDonald.  Thomas Osbourne Davis moved from Quebec to Prince Albert, where he joined his brother, retired from the Northwest Mounted Police, in operating a general store and establishing a freight business.

Thomas Clayton Davis was educated locally in the public elementary school (Central) and high school (Prince Albert Collegiate) before attending St. John’s College in Winnipeg, and Osgoode Hall in Toronto, where he earned his law degree in 1909.  Upon completing his degree, he returned to Prince Albert and was articled to Frank   W. Halliday.  He was admitted to the bar in 1914, and entered into partnership with Mr. Halliday.

As a seven-year-old child, Thomas Clayton was banished from the dining room as Sir Wilfred Laurier came to dinner and, in revenge, lowered an old suit of underwear on a string though the ceiling into the great man’s soup plate.  He ended the evening on the knee of the prime minister.

His fighting spirit was also in evidence during his youth.  Davis had the temper of an Irishman, and was known to be able to use his fists quite capably in schoolboy disputes.

While a student at St. John’s College, he accompanied a government treaty party on a 2,000 mile trip to visit northern Saskatchewan First Nation communities.  On the way, he picked up some of the Cree language but, more importantly, he developed an enthusiasm for the development of northern resources.

After returning to Prince Albert and joining the law firm of Frank Halliday, Davis was appointed the solicitor for both the Royal Bank and the Imperial Bank of Canada.  He also handled the legal work for Cameron and Heap, Ltd., the Codville Company Ltd., North Star Lumber Company, Ltd., West Lumber and Supply Company, Ltd., and North Canadian Lumber Company, Ltd.

Davis soon became involved in the political life of the city.  According to what he would later relate, it happened this way.  One day in 1916, as he walked down a Prince Albert street, the president of the Board of Trade approached him and took him by the arm.  He introduced him to a group of citizens and announced that “here’s a good man for alderman”.  The group marched him to city hall where nomination papers were drawn up and signed.  Davis was elected and thereafter served two terms as alderman after which he was elected as mayor, serving in that position from 1921 to 1924.

The time during which Davis served as an alderman and mayor can only be considered to be a time of considerable difficulty for the city of Prince Albert.  It was immediately following the La Colle Falls debacle.  The city was facing considerable debt, and many of the residents chose to move elsewhere rather than face the severe tax increases that were imposed.

In 1925, the marriage of Miss Grace Edith Elwood and Thomas Clayton Davis occurred.  Miss Elwood was the daughter of Mr. Justice Elwood of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.

Also in 1925, Davis was elected to the provincial Legislative Assembly for the Prince Albert constituency.  His time as a back-bencher did not last long.  His fluency in a minor criminal trial in Hoey several years earlier led to his move up the political ladder.  During the trial, Jimmy Gardiner, then a minister in the provincial government but now the premier, had visited the court room as a spectator.  Mr. Gardiner was impressed.  He felt that Davis could serve in a wider capacity.  Davis was appointed to cabinet in less than a year, serving initially as Minister of Municipal Affairs, but as Attorney-General in 1927.  In effect, Davis was Gardiner’s Minister of Northern Saskatchewan.  It was also in this role that he played a major part in convincing MacKenzie King to establish the Prince Albert National Park.

Although the Liberal party failed to win the provincial election in 1929, Davis was successful in the Prince Albert constituency, defeating the Conservative candidate, John Diefenbaker, by a small number of votes (415).  When the Liberal party returned to power in 1934, Gardiner once again appointed Davis as Attorney-General.  Again, given the economic situation in the province, Davis was serving as an elected official faced with a very difficult situation.  Agricultural prices were tanking, and farms, when they could be sold, were selling for next to nothing.  The stress and pressures, although not utilised publicly as the reason for Davis’s decision to leave politics, was mentioned quietly amongst those in the know.  In many ways, this was a loss as Davis, who had an incredible memory for names, paid close attention to the personal details of his constituents.

During his time as Saskatchewan’s Attorney-General, Davis was responsible for writing the agreement under which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police took over the work formerly done by the Saskatchewan Provincial Police.  This agreement formed the basis for other provinces who followed Saskatchewan’s lead in replacing their provincial police with the RCMP.

He also represented Saskatchewan at the coronation of George VI in 1937.  He kept a diary of his

experiences during this trip which amounted to 60,000 words and was published by most western

Canadian newspapers.

In June 1939, Davis was appointed to the provincial Court of Appeal.  However, his time there was short as, in 1940, MacKenzie King appointed him as a Deputy Secretary of State for War.  Again, Davis was serving in a position that was extremely difficult and stressful.  His first task was to oversee the national registration, assembling information on the age, occupation, and willingness to serve of all Canadians over the age of sixteen.

It is apparent that Davis handled this position in a satisfactory manner, as in 1942 he was appointed as Canada’s High Commissioner to Australia.  He later was appointed as ambassador to National China, this being the period of time when the Chinese people were undergoing the internal strife which led to the establishment of the Communist government.  A further appointment as ambassador to Germany followed, with his final appointment to the same position in Japan.  Davis retired from public service in 1957, at which time he and his wife settled in Victoria, British Columbia.

Even after retirement, Davis continued to work on behalf of his home province.  Tommy Douglas noted that Davis would provide information to the provincial government regarding individuals who showed an interest in investing in Saskatchewan.  Just two weeks before his death, he had forwarded an introduction to the representatives of a firm desirous of locating in Saskatchewan.  Other efforts showed how he continued to work on behalf of the country which he had represented and obviously loved.  On his last flight, from Victoria to Vancouver, just the day prior to his death, he entered a reminder in his notebook to contact the ambassador in a European country to encourage him to entertain two women from Canada who would be visiting that country.  And his visit to Vancouver was to make an attempt to obtain financial contributions from some of his wealthy friends for the University of Victoria.

Thomas Clayton Davis died in Vancouver on January 21st, 1960 at the age of seventy.  As a life-long Anglican he was buried from St. Alban’s Cathedral on January 25th.  More than 400 people were in attendance. The active pallbearers were members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, under the command of Sergeant F.N. Brien.  In attendance were numerous politicians and members of the legal community, Inspector J.J. Atherton representing the commanding officer of “F” Division and S/Sergeant H.M. Dixon on behalf of the Prince Albert sub-division, as well as friends from all walks of life.  Canon R.L. Taylor officiated, assisted by Archdeacon W.F. Payton and Mr. J.V. Hicks.  The choir of the Cathedral led the congregation in the hymns which were sung.  Interment occurred in the family plot at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Tributes were received from Prime Minister J.G. Diefenbaker, Premier T.C. Douglas, Mayor Allan Barsky, noted author and editor Bruce Hutchinson, and local friends including E.T. Bagshaw, and P.W. Mahon.  Interestingly, Davis was referred to in these tributes as either “T.C.” or “Tommy”, suggesting just how warm the friendship was between those providing the tribute and the deceased individual.

