Tribute to Mammy Mayes and the Shiloh People -- African Canadian History in Saskatchewan

Tribute to Mammy Mayes and the Shiloh People

African Canadian History near Maidstone, Saskatchewan, Canada

Our Saskatchewan story begins with Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) who served as American President between 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln was elected in 1860 following a campaign opposing slavery expansion in the United States.

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it," spake Abraham Lincoln.

The eleven southern states formed the Confederacy and declared secession from the United States. The American Civil War April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865 brought about the surrender of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery across the United States of America.

Following this battle the newly freed African Americans embarked on a journey westward to the 'Indian Territory' and Oklahoma. Other Americans were also attracted to lands east of the Rocky Mountains by the American 'Homestead Act of 1862'.

Amid the approximately 1,300 Black pioneers seeking homesteads in the Canadian "Last Best West" were Preacher Joe Mayes and his wife Mattie (c1850-1953), and twelve families travelled 1,500 miles north to Maidstone, SK, during 1908-1909. Both had been born into slavery, moved to Tennessee with their families where they met and were wed. They settled in Oklahoma and started a family.

The Dominion Lands Act put forward by Canada in 1872 looked appealing in the face of the developing racial segregation forbidding black vote and implementing "Jim Crow Laws" in the United States settlements.

Traveling by wagon and train, they arrived in North Battleford, SK, and from there chose homestead land near Maidstone fifty miles out of North Battleford.

Establishing the one room log Charlow (Shiloh) Baptist Church, the community soon blossomed into a settlement of fifty families. Not only was this the first black community in Saskatchewan, but it is the site of the only African Canadian cemetery in Saskatchewan. Amongst 37 graves of the Shiloh community are members of the very large Mayes and Lane families, in fact Julius Caesar Lane was the first internment 1913.

Shortly after their arrival in 1910 the families organised to form a one room school district, which was finally approved in 1915 by the Rural Municipality of Eldon #471. Eldon School District No. 3613 was a racially integrated school fulfilling a dream of the "Shiloh People".

The church closed in the 1940s, the cemetery about 1945-1946 and the school in 1959. There were special dispensations to inter George H. Mayes, and his wife Lucille in the cemetery in 1975 and 1987 respectively, but Mattie "Mammy" Mayes was buried near Edmonton, AB rather than the Shiloh Cemetery as she wished. Both the restored church and cemetery are protected provincial heritage sites so declared in 1991.

Following the exodus of people from the rural farms of the plains during the depression years of the dirty thirties, and the call to arms of World War II, many black men settled into employment as porters and baggage handlers on the railway lines. African Canadian settlement spread throughout Canada.

In Saskatchewan African Canadian players are remembered for their sport accomplishments. The Indian Head Rockets was a provincial championship baseball team which hired players exclusively from the American "Negro League".

And from the Mayes family which settled near Maidstone, Reuben Mayes is a renowned football running back in the NFL and went on to play for the New Orlean's Saints according to Bill Barry [Geographic Names of Saskathewan]. "It's ironic that I'm back in the South. The Mayes family almost starved that first winter in Canada. We're hearty, driven folk", he said of moving from Saskatchewan to New Orleans's to play ball.

Harry Jerome (1940-1982), the son of a railway porter, broke international sprinting records earning the moniker "The man who runs faster than his shadow".

On August 15, 1971, during Saskatchewan's homecoming year, a memorial plaque was dedicated in the Shiloh Church yard which reads "In 1910, Mattie Mayes, matriarch, who was born into slavery, and about 40 members of the Mayes family emigrated from Oklahoma." Over 500 gathered together for the anniversary celebration 61 years since the first pioneer arrived.

"Every man is proud of what he does well; and no man is proud of what he does not do well. With the former, his heart is in his work; and he will do twice as much of it with less fatigue. The latter performs a little imperfectly, looks at it in disgust, turns from it, and imagines himself exceedingly tired. The little he has done, comes to nothing, for want of finishing." ~ Abraham Lincoln.

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For further information:

Saskatchewan Gen Web Project - SGW - African Saskatchewan Genealogy Roots

How do I locate my Ancestor's Home Town in Saskatchewan?

Let a Thought Flower by Aum Kleem

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Related Posts:

Maybe the Ghosts will Live Again

How do the Saskatchewan 2011 Canadian Census Statistics Compare to History?

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

When were Saskatchewan homestead applications available?

Where were Saskatchewan homesteads located?

What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Julia Adamson. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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Maybe the Ghosts Will Live Again!

Maybe the Ghosts Will Live Again!

Try out Saskatchewan's newest Sunday afternoon tourism trend. Discover a part of Saskatchewan's history and seek out an abandoned ghost town. Walk down main street of our pioneer's community and imagine what life was like a century ago.

