(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of excerpts from the book “A History of Canora and District 1910 – 1960” by J.F. Paul Barschel. Of course, the history of the area begins well before Canora was incorporated.)
CANORA – Wilson Allan is the man who named our town. He named it after the Canadian Northern Railway, using the first two letters of each word, resulting in Ca-No-Ra. C.R. Graham became half owner of the townsite with the railway owning the other half and Davidson and McCrea were general agents.
In 1904 the steel was laid, a station was built and four blocks of the townsite were surveyed. By this time a number of buildings for stores restaurants and stables had been erected on the road allowance which was not surveyed into lots, so the owners of these buildings were obliged to move them to the Main Street where the price being asked for lots was $150. An agent came from Winnipeg and in a meeting with the people an argument about the high price of lots took place. Finally the townsite company agreed to let each of those who had to move a building buy a lot for $75.
In August Canora was declared a hamlet and John Gillis was elected as the first overseer. He held office for only a short time when John Leitch was elected in his place.
In September the first passenger train arrived; Charles Prior was station agent.
Canora was in a period of rapid expansion. The Canora Hotel was opened on Railway Avenue where Frank’s Department Store [now Community Insurance] now stands, by J. Kuhn, who later sold it to Frank Ball. John Tetlock opened a lumber yard where Crystal Motors was later situated. He planted a row of evergreens in front of his lumber yard and dwelling which grew to considerable size. The last of these trees was felled only a few years ago.
The Scandinavian Canadian Land Company built an office on Main Street that is still standing. Ernest Barschel opened a livery stable and Clara and Elizabeth Barschel opened the Maple Leaf Restaurant which later became the Queen’s Hotel. Pete Douglas started a general store and Jim Fennell an implement agency, both on Main Street. R.W. Cummings established the Massey-Harris Implement Agency and Tom Lee and James Charters, another lumber yard.
In September 1904, the first child was born. It was a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. James Charters and was named Viola. Viola received a free lot from the owners of the townsite.
At the annual meeting of the Hamlet of Canora in 1904 James Fennell was elected overseer. In September 1904, the householders of Canora were as follows:
- James Charters, blacksmith and livery man;
- David Ennis, lumber and implement dealer;
- Malcolm McArthur, livery man;
- John Tetlock, lumber and implement dealer;
- Madoford & Sutherland, hardware dealers;
- Hickling & Dalton, general store;
- John Houtz, laborer;
- W. Ganske, general store;
- John Leitch, postmaster;
- Angus Everett, restaurant;
- Charles Prior, station agent;
- James Kuhn, hotel keeper;
- Wilfred Montgomery, boarding house keeper;
- Miss Clara and Elizabeth Barschel, boarding house keepers;
- John E. Tetlock, horse dealer;
- Hope & Bailey, general store;
- John D. Lageson, land agent;
- Fred Bradshaw, insurance agent;
- W. J. Fennell, implement dealer;
- Ernest Barschel, livery man;
- Peter Douglas, general store, and
- Wilson Allan, general store.
In 1904 the first wooden sidewalk was laid on both sides of Main Street between blocks 1 and 2. This was followed in completing it to the north side of blocks one and two on First Avenue.
In the fall of 1904 the first grain elevator was started and it was finished in 1905 with William Johnston as our first elevator agent and grain buyer.
We had no Mounted Police stationed in Canora as yet. At one time the overseer received a complaint that too many people let their horses, cattle and pigs run loose on the streets in the hamlet. The Justice of the Peace summoned all male persons in the hamlet to impound these marauders. At midnight when all these stray animals had been run in, it was found out that the citizens did such a good job that even some of their own animals were in the pound.