                                                                                fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: Kathleen Watson

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: Kathleen Watson

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

Driving down the 100 block of 21st Street West, I noticed that the house was up for sale. It isn’t just any house.  It’s the house in which I remember Kathleen Watson living, the house in which she taught piano, in which she taught singing.

Of course it was not the only house in which she taught, but it was the house in which she lived when I knew who she was. In those days, she was never called Kathleen Watson, but rather was known as Mrs. L.M. Watson (her husband being Lionel Mervyn Watson).

Born Kathleen Lynch on April 30th 1893, she grew up in Brockville, Ontario.  It was there that, at an early age, she began her development as a musician. Kathleen came west with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Lynch, at the age of eleven, when her father was transferred to Saskatoon as a superintendent with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

A few years later, Kathleen returned to Ontario to attend college, studying at the Ottawa Ladies’ College, and training under Katie Leheigh.  Once she had completed her formal education, she came back west and began teaching music in Saskatoon and Sutherland (at the time a community outside the City of Bridges). In addition to teaching music, she began serving as the organist and choir director of a Sutherland church.

It was while she was serving in this capacity that Kathleen met her husband, Lionel Mervyn Watson, who was the manager of the Sutherland branch of the Royal Bank of Canada.  After their marriage, the couple, as a result of his employment, moved to Regina and, subsequently to Borden, Saskatchewan. Mr. Watson retired from service with the bank on the advice of his doctors, and began employment as a representative of the Imperial Life Company. It was as an agent for this company that resulted in their move to Prince Albert in 1922.

Originally residing at 462 – 22nd Street East, the Watsons began a series of moves within the city. In 1925, they lived at 2207 – 2nd Avenue West, before moving to 306 – 19th Street West.  By 1929, they were living at 230 – 19th Street West, before moving back to 2207 – 2nd Avenue West in the early 1940s.  It was in 1941, at that address, that Mrs. F. Kathleen Watson was first listed as a music teacher in the Henderson’s Directory.  Their last move in Prince Albert was to 135 – 21st Street West, the house in which Mr. Watson lived when he died on August 23rd, 1960.  Kathleen Watson remained in the house until she moved from Prince Albert to Edmonton, Alberta, in 1968.

In the early 1930s, Mr. Watson was employed as an inspector for the Government of Saskatchewan, but by the mid-1930s he had returned to employment with the Imperial Life Company.  Early in the 1940s, he served as the collections manager for the Manville Hardware Company, before accepting employment with the Prince Albert Foundry. He served as the bookkeeper/accountant for them, as well as their business manager and office manager. By 1959, he had retired. His heart, which had been giving him problems since the early 1920s was once again a cause for concern. In early 1960, he had three heart attacks, the third one fatal.

Throughout the period from the early 1940s, Kathleen was teaching voice, piano, and organ.  One of her students, Vivian Miller, went on to study in Toronto before eventually becoming the lead singer in a Mendelssohn choir in Edmonton.  Not bad for a person who was considered to be almost tone deaf when she started her voice lessons!

Perhaps her most illustrious student was Jon Vickers, a man who won world-wide acclaim as one of the most outstanding dramatic tenors of his time.  Vickers had studied with Kathleen Watson for nearly a year prior to moving to Toronto.

Don Forbes, a supervisor of music in Vancouver, adjudicated at the local music festival one year.  He was less than positive about the music the students chose to sing.  But he was very positive about the manner in which Mrs. Watson’s students made the music come alive.  According to him, she “made it great”.

Mossie Hancock, a well-known Saskatchewan musician, on hearing the Watsonairs, a women’s chorus which Kathleen formed and directed for many years, said, “The music under her direction was shockingly beautiful.”

Another Prince Albert director of vocal groups and voice teacher, Margo Fournier, always felt comfortable directing groups singing in French or Spanish, but never felt comfortable directing them in singing English songs.  Not, however, until after Mrs. Watson taught her the beauty of the English language and how to impart the knowledge to those singing it.

During her early years in Prince Albert, Mrs. Watson often served as an adjudicator at music festivals throughout the province.  However, with two young daughters, Lucille and Margaret, keeping her busy at home, she made the decision to give up such outside engagements. When she first came to Prince Albert, she served as organist and choir leader at St. Paul’s Presbyterian church and then later at Wesley United church. She also prepared her students for participation in the Prince Albert music festival, and they consistently scored more marks in the 90+ range than did those of any other local music teacher.

Both Lucille and Margaret grew up as accomplished musicians.  Lucille in particular had an exceptional singing voice, something that was noted in her school’s year book.  Interestingly, while attending Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, they were both considered to be gifted athletes.  Both played basketball, and Lucille played hockey, while Margaret was successful in track competitions.

As the girls grew older, Mrs. Watson began a role as director of a junior choir and, in 1956 organised a women’s group which took the name Watsonairs.  With the coming of television to the city, the Watsonairs became in demand for guest appearances on that media.  Kathleen demanded high standards of performance from her songsters, ensuring that they rehearsed seriously and that their taped performances would always be successful.

In the early 1960s, (probably 1963) and likely at the Orpheum Theatre, (the scene of her earlier highly successful concerts) this group performed their last concert under her direction. Afterwards, it continued under the same name but under the direction of Gladys Strom. It seems that the death of her husband resulted in the loss of Kathleen’s desire for public performances.

In 1968, Kathleen Watson taught her last lessons locally and moved from Prince Albert to Edmonton where she was able to join her two married daughters and her three grandchildren. She was a great loss to this city’s music community, and should never be forgotten.

fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: George R. Russell

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: George R. Russell

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

When I was a youngster, my family bought our meat from the butcher at Eaton’s grocery counter.  We later followed that butcher to his own meat shop and, even later when I was approaching university age, we followed him to the Hillcrest Grocery (owned at that time by the Kavanaugh family).  The butcher was Albert Russell, one of six sons and three daughters of George and Rosalie Russell.

George Russell was born at Glengarry, Ontario, in 1858, to Peter and Margaret (Shatall) Russell.  He attended school in Cornwall, after which he was apprenticed to the butcher’s trade.  In the beginning of May, 1878, at the age of twenty years, he arrived in Winnipeg.  On the morning of May 5th, Russell sought employment, but found none available in the trade in which he was apprenticed.  He did, however, obtain employment as a baker, earning no salary but being provided with room and board.  After two months, he took a job as a driver for E.F. Patwell’s store, working for $15.00 a month.  He remained at this job for a year before taking up a job in 1879 in Saint Boniface with Bennick and McCormick, a firm of butchers.