Why did the settlers arrive to settle here in this particular location? What was the community like, and how large did it get? How many children attended the one room school house, and how far did they travel? Did the community main street once boast a store, church, hotel and elevator? What were the stories behind the communities who are only remembered by their cemeteries? Were there once barn dances and Christmas socials at the schoolhouse? What occured to cause the abandoment of the buildings at this site? What are the real life stories behind the ghost towns?

According to the Saskatchewan Atlas edited by J.H. Richards and K.I. Fung, they used the terms unincorporated hamlets and settlements in Saskatchewan. A settlement may disperse over a greater area than a hamlet, and a locality may refer to a settlement without post office or community.

Whereas, the Atlas of Saskatchewan Celebrating the Millenium Edition defines various unincorporated places in Saskatchewan. A hamlet has a population less than 100 persons, a locality has less than ten residents. A post office is defined by a rural post office site, and a railway point may be a siding or a junction along a rail line. An organised hamlet also has a population less than 100, however would have a chairman, members, and advisors who act for the community in a similar capacity to the role of a mayor or councillor in a city but on a smaller scale. A resort village is also served by a mayor, councillor and administrator similar to a town or village.

Both books define a locality as former communities which may only exist in historical documents, post cards, maps or the designated place, and these placenames were enumerated during census years as a part of the Rural Municipality (RM) rather than as an individual entity or locality.

A locality, or designated place without residents but with visible remains of civilization may, in fact, fit a definition of a "ghost town. Wikipedia goes further, "A ghost town is a town that has been abandoned, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed or because of natural or human-caused disasters such as war."

In Saskatchewan a community reaches city status with a population over 5,000; may incorporate as a town with a population over 500, and reaches town status with a population over 100.

Along the highways and roadsides of Saskatchewan still stand deserted homes, schools, businesses and churches of communities once bustling with hope and optimism of new dryland agriculture methods. The depression years coupled with the great drought of the dirty thirties saw a huge exodus from the rural settlements searching for economic prosperity in the cities. Especially hard hit was the area of Saskatchewan defined as the Palliser Triangle consisting of areas of badlands, sand dunes and semi-arid soil, and it is here that a span of highway has the moniker now of Ghost Town Trail, Saskatchewan.

Along with the abandoned buildings are the tales of ghosts, haunting figures and eerie sounds. One of the more famous tales in Saskatchewan is of the ghost train traveling near St. Louis, Saskatchewan. A devasting train derailment occured as well as a fatal accident which laid claim to a pioneering family.

The textures and character of the abandoned buildings have spawned a cult of photographers roaming the countryside to historic ghost towns. The techniques vary from capturing the perfect sunset or sunrise shot, capturing a ghost town at night with innovative light painting techniques or perhaps a ghost town capture offers an opportunity to use high dynamic range HDR photography. Some photography excursions seek out a focal point such as an historic pool elevator, a heritage train station or rusty car in a cloudy summer landscape, a colourful autumn scene or a seasonal winter setting.

Defined perhaps as Saskatchewan's current tourism craze, the Saskatchewan Heritage and Folklore Society SHFS, brings history to life. Plaques and points of interest demark heritage stories, historic searches for diamonds and rubies, or may regale how pioneers would move a whole village to be on the tracks if the railway did not go through town. In the roaring twenties Saskatchewan was at its height in terms of population rise. These horse and buggy days saw numerous settlements spring up approximately every five miles alongside the newly laid rail lines.

Besides creative commons sources such as Wikipedia, books have been published about this new tourism attraction of Saskatchewan Ghost Towns in Saskatchewan, Including: Armley, Saskatchewan, Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan, Island Falls, Saskatchewan, Zichydorf, Saskatchewan, the Fren, Ghost Town Stories of the Red Coat Trail: From Renegade to Ruin on the Canadian Prairies , Canada Ghost Town Introduction: Govenlock, Saskatchewan, List of Ghost Towns in Alberta, Lucky Strike, Alberta, Hallonquist, Saskatchewan , Ghost Towns in Saskatchewan: The French Counts of St Hubert, Saskatchewan, Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan , and More Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan . Films, for example Ghost Town Trail, Saskatchewan and documentaries on television have aired.

You may want to join this trend, popping out for a coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon, traveling down a little used grid road to uncover a bit of Saskatchewan history. Program your GPS, look up a historical map of Saskatchewan, get the lay of the land, and head out. If you find an abandoned building do not trespass or venture forth inside a decaying buillding. Explore from a safe vantage point from public lands.