In August of 1905 our directory stood as follows:
- John D. Lageson, manager of the Scandinavian Land Co.;
- G. E. Hickling, storekeeper;
- W. R. Dalton, storekeeper, Justice of the Peace;
- D. H. Sutherland, hardware merchant;
- Hope & Bailey, storekeepers;
- R. W. Cummings, Massey-Harris agent;
- Fred Bradshaw, insurance agent;
- Ernest Barschel, livery stable keeper;
- Elizabeth Barschel, waitress;
- Clara Barschel, boarding house keeper;
- D. M Fredricksen, president, Scandinavian Canadian Land Company;
- J. Dolmetsh, contractor;
- James Kuhn, hotelkeeper;
- John Leitch, postmaster;
- Frank Ball, hotelkeeper;
- John Reed, butcher;
- W. James Fennell, implement agent and overseer;
- Jack Tetlock, lumber yard manager;
- John Tetlock, horse dealer;
- J. W. Charters, livery stable keeper;
- Herman Barschel, boardinghouse keeper;
- J. F. Paul Barschel, Sub Dominion land agent;
- Peter Douglas, merchant;
- John Houtz, laborer;
- W. Montgomery, restaurant keeper;
- Charles Prior, station agent;
- J. D. Robertson, drugstore; and
- Dr. John Hamilton, M.D.
In August, 1905, the Dominion Government opened a Sub.-Dominion Land Office in Canora with myself as agent. Homestead entries and applications for patent could now be made right in Canora.
The first homestead entry in this office was made by Ole Rockney. Settlers from the United States and Eastern Canada were now coming in even greater numbers than heretofore.
Canora in itself was now growing and was already the size of a village. Very comfortable dwellings were being built such as Mr. Cummings’, Mr. Hickling’s, Mr. Dalton’s and other houses. The first dwelling on Second Avenue being completed was that of John D. Lageson. In addition to the dwelling house there was a stable with a hay loft on top. Both buildings were nicely painted with yellow and dark trimmings. Fred Bradshaw also had a nice dwelling built close by. Coming from the south both of these buildings were a nice picture. Both of these buildings are still standing.
But 1906 was a bad year for Canora, so far as health was concerned. In spring scarlet fever broke out amongst our children and as there was no hospital, we had to mourn a number of our loved ones. At the same time typhoid fever broke out and it did not leave Canora until late in fall, when 77 cases in all had been reported and again it was fatal in some cases. We had only well water and no drainage. Canora did all it could but our tax revenue was not enough to put in a proper drainage system, which was needed first of all.
The cry therefore was to get incorporated so that we could sell debentures and borrow enough money so that we could carry this through. Steps were therefore taken to get Canora incorporated as a village.
In 1906 a member of the North West Mounted Police was stationed in Canora. Although still under the control of the Yorkton office, it was no longer necessary to send all the police work to Yorkton.
In 1906 the Imperial Hotel was built by James Coulter. It was a three storey building with all the modern appliances. It burned down in the fall, but Mr. Coulter went right to work in the spring and built it up again. the same year the Graham Block was built, it is now called the Britski block.
This was a solid brick building two stories high. There were two stores in the lower part, a hall in the upper story. The Canadian Bank of Commerce started building in 1906 and was completed in 1907. In the meantime it transacted business in a private building on Main Street belonging to R.W. Cummings.
G.G. Bourne was our first manager. He was well fitted for this responsible position. He was very conservative in transacting business. Mr. Bourne had successfully managed his own business before this, which was a decided advantage for us in starting out in business. The good advice which he readily gave us proved to be most useful.
There was another matter that I must mention. The managers of the Canadian Bank of Commerce looked only after the business of the bank and their customers. In some other banks the managers also acted as insurance agents and as agents for loan companies.
Mr. and Mrs. Bourne were leaders in the community, and they took a prominent part in organizations devoted to community welfare. Mr. Bourne was our first president of the Board of Trade and under his influence the organization got away to a good start. It is 50 years since the Canadian Bank of Commerce was built. It lived through many storms in good and bad times, both as a building outside and as a business inside.
In spring of 1906 the Queen’s Hotel was opened. With the Canora Hotel and the Imperial Hotel, Canora was now well served with hotel accommodation. There were also a number of modern houses now completed.
Mr. Dalton completed his residence on Main Street and G.E. Hickling completed his residence on Third Avenue. Canora was now off to a good start.
In the surrounding country it did not look so good. In 1906 we had such a bad crop that the government had to ship in seed grain for the crop of 1907.
Up to now we did not know anything about wild oats but in 1908 it made its appearance in this country and has been a worry and trouble to the farmers ever since. The farmers complained that the wild oats was imported with the oats they received in 1907 for seed.
Don't count on social media to deliver your local news to you. Keep your news a touch away by bookmarking Canora Courier's homepage at this link.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