In 1880, Russell obtained employment with a contractor as a “cookee” on a Canadian Pacific Railway site.  His employer received that same year a contract for supplying meat to another C.P.R. construction gang.  Russell did all the butchering, and packed and delivered the meat to the camp.  He killed a head a day, carrying a quarter of beef on his back a quarter at a time four miles to the camp.  In addition, Russell had to act as the waiter during meal times.

When autumn freeze-up resulted in the work being discontinued, Russell was assigned by his employer to haul railway ties for the connecting link of the railway to Rat Portage.  The camp was six miles from the rail line, and on one occasion their food supplies were delayed nearly two weeks due to the trains being delayed.  All that the camp crew had to eat over this time was beans and syrup.

Russell and his employer followed the railroad west to Qu’Appelle.  There, Russell met a number of individuals whom he would later encounter when he moved to Prince Albert.  These included S.J. Donaldson, Harry Ross, and J.G. Rosser.

In the spring of 1882, Russell (along with his employer and another man) each took up three-quarters of a section.  They had expected to be able to sell the property for a profit, but the course of the rail line was changed three times over the summer.  As a result, Russell was able to sell only one quarter section, receiving a mere $12.00 for it.  Later that year, Russell left the job with his employer and went out on his own.  He put up a small log building at Qu’Appelle and started business as a butcher, receiving his supplies from Brandon, making $500.00 that winter.  He then, built a larger building which included a shop and an apartment, going into business with W.Y. Davis.  Although they were offered a contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company to supply the government troops with meat, they did not feel that the return would be sufficient to be worthwhile.  In the winter of that year (1885), the troops which were left in the Qu’Appelle valley were supplied with meat by Russell and Davis.

The summer of 1886 was so dry that the crops were a failure.  There was difficulty finding feed and water for the cattle and, as they had a sizeable herd of cattle and flock of sheep, Russell decided to move further north to Prince Albert.  He moved 17 head of cattle and 35 sheep, as well as a load of freight via a pony and light cart to his new home.  It took thirty days, and Russell reached Prince Albert in October.  With no butcher aside from a man who peddled meat from door to door, Russell took a chance and established a business on River Street in a building which later housed the Army and Navy, and later still Diehlers’ Choice.  His first customer was Stephen Brewster, at one time the Land Titles Registrar.

The business in Qu’Appelle remained open under the management of W.Y. Davis until the spring of 1888 when Davis moved to Prince Albert.  At that time, they built a larger butcher shop.  Russell sold out his share of the business to Davis in the spring of 1891, taking a vacation to his birth place for the first time in thirteen years.

In the year 1892, Russell entered into a short partnership with James MacArthur who, along with a man named Knowles, had opened the first bank in Prince Albert.  After leaving the banking business, MacArthur ventured into raising sheep at a ranch in Colleston.  After seven months, MacArthur discontinued the partnership, but Russell maintained the business, purchasing the wool from the area sheep ranches and shipping it to Winnipeg.  In 1904 alone, he shipped a car and a half of wool and seneca root.  He also shipped a carload of dried hides, and was the first area businessman to ship cattle east, driving 315 head to Qu’Appelle over two different drives for shipment to not only Central Canada but also to Britain.  The British shipment was not, however, a success as the cattle became too thin.

In 1904, Russell purchased the general store of W.R. Fish.  This he managed along with his butcher business.  After a year and a half, he sold out to W.C. Ramsey.  At the time, Russell was also actively involved in real estate, and in the early 1900s he traded a building on the east side of Central Avenue near River Street for a building known as the Old Brewery (likely the Courtney Brewery).  A newspaper story from the time reported that this deal would likely have a “far-reaching effect on the importance of Prince Albert as a market centre”.  Russell was said to be planning to use the site as a pork packing house.  A letter to the Mayor and Council of the City, written in May, 1910, indicated Russell’s intent to build and abattoir near the intersection of Broadway and the Hudson’s Bay Company Reserve (now 15th Street East and 6th Avenue).  He was hopeful that the council would authorize the connection of the water lines to his property as he anticipated using considerable water each day in that business.

From the pork packing plant, Russell shipped meat to Saskatoon, Regina, and Moose Jaw, as well as supplying quantities of it to the Hudson’s Bay Company.  In 1909, he took another trip east.

Upon his return to Prince Albert, Russell bought out the F.C. Baker store, carrying on business as G.R. Russell and Brother from a business on the corner of 2nd Avenue and River Street.  In 1911, he sold that store and opened on 11th Street, forming a company in 1912 called Russell/Baker Packing Company.  Baker eventually sold out to George Russell and his brother Norman.  Norman carried on, eventually selling the business to Patrick Burns from Calgary.

In the meantime, the general store on 11th Street was doing very well.  But Russell again felt the need to try something different and, in 1918, he sold out to G.W. Baker and, in 1919, he opened a store in Hoey on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.  When he received a reasonable offer for that store, Russell sold out and proceeded to open a general store in Henribourg, providing a focus for that farming community.  He built up a large trade but again sold out, wanting to ensure the provision of appropriate educational facilities for his growing family.

As can be seen from the foregoing information, Russell did not confine himself to the butcher trade, or even the grocery business.  While in Prince Albert, he was the fur agent for Joseph Hullman of St. Paul, one of America’s largest fur buyers.  This was apparently a viable business as in one year Russell was able to sell him $74,000 worth of furs.  He was involved in road construction in the Buckland district and also dabbled in real estate, building sixteen houses in and around Prince Albert, and owned twenty-four other buildings.

Perhaps one of the most interesting business propositions in which he was involved was his establishment of the Prince Albert ferry.  After the Resistance of 1885, the cable from the Batoche ferry was handed over to the community of Saskatoon.  It had been the property of the Honourable Charles Nolin, Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture.  He resorted to civil action and the Court found in his favour, allowing him to retrieve the cable.  Russell bought the cable from him and placed it across the river in Prince Albert.  The landing site was at the base of 1st Avenue West, with the cable attached on the north side of the river, running it through the forks of a large poplar tree.  This allowed the people living on the north side of the river to bring their wagons right into the business district.  Eventually Russell ceded control of the ferry to Prince Albert’s council.  This ferry continued to allow for the river crossing until the construction of the railway bridge by the Canadian Northern Railroad.

George Russell died in Prince Albert in 1948, leaving behind a legacy which few remember today.