Saskatchewan ghost towns, a book researched by Kan Do Wheels and is now online to "tell why a community was born, lived and died". Frank Moore, the author states that "people are returning to some of these towns and buying salvagable buildings...People are coming to realize the slick, future-shocked city life can't meet their needs. And so they are looking for an alternative - a place where they can enjoy a sense of community, take charge of their lives, and know harmony with their environment."

And to echo Moore, "Maybe the ghosts will live again!"

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For more information:

•Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouse Project

•Online Historical Map Digitization Project

•Search Saskatchewan Placenames

•How do I locate my Ancestors Home Town in Saskatchewan?

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Related Posts:

•What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

•The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

•Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

•How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

•Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

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"A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man." Jiddu Krishnamurti. All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem All my images are protected under Canadian and international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. Image: Second spring"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus The images may, in fact, be licensed throgh Getty images. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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Follow me on Word Press, Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, Sask Gen Web Ancestry.com and Flickriver

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How do I locate my Ancestors Home Town in Saskatchewan?

How do I locate my Ancestors Home Town in Saskatchewan? You have found a letter, a document in your ancestor's box of keepsakes. Upon this piece of memorabilia is an address. It states that the ancestor came from Bonneville, Assiniboia, North-West Territories, or perhaps the district is abbreviated such as in the address; Ladstock, Assa, NWT. Or your document may state that your ancestor's address was SW section 2 township 40 range 10 West of the 3rd Meridian on a birth certificate, and oral history may remark that the closest post office was Copeau, Saskatchewan. Looking at a current map of Saskatchewan or the North West Territories, it is impossible to find neither Bonneville nor Ladstock, let alone Assiniboia, nor Copeau. Before 1905 the province of Saskatchewan was a part of the North-West Territories. Between May 8, 1882 and September 1, 1905, the North-West Territories was divided into provisional districts for the convenience of settlers and for postal purposes. The area currently defined as Saskatchewan was known as Athabaska (Athabasca) to the north, Saskatchewan centrally and Assiniboia (Assa) to the south. Assiniboia was also further divided on some early maps as East Assiniboia and West Assiniboia. Rupert's Land Act 1868 transferred ownership of Rupert's Land from the Hudson Bay Company HBC to Canada. In 1870 Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory became known as the North-West Territories. It wasn't until the Northwest Territories Act was passed 1906, that the hyphen was removed from the name of the North-West Territories. The Post Office had a say in determining place names to avoid duplication. For example Bessborough, British Columbia was originally named Willowbrook. The name Willowbook would not be accepted because it duplicated the town of Willowbrook in Saskatchewan. The historical place name may have considered a geographical feature or distinctive flora or fauna and given it a descriptive name. A place name may have commemorated an event or to honour a community founder, Indian treaty, politician, royalty, famous writer, soldiers, saints or an immigrant's home country. A community may have an aboriginal name or a name in another language if settled by an ethnic bloc settlement. In one location the school district, telegraph station, rail way siding, post office and town may indeed originally started out with differing names. To avoid confusion one name was adopted for the community following the Canada Permanent Committee on Geographical Names at Ottawa. Elbow (geographical feature - elbow of the South Saskatchewan River), Duck Lake (fauna - ducks), Kinistino (Knis-to-neaux Aboriginal naming), Piapot (Treaty), Spy Hill (event), St. Louis (saint), Prince Albert (roaylty), Fort Walsh (North West Mounted Police superintendent Major Walsh), Biggar (solicitor of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway GTPR), Zumbro (Alphabetic railway line naming), Browing (Robert Browning (1812-1889) British writer), Bruno (Reverend Bruno Doerfler community leader), Beatty (Reginald Beatty early pioneer), Chamberlain (United Kingdom Prime Minister Arthur Neville Chamberlain (March 18, 1869 – November 9, 1940) are a few of these examples. In the case of the earlier addresses Bonneville, Assiniboia, North-West Territories is now referred to as Kenaston, Saskatchewan, and Ladstock, Assa, NWT is currently Bankend, Saskatchewan. The Copeau post office was located at four separate locations depending on the post master's residence. NE Sec.13, Twp.43, R.9, W2, Sec.20, Twp.43, R.8, W2, Sec.29, Twp.43, R.8, W2 and SW Sec.21, Twp.43, R.8, W2. All of these locations are in the vicinity of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, as Copeau no longer exists. Searching for a place name in Saskatchewan has been made easier by several books and online resources now available. Post office records, dominion land grant patents, maps, geographical web sites are among the increasing number of tools for finding an ancestor's homestead, birth location or cemetery. ________________________________________________________________________________ For more information: Search Saskatchewan Placenames - name changes and genealogical areas of Saskatchewan placenames Saskatchewan maps and locations - historical information for genealogists and historians. Homestead records - where to find pioneer records and how to locate homesteads. Homestead information ________________________________________________________________________________ Related Posts: Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created? When were Saskatchewan homestead applications available? Where were Saskatchewan homesteads located? What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website? The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads? ________________________________________________________________________________ All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste. ________________________________________________________________________________ Follow me on 500 px, Word Press, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, Flickr, and Flickriver ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

When Were Saskatchewan Homestead Applications Available?

