NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Barr Colony, Barr Colonists, Pioneers,John N. Lake, John Lake, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web, Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web

chair and Thos. Copland, Secretary. It was resolved to approach the gov- ernment to have the matter remedied. At the meeting it was stated "that the ferry was not run when the water was high, nor when it was low, nor when the wind was blowing and when these objections did not exist the ferryman was away doing some other job." I remember it was at this meeting the first suggestion to form a board of trade was made by Allan Bowerman. A board of trade was organized on the 9th of January, 1903, the Presi- dent being Jas. Leslie and J. F. Cairns, Secretary. About this date the manager of the Imperial Bank at Rosthern, Mr. Hebblewhite, visited Saskatoon. I knew his father very well. He called on me and discussed the prospects for opening a branch of his bank in Saska- toon. Of course I pointed out the advantage of getting in on the ground floor in such a promising town. It was arranged between us that I was to let him know if I heard of any move on the part of any other chartered bank coming in. On the train on which he travelled back to Rosthern had arrived a representative of the Bank of Hamilton. I wired him this in- formation. The next morning one of his men came in on the train ready to open a branch of the Imperial. It was too late, the Bank of Hamilton had hung their shingle and started doing business. In the summer of 1902 I met Rev. Isaac M. Barr. He informed me of his scheme of founding a British Colony west of Battleford and he had obtained from the Government the reservation of a large tract of land for that purpose. I paid little heed to his scheme, so many similar projects had come to nothing in the past. In November the papers began to give notice of his movements in England; it seemed as if something would come of it. From the cables appearing almost every day in the newspapers it was evident that he was gathering together a formidable band of immi- grants. He was a great believer in publicity and had all his movements recorded widely. I wondered how he was going to transport his party, some two thousand people and all their belongings, the two hundred miles to the location of the proposed Colony. I wrote him about this matter and he answered that he had made all the arrangements necessary. Con- nected with his scheme he professed to have organized a syndicate store, a transportation organization, a hospital and other departments. A purchas- ing agent sent forward by Barr arrived about the middle of January, 1903. He said he was authorized by Barr to purchase four hundred yoke of oxen. When it came to paying for these cattle he had no funds, so could do no thing. A brother of Barr, John by name, a notorious character, procured some horses in the south country, loaded them in box cars, but a great many of them were smothered on the way. When the cars came in, he had no money to pay the freight on the consignment. He tried all round town to borrow money to release the cars and was very indignant at not being successful. In the meantime the several business men were shaping themselves so as to be ready to furnish supplies for such a crowd. I remember Cairns and myself after a meeting of the Board of Trade discussing the prospects. We were determined to take advantage of the situation and decided to tax our resources to the limit in buying stock. At eleven in the morning of Friday, the 17th of April, the first train of immigrants came in, fourteen coaches with five hundred and ten people on board. At six that evening the second train of eleven coaches with four hundred and ten people and on Saturday morning the third train arrived with five hundred and seventeen on board. The baggage followed in a few days in a special train of baggage cars. Barr had made absolutely no preparation to take care of this large body of men, women and children. In London he had sold for cash, tents and waterproof sheets, guaranteeing to have them at Saskatoon awaiting their arrival. Some of the tents were in the baggage cars; some were never delivered at all. The Dominion Im- migration Department anticipating trouble had a large force of their men under Superintendent Speers on the spot. These men provided some tents and endeavored to alleviate the suffering as far as possible. After a few Page 62

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