                                                                                fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: Crawford, Kiszkan and an American

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: Crawford, Kiszkan and an American

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

It’s that time of year again, when hockey fanatics become engrossed in the latest scores, statistics, and standings.  We are a good six weeks into junior hockey play, and two weeks into play in the National Hockey League.

It might be too early to predict which team will make it to the play-offs, and who the stand-out players are going to be.  But it is never too early to look back, to think about the local heroes who have made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It was on August 26, 1961 that the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada officially opened the Hockey Hall of Fame’s first public exhibition in a building on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario.  It was the next year, on August 25th, that one of John Diefenbaker’s constituents, Samuel Russell (Rusty) Crawford, was announced as a member of the Hall of Fame.

While the announcement was made at a dinner, the official induction did not occur until the following year, on August 24th.  The Daily Herald carried a wire story in the August 26th, 1963 newspaper telling of a dinner at which sixteen crests were presented.  Included in that list was the name of Rusty Crawford.  No fanfare, no interview, no information about the man’s incredible story.  Just a little filler at the bottom of the page.

It should also be noted that the C.N.E. location was later closed and a new downtown location was opened in Toronto’s Brookfield Place (the corner of Yonge and Front Streets) in 1993.

Samuel Russell Crawford was born in Cardinal, Ontario in 1885.  His love of playing hockey emerged at an early age.  He began his career playing at Vernon, Ontario, close to his home community.  As an adult, he moved to Vancouver, where he worked for a packing company.  But in 1907, he felt the call of the east and planned to move back and join the Montreal Wanderers.  On the journey east, he was met at the Regina railway station where he was convinced to stay and play for that season with the local hockey team.  His abilities as a hockey player were immediately evident, and he became highly regarded throughout the province.

In the 1908/09 season, Crawford played for the newly organised Prince Albert Minto professional hockey team.  The Mintos won the provincial hockey title in both 1910 and 1911.  In his early years with the Mintos, Crawford roomed with fellow player J.H. “Bruno” Bennett.  Bennett would later refer to Crawford as “one of the best if not the best hockey player in Canada”.  It was, he would say, “a toss up between Rusty and Cyclone Taylor, as to just who was the best at that time.”  He described Crawford as being an outstanding skater, “one of the fastest skaters I have ever seen.”

During his time with the Mintos, Crawford met his wife, Mary Ortloff.  Originally from Thief Falls, Montana, she had moved with her family to Star City, Saskatchewan, from where she moved to Prince Albert for work.  The couple married in 1910, and in 1911 established a homestead at Spruce Home.

After the marriage, Crawford started playing hockey with the Saskatoon Wholesalers, as well as an all-star team in Winnipeg.  Then he joined the Quebec Bulldogs, a professional hockey team for which he played several years.  The 1913 Bulldogs won the Stanley Cup, beating Toronto in what at the time was the longest official league game ever played.  Scoreless at the end of regulation time, they played another fifty-two minutes before Crawford scored the winning goal.  What was most remarkable was the fact that he had never left the ice for the entire 112 minutes of that game.

In 1918, Crawford was playing with the Toronto Arenas, a year in which they won the Stanley Cup.  Still later, he played hockey in Saskatoon, Calgary, and Vancouver before finally hanging up his skates after playing twenty-one seasons of professional hockey.

Vazil McAnely, another local hockey fan, closely followed Crawford’s career.  He credited his excellent physical condition for his surprising durability.  Crawford never weighed more than 150 pounds (fewer than 70 kilograms) during his playing days.  At five feet, five inches (165 centimetres), he was certainly not amongst the tallest player on the ice.  His height and weight, however, probably allowed him the speed with which he was credited.

With Crawford away playing hockey each winter, the chores in the early years on the homestead were carried out by Crawford’s wife and her brother, Charlie Ortloff.  In the later years, the chores could be managed by his wife and their older sons.  The children, who numbered eight, remembered their father as leaving the farm wearing his hat and carrying a club bag.

Crawford passed away in local hospital on December 19th, 1971 at the age of 86 years.  Curiously, he was buried in South Hill Cemetery under the name William Crawford.  He was survived by his wife, five sons, and three daughters.

Crawford is not the only local product who earned admission into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Born November 8th, 1924, John William Kiszkin taught himself to play hockey using a tree branch as a hockey stick and made pads out of old mattresses.  After serving in the Canadian Army during World War II (he lied about his age in order to enlist at the age of fifteen), he returned to Prince Albert in 1944 and began playing junior hockey.  He turned professional in 1945, where he played for eleven seasons, mostly with Cleveland.  It was in his first year of professional hockey that his surname was legally changed to Bower.

Bower was known as a hard-nosed and scrappy player.  He was the first goaltender to utilize the poke check, and was known as “The China Wall”.  Bower was one of the goaltenders for the Maple Leafs when they last won the Stanley Cup.

He was admitted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.  Bower died of pneumonia on December 26th, 2017 at the age of 93.

A third player with connections to Prince Albert was admitted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.  Mike Modano was born June 7th, 1970 in Livonia, Michigan.  After an extensive career in pee-wee and midget hockey in the Detroit area, Modano was invited to join the Prince Albert Raiders by coach Rick Wilson in 1986.  The sixteen-year-old Modano scored a hat trick in his first game, and by the following year was a member of the Western Hockey League All Star team.  Four days after his eighteenth birthday, Modano was selected by the Minnesota North Stars first overall in the draft.

Modano played for the North Stars (later the Dallas Stars), and finally Detroit Red Wings before officially retiring from the National Hockey League on September 23rd, 2011.  He was admitted to the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17th, 2014.  Although not a Prince Albertan, this city can claim to have been instrumental in the development of his hockey skills which in turn led him to the Hall of Fame.

It will be interesting to see which Prince Albert player or official, locally born or locally developed, will be the next to be inducted to the Hickey Hall of Fame.  Perhaps one of our professional female players.

                                                                                fgpayton@sasktel.net

The CKBI Building

Fred Payton
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The CKBI Building

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

News that the CKBI Building is for sale by auction has created considerable interest.  For more than 70 years, the people of Prince Albert and area have known that building by that name.  For a large portion of that time (at least until the dawn of the computer age), the same people have been entertained from that building, and received a goodly portion of the news, sports, and weather required to be informed.

What has been known as the CKBI Building since June of 1955 started out life as The Agnew Block.  The 1909 Henderson’s Directory for Prince Albert listed it for the first time as New Block on the north side of West Tenth Street.  Further information about the building or its owner did not appear, although it was noted that in the rear of the building was a laundry operated by Hoo Sam (later to be one of three owners of the Saskatchewan Café, and a convicted murderer who was hanged outside the Provincial Gaol located at Central Avenue and Eighteenth Street).