When Were Saskatchewan Homestead Applications Available?

Pioneers settling the Canadian "Last Best West" could apply for a homestead for a $10 filing fee if they were British subjects over the age of 18. A genealogist researching a family tree starts from the known and works toward the unknown to discover names, dates and places of their ancestors. The various homestead and lands databases online assist this endeavour for Saskatchewan about one century ago.

Between 1870 to 1930 letters Patent were issued by the Lands Patent Branch of the Department of the Interior to successful homesteaders. To be successful pioneers needed to "prove up" their land. Settlers had to live on their homesteads for a three year period, clearing and farming some of the land and making improvements.

From 1871 until 1890 and again from 1908 until 1918, a homesteader who had received patent on his homestead could apply for a pre-emption. They would pay the market price of the time which was about $2.00 acre, this rate changed and the rate was recorded as $1, $2 or $3 an acre depending on the era. Even numbered sections were reserved for homesteads and pre-emptions, while odd-numbered sections were sold. A pre-emption was the quarter section adjacent to his homestead if it was available. In this way the homesteader could expand his own farm for himself or for his children.

Homesteaders had the option to purchase Hudson Bay Company lands, railway lands, and school lands. These gave way also to larger farms. Sections 11 and 29 of each township were allocated toward school sections. Railway rants allowed the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) 24 miles on either side of the railroad. The Dominion Lands Act of 1872 provided that the Company should receive all of section 8 in each township, all of section 26 in each township with a number divisible by 5, and the southern half and the northwest quarter of section 26 in all other townships.

240 acres of land were offered to Métis families between 1886-1902. Due to the location of these lands, a majority of Métis sold their scrip to land speculators.

In 1871, land grants were offered to soldiers and militia who had served in Manitoba and the North West Territories, to North West Rebellion veterans, Boer War veterans, and North West Mounted Police retirees. The 1918 Soldier Settlement Act provided World War I veterans with a free quarter section of land or scrip.

There were some ranching concerns in the southern portion of the province, where land was leased out for grazing. From 1872 to 1905, open grazing leases were available. These lands were not guaranteed in any way, and could be put up for sale.

After 1908, a closed grazing lease of farming land in Saskatchewan could be obtained for one cent an acre for up to 21 years subject to a two year's cancellation.

In 1914, grazing leases of 12,000 acres of unfit farming land could be obtained under a ten year closed lease. There were many other subsequent changes in regulations concerning grazing land periodically.

The pioneer starting out with their quarter section homestead may continue on the land and expand by purchasing additional land from a variety of sources. They may sell their land after successfully proving it up, and re-locate. A few homesteaders were not successful, and in such cases a Declaration of Abandonment was filed with the Land Titles Office.

Using the Land Patent database held by Library and Archives Canada LAC, the Land Titles Application database called The Saskatchewan Homestead Index Project (SHIP), the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society's HOME (Historical Ownership Mapping Endeavour) or the Glenbow Archives CPR database which shows "Sales of agricultural land by the Canadian Pacific Railway to settlers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, 1881-1906." One piece of the family history search may indeed be completed, and that would be to discover their place of residence.

The place of residence can further unlock local history books, birth, marriage and cemetery records which may be held locally and census records.

An important clue in early Saskatchewan genealogy research is to delve into legal land locations and determining homestead locations and expansion.

Further Reading:

Homestead Record Information on Saskatchewan Gen Web ~ a Rootsweb project at Ancestry.com

Homestead Form Examples

Homestead Legal Land Location, Township Range and Meridian explained

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Related posts:

What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

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Image:Seasons Spinning Time

"To every thing there is a season, and time to every purpose under the heaven:


A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted
A time to kill, and a time to heal
A time to break down, and a time to build up
A time to weep, and a time to laugh
A time to mourn, and a time to dance
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away
A time to rend, and a time to sew
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak
A time to love, and a time to hate
A time of war, and a time of peace. "

The Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:18.

All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. Thanks to Ruby Blossom for the texture. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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Follow me on 500 px, Word Press, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, Flickr, and Flickriver

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How do the Saskatchewan 2011 Canadian Census Statistics Compare to History?

How do the Saskatchewan 2011 Canadian Census Statistics Compare to History?

