NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

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School enlarged to eight rooms. New subdivisions were opening up. The Board from time to time now and afterwards acquired with excellent fore- sight sites of whole blocks in each. There commenced in these years that long association of five trustees who remained together in office during the period in which the geat[sic] programme of building was carried out,-A. J. Sparling, Russell Wilson, J. H. Holmes, J. D. Macdonald and J. E. Paul. Before the close of the year 1908 a small school only was added, placed on the ground which is now the football field south of Mayfair, the High School Board relieving the district of its advanced pupils. In 1909 the Nu- tana District was absorbed, as we have already mentioned, and its plans for building the Victoria School assumed. The school now reached the thousand mark in attendance. Plans for the Caswell School were laid down, the building to be completed in 1910. At the latter part of that year tem- porary quarters were given in Nutana to University classes. The bonded debt had grown to a sum over $200,000.00. In 1911 the greater building programme of the Board was inaugurated, which, in the next succeeding years produced the Princess, Albert, King George, Westmount, Buena Vista and Sutherland Schools. The City ac- quiring the King Edward School for municipal offices, the new King Ed- ward School was erected on the site provided further to the north. These matters, in addition to the more important tasks of framing and carrying into effect the growing policies for internal management of the schools occupied that Board,-the great five,-from 1910 until after the outbreak of war. That greater matter of the internal history of the schools in the later years must be left to another time and to other hands. This very fragmentary record is perhaps sufficient for the present occasion. ______________________________ NARRATIVE OF EX-MAYOR J. R. WILSON (This is a statement made by special request at a meeting of the Histori- cal Association). I have been requested a number of times to give a little bit of my ex- perience in connection with Saskatoon relating to its early history. I have hesitated at times to do it for the reason that personally my activities were so closely connected with it that it might seem that I was trying to place on record my own autobiography. The references I am compelled to make of my personal activities I trust will not be construed as egotistical. I will begin with 1903. While my connection in a business way with Saskatoon dates away back years beyond, I take it for granted that you already have a record up to that time and some records beyond that. In January, 1903, I was honored by the then few citizens of Saskatoon by being appointed overseer of the village. Now overseer comprises a great many duties, such as mayor, council, health officer, police, assessor, treasur- er, tax collector, all combined. A month or so after I took office, with the assistance of my friend, Mr. W. P. Bate, whom I enlisted to help me, I made an assessment. We found that the total assessed value of the City of Sas- katoon (then a village) was $125,000.00. After I received the assessment, thinking over the possibilities as to the future of the community, I felt that we should spend considerable money in the way of grading the streets and building some sidewalks. My idea was if we were going to make progress we had to put our best foot forward. At that time there were two or three good centres in Saskatchewan and I thought Saskatoon had as good a chance as any of them. In fact, to bear this out, in September, 1902, Mr. Leslie and myself were erecting the first flour mill in Saskatoon. On one cold afternoon I noticed a man walking across the prairie towards the mill. He asked me what I thought of Borden village and mentioned that he thought of starting a bakery and grocery store there. I remarked to him that we would have the mill completed in a few months and that we were looking for someone to start a bakery in Saskatoon. That man was J. F. Cairns and he changed his mind about going to Borden and started Page 88

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