The next edition of the Directory, in 1911, listed the building as The Agnew Block, occupied by Agnew’s Limited.  Agnew’s Limited was owned primarily by Thomas J. Agnew, a businessman who had been mayor of Prince Albert in 1901.  He also owned, with other members of his family, Agnew Bros. Hardware Company Limited.  Agnew’s Limited was a departmental store selling office hardware, groceries, ladies’ ready-to-wear, gents’ furnishings, boots and shoes, and dry goods.  Their advertising included, after dry goods, “etc.”

On the first floor of the building was A.I. Wilkinson’s real estate and insurance agency, as well as a suite in which Hillary Agnew resided.  The third floor accommodated the architect, O. Albrechtsen, as well as offices for the Hudson’s Bay & Pacific Railway.  By 1919, the building accommodated the departmental store, as well as offices for the Rural Municipality of Russia, and five apartments.  In 1923, the R.M. offices, six apartments, and the Elks’ club room were there, as well as the departmental store.  The store, and twelve apartments were in the building in 1925, including an office for T.J. Agnew.

By 1926, the family members who had been involved with Agnew’s Departmental Store were ready for retirement and closed out the store.  The Agnew Block was put up for sale.  Another former mayor of Prince Albert, George W. Baker, was also the owner of a departmental store.  Baker’s Limited occupied premises on West 11th Street.  However, on March 17th, 1926, an advertisement appeared on page eight of The Daily Herald.  In large letters, it read “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT from Baker’s Limited”.  It went on to state that the company had “removed the entire stock of Ladies’ Ready-to-Wear to our New Home in the Agnew Block”.  The latest creations in ladies’ spring coats and dresses could be seen there, and all patrons were welcome to visit 10th Street West.

The 1927 Henderson’s Directory listed the building as the Baker Block.  George W. Baker was listed as the manager of the department store, and it noted that there were also nineteen apartments in the block.  By 1932, the listing also included the name of Edgar Ryan, janitor.  Aside from 1934, when the listing indicated that there were only thirteen apartments, the yearly listings in the Directory indicated that there was a minimum of nineteen apartments, with a maximum of twenty-eight apartments in 1941.  Beginning in 1936, one of the apartments was listed as the office of George Baker, and in 1943, Louis Bakken was listed as either the building’s caretaker or janitor.  In 1953, the listing indicated that there were twenty-six apartments, and for the first time Ole Eggen was listed as the caretaker.  In 1955, for the first time, the listing included a basement business, Bill’s Barber Shop, owned by William J. Nelson.

It was in the middle of June, 1955, that The Daily Herald carried a story about CKBI Radio having moved into the building.  The following year, in addition to Bill’s Barber Shop, the listing included Mrs. Cora Wright, and listed John Greenlow as the caretaker.

By 1958, William Nelson had added a beauty salon to his barber shop.  Mrs. Peggy Nelson ran the beauty salon.  Space was set aside for an Alcoholics Anonymous programme, as well as for Miss Ramsey’s Kindergarten (run by Helen Ramsey), and the Prince Albert Gospel Assembly (Doug Whitter, pastor).

Throughout the successive years, other businesses and programmes had space in the CKBI Building.  Miss Ramsey’s Kindergarten was succeeded by Isobel Rice’s Kiddie Korner and Tiny Tots Nursery, the Alcoholics Anonymous programme was replaced by the Salvation Army’sBridge programme (run by Rod Wirsta), and Orville Andres’ Person-T(wo)-Person Programmme occupied space.  The United Paperworkers International Union (local 1120), and Cathy Anderson’s Prince Albert School of Ballet rented space in the building.

There were numerous individuals who rented the apartments in the building.  Many of the employees of the city’s Chinese restaurants lived in the building, and even the occasional staff of the station lived there.  One prominent resident, Ted Paine, lived in the building from 1969 to 1975.

Most people will remember the on-air personalities: people such as Merv Samborski, George Prosser, Larry Christie, Norris Bick, and Ross Perry.  There were many individuals who worked behind the scenes, including Peggy Ryan in continuity, Jim Forsman, Earl Hunter, and George Slingsby.  One of the most important staff members was Tom van Nes, who was the chief engineer.  He was responsible for so many of the remote broadcasts in the early years of the radio station, and built and maintained the television station from scratch, including the antennas and towers.  Without these people, the on-air personalities would not have been seen and heard.

Some of the radio programmes which were aired on the radio through the years included The Happy Gang, and Art Linklater’s P & K House Party.  Local programming included high school football games and, of course, junior hockey games.  On television were shows such as Spotlight on Talent, and Tiny Talent, The Four O’Clock Hop, as well as specials such as the Christmas shows.  And who can forget collecting potato chip bags so that you could bid for prizes on Kids Bids.

Whatever happens to the CKBI Building as a result of its forthcoming sale, there will be generations of Prince Albert and area residents who will always remember the call letters CKBI, the programmes and individuals who worked at the station, and the contribution which it made to the community.

fgpayton@sasktel.net

The Great West Iron, Wood, and Chemical Works

Fred Payton
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The Great West Iron, Wood, and Chemical Works

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

Most local and area residents will have heard about the La Colle Falls debacle and the devastating role which it played by retarding the development of the City of Prince Albert. When the City should have been establishing a solid base for growth, budgets were so tight (and tightly controlled) that the City could barely meet the costs of providing the most basic services.

La Colle Falls was not, however, the only project which Prince Albertans expected would lead to jobs, growth, and wealth. The energy created by the La Colle Falls dam was expected to lead to industrial development, which in turn would require development of improved rail transportation, and generally turn Prince Albert into a desirable location in which to live and in which to invest.

Discussions between the City and the individual representing a new company occurred. Prince Albert and area was seen as being able to provide an abundant source of wood, as well as the water and power required for a huge industrial complex. The representative of the company advised he was able to access machinery for a complex at one-quarter of its value, as well as a patent for a superior quality paint, and another patent for the manufacture of toothpicks.

At a meeting of the City Council held on Aug. 20, 1912, Alderman A. E. Matheson introduced a motion that the City of Prince Albert be authorized to guarantee certain securities including the payment of principal and interest of the bond debenture (or other securities) not to exceed $125,000 of a soon to be incorporated company to be known as The Great West Iron, Wood and Chemical Works Limited. At the time, $125,000 would be worth over $4,250,000 today.

(It should be noted that A.E. Matheson, who owned and operated a men’s clothing store, had no relationship with F.A. “Fred” Matheson, who would in 1929 open a menswear store, also afterwards becoming an alderman for the city.  A.E. Matheson moved from Prince Albert by the end of World War I and lived thereafter in California.)