The latest census to be taken was completed in 2011. The results showed that Saskatchewan has shown an increase in population. What’s most exciting is you can look a young person in the eye and say . . . ‘It’s as good, or better, here.’” said Kent Smith-Windsor president of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, “This is a pretty amazing growth cycle. It has the potential to be truly historic.”

Saskatchewan's growth increased 6.7% from the previous census in 2006. Of this population 60.9% lived within one of the "Census metropolitan areas", namely Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, North Battleford, Yorkton, Swift Current of Estevan. Saskatoon and Lloydminster saw the largest growth spurt. Saskatoon, the largest CMA, was enumerated at 260,600 persons and the CMA of Regina, a population of 210,556.

“Saskatchewan has gone from a province where people were moving out, to a province where people are choosing to stay and moving in,” Premier Brad Wall said in a statement. That is because of our growing economy, plenty of job opportunities and our great quality of life.” said Premier Brad Wall, “Saskatchewan is simply the best place in Canada to live, to work, to raise a family and to build a life. More and more people are now discovering that and it is why our population is growing.”

To put the 2011 census into context with historical data for the genealogist. Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan has a 2011 population of 193,100 making it the second largest city of the province. However in 1901 its population was 2,249 making it the largest city of the area now known as Saskatchewan. This trend continued, and Regina remained the largest city with a population of 6,100 (1906) 30,213 (1911) and 26,127 (1916). Beginning as Pile O' Bones in 1882, Regina became both incorporated as a town and the territorial capital of the North-West Territories in 1883, a city in 1903 and the provincial capital in 1905.

The current largest city of Saskatoon has a population of 222,189 in 2011 compared to 113 in 1901, and 3,011 in 1906. Saskatoon became a city in 1906 with a population of 4,500, by amalgamating the communities of Saskatoon, Riversdale, and Nutana. Saskatoon meanwhile showed a population of 3,011 (1906), 12,004 (1911) and 21,048 (1916) behind Regina's population of the early 1900's.

Prince Albert, one of the fastest growing settlements of the late 1800s was enumerated at 1,785 in 1901. The third largest city in Saskatchewan has a 2011 population of 35,129. The city's growth rate (2.9%) was below both the provincial (6.7%) and national average (5.9%). As early as 1876, Prince Albert had a booming population of 750 persons, and 8,500 cattle and horses. Prince Albert was formerly the capital (1882-1905) of the District of Saskatchewan, a regional administrative division of what then constituted the Northwest Territories. The District of Saskatchewan, NWT comprised a central area of present day Saskatchewan extending as far south as Saskatoon, and as far north as Prince Albert. Beginning as the Isbister Settlement, Nisbet Mission and Porter Town, Prince Albert incorporated as a town in 1885 and as a city in 1904. In 1879, it was considered that 40-50 days was good timing for a trip from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Prince Albert traveling on average 20 miles per day. In the early 1900s travel along Red River Cart trails was abandoned in favour of the railway lines for transportation.

Moose Jaw was the third city of (present day) Saskatchewan in 1901 with a population of 1,558. Moose Jaw remained the third largest city through 1906 (6,249), 1911 (13,823) and 1916 (16,934). Moose Jaw incorporated as a city in 1903, and is now the province's fourth largest city with a population of 33,274 in 2011 up from 32,132 in 2006. In 1880, when John Macoun traveled the Moose Mountains, the present site of Moose Jaw was called the Souris Plains.

Between 1876 and 1883, Battleford was the territorial capital of the Northwest Territories, and home to the North-West Mounted Police. The Battlefords refers to both Battleford and North Battleford who are directly across from each other on either bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Battleford had a burgeoning population of 609 by 1901, and 4,065 in 2011. North Battleford was not large enough to be enumerated in 1901, and in 2011 had grown to 13,888. By 1911 North Battleford surpassed Battleford in size 2,100 persons to 1,335, continuing in 1916 3,148 to 1,436 persons.

Fort Livingstone, North-West Territories was the territorial capital 1876–1877. This site near Pelly, Saskatchewan was sometimes referred to as Fort Pelly or Swan River. Currently it has no population, only a plaque declaring it a provincial heritage site.

The 1881 Swift Current settlement blossomed following the arrival of the rail over the years 1882-1883 in the midst of a ranching community. Swift Current had a population of 121 in 1901, was able to incorporate as a village in 1903, a town in 1907 with a population of 550, a city in 1914 and recorded a 1916 population at 3,181. The city of Swift Current currently (2011) is the sixth largest in the province, population 15,503 and the eighth largest provincial Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), population 12,973.

Estevan was incorporated as a village in 1899, and later became a town in 1906. On March 1, 1957, Estevan acquired the status of a city, which, in Saskatchewan terms, is any community of 5,000 or more. Estevan census agglomeration 2011 population, 12,973 showed a huge growth of 9.2% up from 2006 and it population of 11,883. The city of Estevan proper showed a population of 11,054 persons up from 10,084.

