NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, 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

wires in a concrete tunnel underground. The buildings were an academic or teaching building (The College of Agriculture) residence for one hundred and twenty-five students (Saskatchewan Hall), stock pavilion, engineering building and the power house. The Board of Governors of the University having launched the Institu- tion on its career decided in order to expedite business and to lessen the necessity of calling the full Board together, to appoint an Executive resi- dent or nearby resident to Saskatoon to which was delegated power to carry on the day to day business, the full Board meeting occasionally to confirm appointments, pass estimates, etc., and decide on questions of policy, etc. Consequently Mr. Bell, the president and myself, with the two members from Prince Albert to be called on when necessary were appointed this executive and I was elected chairman of the Board in place of M. Angus of Regina who had resigned. There was no hampering of the Governors with religious entanglements. We were willing and anxious that theologi- cal colleges should be founded, to be affiliated with the University and we were prepared to allocate sites for their buildings. The only condition laid down is that the style of architecture shall be the same as adopted by the University. Then it is entirely free from political influence, although a Provincial Institution and supported from Provincial revenues. The choice of Dr. Murray as President was a very fortunate one, he is a man of the highest character, a sound schokr, a great orgabizer and a most indefatig- able worker. This brings me to civic events of the year 1909. At the Civic Election in December of 1908 W. Hopkins defeated Dr. Willoughby in a contest for the Mayoralty. The feature of Mayor Hopkins' first mayoralty that stands out in my mind is the opening of the new Exhibition Grounds in August. A Site had been purchased by the Council, consisting of eighty acres. Another eighty acres were purchased later making a total of a quarter section of land, a very valuable asset to the City. The Assessment Roll for the City in 1909 amounted to $8,176,767.00 and the estimates for expenditures $164,142.61, rate of taxation being twenty mills including school rate. The building permits for this year came to $1,002,905.00. All this in spite of depression. The outstanding personal feature was the death of James Flanagan in January. He had been running the Western Hotel but in 1907 he sold it for $125,000 and built a new hotel on the corner of Third Avenue and Twenty- first street. Flanagan came to Saskatoon when it was a very small place and helped largely in its development. He was very popular and was a great booster of Real Estate prices believing strongly in the future of Second Avenue as a retail business street. Shortly after his arrival, he asked me to purchase some home-cured ham he had brought with him from Oak Lake where he formerly kept a hotel. It was peculiar looking stuff being cut in small pieces and covered with dark spots as if it had been rolled in the dust, I took chances on it giving him the price he asked. This trifling incident seemed to have pleased him so much that afterwards when furnishing the Western Hotel and the Flanagan, he gave me extensive orders for dry goods, cutlery, etc. These ventures strained his resources and he was a long time paying for his purchases. He was very touchy about debt, so I gave instructions that my accountant was not to dun him. Every few weeks I would drop casually into the Hotel, when I happened to encounter him he would write out a check, thrusting it into my hand, ordering me in a good-humored way out of the house. Flanagan's peculiarities were the subject of endless stories. For in- stance, when keeping a hotel at Oak Lake, the train passd through in the early hours of the morning. One evening a commercial traveller left a call for the train. When Flanagan called him he answered that he had chang- ed his mind and was not going on that train. Flanagan said "Change no- thing, I have stayed up all night to call you and now you are going," and. the traveller just had to go. He said he made a rule never to take a drink Page 79

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