Matheson’s motion received both first and second reading at the Aug. 20 meeting, before being approved by a vote of the burgesses on Sept. 14, with 364 voting in favour and 13 voting against.  Having met the approval of the burgesses, the third and final reading of the motion was passed by the City Council on Sept. 17.  The by-law was then signed by Mayor N. W. Morton and the City Clerk, C.O. Davidson.

Having received the support of Prince Albert’s city council, the men who were the owners of The Great West Iron, Wood and Chemical Works sought incorporation for their company. This they received on Oct. 1.  The ownership group consisted of two men from Halifax, Nova Scotia, one a King’s Counsel and the other the Imperial German Consul; two men from Toronto, a railway official and a King’s Counsel, as well as the prime mover, Felix Frank.  Frank was a German citizen who had previously been employed by the Dominion Iron and Steel Company in Sidney, Nova Scotia.

The basic agreement between the City and the Company included the Company establishing a manufacturing plant consisting of a foundry, a paint mill, and two wood working plants, the first a general plant and the second a specialist plant.  The City of Prince Albert, besides guaranteeing the Company’s $125,000 loans would provide fifteen acres of land suitable for an industrial site.

Although agreement was reached for the construction of the new Company’s buildings, Council still faced some obstacles. Other developers felt that they deserved the same treatment as the new company. And the land which was provided to them sat on land which had been given the City by the federal government for use as recreational parkland.

Frank Oliver, the Minister of the Interior was not pleased to have such land converted to industrial usage.  When the Company asked for even more land be rezoned for industrial use, Oliver ensured that the zoning designation was such that it could not eventually be used for domestic housing. He did not want people to be able to profit by the rezoning.

Eventually the Company began to build on the original fifteen acres.  The iron foundry had sufficient floor space to allow for fourteen tons of iron per melt, with two melts per day.  This would allow for the cold casting of 84 iron stoves and ranges, or 168 units each day.  The equipment was also capable of casting all kinds of soil pipes or other types of casting.

The general woodworking plant had a main building of 100 x 56.6 feet, with a dry house of 46 x 31 feet.  Two machines were installed to run through 40,000 feet of lumber per day.  All classes of woodwork, doors, sashes, window frames could be built.

The paint factory had the capability of producing 125 gallons per day and, with an addition to the building, could be brought up to 250 to 300 gallons per day.  There was also capacity in the building to fit the machinery to produce their own tin cans.

The specialty woodworking plant covered two acres with the main building, a power house, and a warehouse. It contained complete toothpick machines, with both Canadian and American patents. It was adaptable for manufacturing children’s sleds, carts, showcases, and any other article made of wood.

A total of seven factory buildings and eight workers’ cottages were built. But even before they were completed, Felix Frank had grandiose plans for expansion. He felt that if the site could be expanded to 60 acres, they would be able to manufacture railway box cars, veneered pullman cars, and car wheels.  The woodworking plant could produce 1,000 windows, six prefabricated houses, a carload of toothpicks, and a thousand gallons of paint daily.

The Great West Iron, Wood and Chemical Works had barely gotten into full production when, suddenly, it went into bankruptcy, apparently as a result of high freight rates and the collapse of the boom market brought upon at the beginning of World War I. The City, having just weeks before put some bonds on the market, was unable to recall them.

The equipment and most of the buildings were sold, and Prince Albert was left with one more debt to repay. All the money the shareholders had put into the Company was lost, with two of them being left virtually penniless. The man who had been the driver behind the business, Felix Frank, managed to return to his native Germany just before the outbreak of the War.

At least some, if not all, of the eight workers’ houses were sledded across the winter ice of the North Saskatchewan River to new locations in Prince Albert. At least four of them were relocated in Midtown, two on Ninth Street East, one on 11th Street, and one on 12th Street.  While originally identical, changes have been made to them and they can only be identified by their one distinguishable “cottage” roofs.

The only remaining manufactory building which was utilised after the bankruptcy of The Great West Iron, Wood and Chemical Works was the four-storey paint shop, but not for many years. Eventually, that building was converted into a box factory which was operated by John Mitchell. Today, the site sits virtually vacant, with only the skeletal remains of the Pines Drive-in occupying it.

fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: the original Pineview Terrace

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: the original Pineview Terrace

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

A committee was established locally in the early 1960s to study the needs of senior citizens living in the Prince Albert area.  In the autumn of 1962, that committee reported that the most pressing need faced by those seniors was low rental housing.  A meeting was held on October 15th of that year to explain this need, and to gain the support of the municipal bodies within the Prince Albert Heath Region.  The supervisor of Low Rental Housing for the Provincial Department of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mr. M.W. Sturby, addressed the meeting and explained the various projects which had been developed for senior citizens within the province, as well as how to establish such a project and the method by which it could be funded.  Those attending the meeting endorsed the idea.

Subsequent to this meeting, a survey, with a response date set at November 16th, was sent to 300 seniors regarding housing needs, and only 49 had been returned by November 14th.  In a news release printed in the Prince Albert Daily Herald on November 14th, the committee encouraged the seniors to complete the questionnaire and return it to Dr. Robert Woodrow, the Medical Health Officer for the Prince Albert Health Region.

At the meeting held November 19th at the Holy Family Hospital School of Nursing, the Northern Housing Development Company was formed.  The following municipalities affirmed their interest in the project by committing to its funding as follows:  City of Prince Albert ($24,000), Village of Big River ($678), the Local Improvement District ($2,288), the R.M. of Shellbrook ($1,400), the R.M. of Buckland ($2,045), the R.M. of Duck Lake ($500), the R.M. of Prince Albert ($3,293), and the R.M. of Birch Hills ($500).

When Central Housing and Mortgage investigated the need for the facility, it was determined that a suitable project would be 24 units for married couples, 26 bachelor units, and a hostel for 50 individuals.

A site location was required, and it was determined that 701 – 13th Street West in Prince Albert would be suitable.

This location had a lengthy history in the community.  The property had originally been owned by Lawrence Clarke, the chief factor for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and he lived in a three-storey home situated on it.  In 1885 he sold it for $1.00 to be used as a school for the young women of the community.  They were to be taught by the Sisters of the Order of the Faithful Companions of Jesus.  In the McPhillips’ Directory of 1888, it was noted that the citizens of Prince Albert had not allowed religious considerations to prevent their children from enjoying the benefits of training in that excellent institution.

With other educational options becoming available in Prince Albert, the attendance at the school dwindled, and the Faithful Companions of Jesus moved to Duck Lake in 1895 to assist in the running of St. Michael’s Student Residence.  This left the building vacant, and it soon became the home of an orphanage, St. Patrick’s.  A fire in the building in 1947 resulted in a need to vacate the premises, resulting in its availability nearly 20 years later for the construction and establishment of low rental housing for seniors.