Lloydminster, the boundary city straddles both Saskatchewan and Alberta. As a Census Agglomeration, Lloydminster is the fifth largest community (population 30,798) compared to other CMA's of Saskatchewan. The Census Agglomeration of Lloydminster includes both parts of the city, as well as the rural municipality of Wilton No. 472, the Town of Lashburn, Saskatchewan, and the Village of Marshall, Saskatchewan. However, the Saskatchewan portion of the city proper accounted for a population of 12,766 persons. In 1916, the Saskatchewan portion of Lloydminster was 494 persons, up from 1911 (441) and 1906 (389).

The other current cities of Saskatchewan are Melfort (5,576), Humboldt (5,678), Martensville (7,716), Meadow Lake (5,045) , Melville (4,517), and Flin Flon (229 in the SK portion) is also included though the majority of its population is in Manitoba.

Altogether Saskatchewan's 16 cities amount to a population of 588,823 out of a provincial population of 1,033,381 in 2011. 57% of the population resides in the cities.

Compare this to the 1916 statistic when Saskatchewan's six cities (Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Weyburn) had a combined population of 79,931, an urban population of 176,297 out of a total provincial population of 647,835. The city population amounts for approximately 12% of the population, and the urban population 27%. The population of Saskatchewan in 1906 came to 257,763 with a city population of 20,778 and an urban population of 48,642. This makes the city population about 8% and an urban population of 18%. Saskatchewan became a province in 1905, population comparisons before this time would be based on estimates from the Northwest Territory enumerations.

The shift from rural to urban occurred in the depression years of the dirty thirties when people vacated their farms in vast number seeking economic stability in the cities. The end of World War II saw an increase in vehicles, paved highways, consolidated urban schools, and improved agricultural machinery such as the combine. Farms became larger, the rural population continued to decline, and the population continued to shift towards the cities and towns.

Read More:

BC and Alberta growth lead to rise in west. Saskatchewan sees turnaround - Postmedia News - The National Post Feb 8, 2012 by Jordan Press.

Cities big and small leading Saskatchewan boom: 2011 Census ~ From Martensville to Warman, Saskatoon to Regina, Saskatchewan growing at record rate The StarPhoenix February 8, 2012

Saskatchewan Population report

Focus on Geography series - Province of Saskatchewan - Statistics Canada 2011 Census

9 Fascinating facts from the 2011 Census ~ When it comes to the census, Saskatchewan is Canada's comeback kid. Kevin O'Connor CBC News Feb 9, 2012

Population Trends, Saskatchewan Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Alan Anderson. Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina. 2006.

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Related posts:

•Evolution of Saskatchewan's Historical Census

•What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

•The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

•Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

•How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

•Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

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Image:

Engaging Powers of the Paperwhite

The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new. William Makepeace Thackeray

All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

______________________________________________________________________________

Follow me on Flickr, Word Press, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, and Flickriver

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Evolution of Saskatchewan's Historical Census

Evolution of Saskatchewan's Historical Census

Canada became a nation in 1867, and the eastern provinces took their individual census as early as 1851, and every ten years thereafter. The 1851, 1861, were provincial census amalgamated into becoming the Census of Canada for those years. 1871 was the first census year following confederation.

The 1881 census is the first census to enumerate the Northwest Territories, and the seven provinces which belonged to Canada in that year. The Northwest Territories was the name given to western Canada and encompassed present day Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Labrador and the northern portions of Quebec, and Ontario.

By 1891 the Northwest Territories was subdivided into districts, Alberta, Assiniboia East, Assiniboia West, Saskatchewan, and Mackenzie River. Canada was comprised now of the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

The Northwest territorial divisions now consisted of Alberta, Assiniboia, Athabasca, Franklin, Mackenzie, Saskatchewan, and Ungava. The provinces of Canada were enumerated as well during the 1901 census, including British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec; two territories - the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories.

The 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta was unique following the formation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. This demarked the first time the census was taken every five years in the Prairie provinces rather than every ten years, this five year system was adopted by all of Canada in 1956.

The 1911 Census of Canada and the 1916 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are the latest census to be released into the public domain by the National Library and Archives. Various agencies have undertaken searchable transcription of these documents.

All the released records have been digitised by the National Archives and Library and can be found on their website as primary source images in their original form. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and Automated Genealogy have all transcribed census records into searchable online databases.

At the FamilySearch's family history centers, public researchers can access the 1916 Canada Census for free. Due to contractual obligations with The Generations Network (TGN) the 1916 census will not be available for free online at Family Search, however they have made the 1881 census available online.