It was originally estimated that the cost of the project would be $693,141, with Central Mortgage and Housing providing $446,400 (which would be repayable), the Province providing $138,628 (non-repayable), and the contributing municipalities paying $49,653.  As a Winter Works project, an additional $50,000 would be contributed.

Most of the construction was completed by local firms, including HDP Construction as the general contractor, paving by Barzeele and Burkosky, hardware from Fayerman Brothers, paint and cleaning equipment from Bradbury’s Hardware, building supplies from Beaver Lumber, and other work from companies such as Tru-Mix Concrete, Tash’s Floor Coverings, Thorpe Brothers, Houle Electric, and Ruszkowski Construction.

Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Provincial government could be relied upon for the capital costs of the buildings, but there were no grants available for the purchase of furnishings.  The married couples’ quarters and the bachelor suites were each provided with stoves and refrigerators, and each four units shared provided laundry facilities.  Each couple provided their own furniture.  However, municipalities, service clubs, community organisations, and individuals were relied upon for the cost of furnishings for the hostel, a total cost of $30,000.

Costs for the hostel included $1,800 for the solarium, $2,500 for the dining room, $2,100 for the main lounge, $1,000 for the recreation area, $400 each for the single rooms (of which there were 46), and $600 for each of the four double rooms.  The matron’s suite was to be furnished at a cost of $800.

When the facility was officially opened in June, 1965, all of the married couple units were completed and rented for $49 per month, with $5 a month for light.  The bachelor units were also completed and occupied, with rental costs of $39 and $4 for light.  Rental rates were based on the income of the renters.  Couples could earn up to $2,280 annually, and individuals in the bachelor units could earn up to $1,680.

In the hostel there were four double rooms, 46 single rooms, and 16 special care rooms.  The monthly charges for rooms were as follows:  double room costs were $70 per person, and single rooms were $ 80 per person.  Special care rooms were $95 per person.  These rooms included some assistance with personal care, but were not intended for nursing care.

An admissions committee composed of representatives from the participating municipalities were entrusted to make allocation of the units.  A staff of 11 persons was hired to ensure the effective operation of the entire project.

Some of the individuals living at Pineview Terrace when it officially opened in June, 1965, were Henry Ridge of Craik, Sam Moldowen of Kalyna, Herbert Weeden of Northside, and Albert Hewitt of Brightholme.  Each of them, when interviewed, indicated how much they enjoyed living in the facility, how good the food was, and how pleasant it was to have the opportunity to socialize with others.

The original facility functioned until 2014, when it was relocated to a new facility near the Victoria Hospital.  The original buildings are still utilized as a seniors’ facility, although it is now a private company operating it as Green Hill Lodge and Suites.

I wonder if the spirits of the six young girls who died in the St. Patrick’s Orphanage fire in 1947 still visit any of the current residents?

fgpayton@sasktel.net

The Will House/Colonial Apartments

Fred Payton
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The Will House/Colonial Apartments

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

In his book, Prince Albert the First Century, Gary Abrams refers to the years 1910 – 1913 as the Boom Years.  In a single week in March, 1910, more land changed hands than in the previous two years. Much of this activity resulted from the expectation that the Hudson Bay and Pacific Railway had surveyed 150 miles between the city and Churchill, Manitoba.  By the end of 1910, approval had been granted for sixty miles of that route, and a right-of-way had been staked.

On April 11, 1911, it was reported that the rail company had let contracts for placing the first fifty miles of steel. That same evening, real estate deals totaling one and a half million dollars had been made.  As land and housing prices increased, real estate dealers were enjoying the fruits of all these deals. Supporting this prosperity were the farming and lumber industries, both of which were thriving. It was said that there were more millionaires in Prince Albert than in the rest of western Canada.

Along the brow of the hill, both east and west of Central Avenue, splendid new houses were being constructed. My wife’s grandmother, who seldom spoke about Prince Albert’s past, would reminisce about the Sunday afternoon entertainment of this particular era. The horses would be hitched to the carriage, and would travel up to view the progress being made in the construction of homes. The one house in particular of which she would speak was the home being constructed for George Will, the building we now know as the Colonial Apartments.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1866, Will was educated there. He emigrated to Canada in1886, farming in the Peterborough, Ontario area. After two years, he joined the Northwest Mounted Police, serving between 1888 and 1898 at various locations including Regina, Saskatoon, Batoche, Wolseley, and Prince Albert. After his years with the Mounties, Will chose to settle in Prince Albert, where he owned a book store and stationers for three years. Having established a profitable business, he sold it and entered the real estate field. Will owned considerable property, from which he received rental, and established a large client base resulting from his skill and knowledge. His advertisement in the Henderson’s Directory of the time read: “Real Estate and Financial Agent, Insurance, Money to Loan”.

Having entered the real estate business at a time when there was significant profit to be made from it, Will acquired considerable wealth. He used some of this money to build the large and ornate home at 576 – 20th Street West. The home which is currently 571 – 19th Street West was originally the stable house for Will’s home. Construction may have started in 1912 but it was finished in 1913. The first mention of Will living at that address occurs in the Henderson’s Directory in 1913.

Like many wealthy Prince Albert residents of the time, Will invested a considerable sum of money into the La Colle Falls project. And, like so many others, including the tax payers of the city, he lost that money when the project did not proceed. This resulted in Will selling the house, sometime between late 1914 and early 1919. Will was still listed at that address in 1914, but the new owner, John A. Stewart was listed there in 1919.

John Stewart was born in Montreal in 1878, but came west to Regina with his parents in 1882. He took his grade and high schooling in that city, but left school at the age of fourteen. At that early age, he received his practical experience in the drug trade, finishing off with two courses in pharmacy from a private tutor.  Stewart then moved to Rosthern, where he established a pharmacy in 1899.  After twelve years in that community, he bought the Mitchell Drug Store on River Street in Prince Albert, later opening a second store at Central Avenue and 11th Street East.

Originally Stewart lived with his wife and family at a house which was later designated 167 – 21st Street West.  (This house was demolished in the 1970s when 2nd Avenue West was widened.)  Stewart bought the Will house at 576 – 20th Street West.  His house on the corner of 21st Street and 2nd Avenue was sold to the Braithwaite family.  (As an aside, the house was home to two Canadian authors, Bluebell Stewart Phillips and Max Braithwaite.)  The Stewart family was listed in the 20th Street house from 1919 until it was purchased from his widow by William Davis sometime between 1927 and 1932.