The 1851, 1861, and 1871 census of Canada have now been added to the Family Search database and is accessible to the public researcher for free at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints family history centres. There are plans to include as well the 1891 census. They are seeking transcribers for their projects. These volunteers can work from home

The Historical Canadian Census Collection 1851 to 1916 on Ancestry.co provides a searchable database for all the released census (1851/2, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1906, 1911 and 191) on web site search engine. There is a fourteen day free trial period, and monthly subscription rates to access the entire record collection at Ancestry.com.

The 1851/1852 Cenus of Canada are currently being transcribed by Automated Genealogy, and they have the 1901 Census of Canada, 1906 census of the Western Provinces and the 1911 Census of Canada completed and searchable online.

The census are invaluable to genealogists. Enumerators recorded persons inhabiting dwellings listed by householder followed by the family grouping as of the census date. Employment, age, religion, nationality, year of immigration, relationship to the head of family or household were recorded along with place of habitation. Street address was given for city areas, and legal land descriptions were recorded for rural dwellers in the form of section, township, range and meridian.



Further Reading:

Links to digitised primary source documents, and transcribed secondary source documents and search information, tips and hints about the Canadian census on Saskatchewan Gen Web ~ Rootsweb ~ Ancestry.com

1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - Search - Ancestry

1916 Census - Ancestry

• 38,413 images of original records
• 1.69 Million names
• Military service information

Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1916 - Library and Archives Canada

FamilySearch Expands Canadian Census Collection June 24, 2009

Family Search Known Issues for Canadian 1901 and 1916 censuses in Historical Records

1852 Census of Canada - Automated Genealogy Index the 1851/1852 Census of Canada being transcribed by Automated Genealogy, Volunteers requested.

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Related posts:

What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

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Image: Pink Orchids.

"The earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." - Iris Murdoch

"Some people, like flowers, give pleasure, just by being."-Anon

All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed through Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives Website?

What can be found at the new Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

An amazing repository is now online from the Saskatchewan Provincial Archives featuring over 70,000 webpages and 650,000 digitised items showcasing Saskatchewan's history.

What can be found on the new website? Now online for example are the archival holdings of court, school, municipal, private donor, political and ministerial records as well as maps and architectural drawings, recorded sounds and miscellaneous exhibits and historical photographs.

This invaluable archival internet resource has a mandate to further digitise the inventory of about 2.2 million documents in the homestead record collection.

Provincial Archivist Linda McIntyre related that, "I am very pleased to launch a new era in how we offer services to researchers within our province and worldwide. Now, more than ever, Saskatchewan's stories, history, events and treasures are at your fingertips to explore and enjoy."

"I wouldn't say it changes everything, but it's a significant step for us. We work for the Saskatchewan public, but at the same time it's nice to be able to project out beyond our borders to other people and to Saskatchewanians who may be living in other areas of the world now." said Curt Campbell, manager of the digital records program and the preservation unit.

Provincial Archives Week 2012 occured February 5 to 11 with celebrations and displays at the Western Development Museum and films showing at the movie theatres.

The website was launched late in the day February 11, 2012. With this new service during it inaugural debut, you may want to try at off peak hours as trouble with connections may indicate that “The website is too busy”.

Read more:

Saskatchewan Provincial Archives

Saskatchewan Gen Web Rootsweb Ancestry.com~ General Archives debriefing, links and contact information

Website brings Sask. Archives into 2012 - The Leader Post

Saskatchewan Archives launches new website

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Related posts:

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

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Image: Spring Pasque Flower

Crocus on Good Friday

"Flowers are heaven's masterpiece." - Dorothy Parker

All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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Where were Saskatchewan Homesteads Located?

Where were Saskatchewan Homesteads Located?

Surveying Western Canada allocated parcels of land for homesteads, schools, the Hudson Bay Company, rail lines, Métis and First Nations. The Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton encouraged settlement.

In 1871 the Dominion Land Survey of the Prairies is initiated. There were less than fifteen survey parties setting out in that first season. Plans of the township surveys were published.

The surveying system for Western Canada adopted followed the example set in the United States, and departed from the survey system followed in Eastern Canada.

Due to the reports set out by the 1857-1858 Henry Youle Hind and Simon Dawson Canadian expedition, the arable land surveyed was south of the tree line. The grasslands area of southern Saskatchewan was used by ranching operations, before giving way to farming land with improved agricultural techniques.

Homestead applications generally followed the laying of the rail lines. The densest immigration population therefore sprung up around the first rail line in south east Saskatchewan arriving from Winnipeg. Population density then expanded to other areas with the rail branch lines. If a town existed before the rail line came, and the rail line bypassed the settlement, the town was abandoned as is the case of Cannington Manor. The town may optionally decide to move; buildings and everything were moved to be located on the rail line . Nipawin aligned itself with the Canadian Pacific Railway built four miles northwest of the settlement to access the river for the steam engines.