Already residing in the 300 block of 20th Street West, Davis chose to rent the home rather than living in it.  From 1932 until 1938, the house was occupied by Louis Broadfoot, the manager of Lone Star Service Station. This business was located at the corner of Central Avenue and 15th Street East, the current site of the Venice House. From 1938 until 1941, John Alexander MacDonald Craig, the owner of the CB Store and Craig Brothers, lived in the home. In 1941, H.W. Braithwaite resided there. He was the plant manager for the Dairy Pool, and remained in the house on 20th Street until 1942. By 1943, Davis had rented the building to the Department of Defence for use as an Officers Mess. Once the war was over, the house was vacant until it was turned into suites. From 1947 until now, the house has been owned and operated by various owners as an apartment block. It was not until 1953 that it became known as the Colonial Apartments. Although not limited to such residents, the apartment block was home, at one time or another, to many Prince Albert teachers, including Jean Clyde, Vi Godfrey, Alta Strachan, and Dick Spencer.

Although it has not been in the ownership of George Will for over 110 years, the house is still known as the Will House.  Unless, of course, you are younger and refer to it as the Colonial Apartments.

On his 80th birthday, Will was asked about the erection of “some of the city’s large buildings”.  His response was “don’t mention that. It brings up memories of sad times.” But there are many people in Prince Albert who had or have happy memories of the house, including those who watched its construction, those who have lived in it, and those have had the privilege of visiting someone who lived in it.

fgpayton@sasktel.net

Museum Musings: Francis Alexander Marr

Fred Payton
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Museum Musings: Francis Alexander Marr

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

Historians, archivists, and those interested in Saskatchewan history, and especially those who have researched the 1885 Resistance, will be familiar with the Marr House in Saskatoon. It served as a field hospital for the Dominion troops, was designated as a Municipal Heritage property by the City of Saskatoon in 1982, and in 2016 was designated as a National Historic site.

Prince Albert and area also played a significant role in that same Resistance, but it seemed a bit of a stretch for a researcher from Saskatoon to want to come to our archives to discuss the man who had built and owned the Saskatoon home.

Francis Alexander “Sandy” Marr was born in 1856 in Woodstock, Ontario. His parents were Scottish immigrants. Sandy Marr later moved to Winnipeg, where he became known as a stonemason and brick layer.

In the early 1880s, he heard with interest about the community of Saskatoon. It was said that growth in that community would require 500 new houses. Marr wanted to be amongst the contractors who would build those houses and came to Saskatoon with that in mind. What he found were a number of tents, twenty wooden buildings, and a population numbering around seventy people.

Undeterred by what he found, Marr brought his family from Winnipeg and began building many of the houses which were eventually required to accommodate the growing settlement. In addition to houses, he was also responsible for the construction of the first school, a stone edifice which now stands on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan campus, the old city hall, and King Edward school.

The Marr family initially lived with another family, the Garrisons, while he built the family home on what was to become 11th Street.  Once the first two rooms were completed, the family moved in and lived in those rooms for the first winter. Eventually, Marr added a second storey with dormer windows and a mansard roof.  The main floor had hardwood floors throughout, and leaded, bevelled glass windows on the main floor. It was a traditional Victorian design and, at the time, one of the three largest houses in the community.

It was as a result of its size that the Marr house was requisitioned by the Dominion government as one of three Saskatoon houses to be used as a field hospital.  (Some documentation suggests that this was a decision made by Major General Middleton, while other documentation indicates that it was the staff of the surgeon-general in Ottawa.  I prefer to adhere to the former opinion.)

Originally, the plan had been to transport the injured to a hospital in Swift Current, but the river was too low for the steamers to navigate, and the distance was too far, and would take too long, to transport the wounded soldiers.  The three Saskatoon homes could be reached easily by water, and the soldiers could be carried by stretcher from the river up the hill to the houses.

The nurses who attended the wounded soldiers wore, for the first time in Canada, the Red Cross arm band on their sleeves.  It was also the first time in Canada that nurses were officially recognised as a component of military field forces.  It is also of note that the Red Cross flag which was flown in the window of the priest’s house in Batoche was the first time that that flag had been flown in Canada.

On July 3, 1885, the field hospitals were decommissioned, and the Marr family, who had been living with the Dulmage family, were allowed to move back into their home.  Misfortune came to the family in the late 1880s when the mother died, leaving a one month old son for whom the elder daughter, Mary Elizabeth, had to care.  As she was just thirteen years old, she was initially assisted by Mrs. Clark, and later by Mrs. Kusch.  The family continued to reside in the house until 1892, when they moved to Prince Albert.

Francis Alexander “Sandy” Marr continued in the contracting business once the family arrived in this community.  He was known to have built a number of houses in this community, as well as preparing the brickwork for the provincial jail in 1923, and the brickwork for the Land Titles office on 12th Street East (now a private residence on the corner of 12th Street and 3rd Avenue East).

Marr later moved back to Woodstock, Ontario, where his son lived and where he resided until his return to Prince Albert in January 1933. Marr had two daughters living in this community. One, Mrs. W. Prest, had a son who worked for CKBI radio and television (known as Buster), and the other Mrs. Louis E. Valade. The Valades’ daughter, known as Topsy, was the first child born in Prince Albert after it became a city in 1904. She is well remembered as being the First Princess at the initial Prince Albert Winter Carnival and, in the same year, being crowned Miss Prince Albert.

Louis Valade met his wife, Mary Elizabeth Marr, at a dance in the first City Hall. Built in 1892/93, that building was also used for local gala events, including operatic performances, conventions and dances.  In an interview with Topsy (baptismal name Marguerite), she recalled how the orchestra would perform from the gallery, while those in attendance would dance on the floor of the Council chambers.

Louis Valade was a tailor with a shop on River Street. Most of the children born to him and Mary would eventually find employment in the store.  Later, the family moved away from men’s apparel into fruits and vegetables.  The Valade house was well known in Prince Albert.  Louis wanted to “get away” from the business and noise of the community, and built his house on the brow of the hill.  Hardwoods from Seattle were imported for the construction of the house, which had an unusual design for a local home.  There is a tower at one end of the house, topped with a cone shaped roof.  The house still stands at the top of the Central Avenue viaduct

Francis Alexander Marr died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Prest on March 11, 1935. He is interred in the South Hill Cemetery. He left to mourn him his two daughters living in Prince Albert, as well as a third daughter, Mrs. A. Ayre of Winnipeg, and two sons, Gordon of Woodstock, and Billy of Detroit.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover the nearer connection which Prince Albert has to the Marr house in Saskatoon. Those of us who volunteer in the archives certainly enjoyed the visit of the Saskatoon researcher.

fgpayton@sasktel.net

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