Sections 11 and 29 (one mile by one mile) of each township (six miles by six miles) were set aside for schools in the township. These two sections totaled 3,994,400 acre of land for Saskatchewan. The actual one room school house building may not be built on one of these sections, rather, the land was sold or leased and the moneys received from the transaction was put toward building a school for the area. The actual size of a school yard was a fraction of the size of a quarter section of land (1/4 mile by 1/4 mile).

Sections 8 and 3/4 of section 26 were set aside to complete the Hudson Bay agreement when Canada acquired Rupert's Land.

In 1880, an act was passed to put aside odd numbered sections for 24 miles on both sides of the rail lines for a grant of 25,000,000 acres of land between Winnipeg and the Rocky Mountains. 15,177,063 acres were granted in Saskatchewan. An additional 5,728,092 acres were granted to the Hudson Bay Railway to complete the rail line.

Under the 1879 Manitoba act, the Métis received land grants amounting to 238,500 acres of land in Saskatchewan called scrip.

Certain lands amounting to 1,166,000 acres were withheld from homesteading for Indian reserves as per terms of First Nations treaties.

The Saskatchewan Atlas provides maps of the evolution of population density and settlement. Captain John Palliser's belief that settlement would only occur in the forested area supporting an economic livelihood of trapping was abandoned as settlers came west to farm in the western prairie. Homesteaders proved up their homesteads, made improvements and advancements were made in agricultural technologies.

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Related posts:

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

For more information:

Saskatchewan Gen Web: a Rootsweb genealogy regional web site on ancestry.com

Homesteads

Online Historical Map Digitisation Project

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Related articles

• Saskatchewan sees 6.7% census growth (cbc.ca)

Are there genealogy web sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

Are there genealogy web sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

As more records enter into the public domain and are not protected by privacy and copyright laws, there are more and more books, records, and information being digitised online by a virtual plethora of web sites. How does one sort through the internet to find the web pages most useful in your ancestral search projects? There is not one way to find the best sources for information but several web sites which will hold up a torch and help to light up the path on your journey.

Ancestry.com is the new name for Rootsweb. Rootsweb has many volunteers manning the World Gen Web which includes the United States Gen Web, Canada Gen Web for instance and all the various states or provinces and their regions as well. Rootsweb volunteers provide regional local information, mailing lists and query - posting boards for internet visitors for free. rootsweb also provides the World Connect program where users can submit their family tree ged com file to share online as well, for free Ancestry.com took over Rootsweb and does charge for select databases, but not those databases or transcription projects put online by volunteers.

As far as other sites to use for genealogical research other than Ancestry.com, it would depend upon your region of ancestry to know if there would be additional sites to use. It is always best to search online for as much information as is available and not just search on one web site.

In Canada for instance the National Archives and Library web site has been making huge improvements and additions, and genealogists have appreciated the census being put online in the form of primary source documents, which have been transcribed on other websites as secondary source documents. It is on this website as well that WWI records can be found as well as Dominion Land Grant Patents, and scrip land records.

For researching ancestry in the United States one would be amiss to not check the Social Security Death Index SSDI, which is searchable now on many and several web sites.

If your genealogical research takes you afield to the British Isles, GENUKI (Genealogy United Kingdom and Ireland) has some excellent resources.

To try to keep a handle on the huge amount of information that is flooding the internet for genealogists and historians, Cyndi's List has been cataloging the information by subject.

Family Search.org is the web site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This denomination provides a large amount of information via microfilm in their LDS libraries and a lot this is coming online as well.

There are too many web sites world wide to include them all here. Start from what you know and work towards the unknown. Local sources may indeed be the best source for birth, marriage and death certificates as well as cemetery photographs or internment records. The regional library or archives would have the newspaper records for obituaries, birth, wedding and anniversary announcements. The genealogy society in your ancestor's country of origin is devoted to helping professonal genealogists and researchers and can provide resources and information guidelines. Rootsweb, by providing regional genealogy web sites through World Gen Web helps to find regional genealogy internet URLs, local web sites and postal addresses of interest to genealogists. World Gen Web also has established various transcription and assorted genealogical and cemetery projcts depending on the region and resources available. As well Cyndi's list mentioned above helps in fiding the relevant web site or the "needle in the haystack" in a very organised way.

This brief introduction to online genealogy intends to help researchers discover where to research the internet for reliable sources. Good luck with your genealogical endeavours.

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Related posts:
The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prarie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

For more information:
Saskatchewan Gen Web a Rootsweb genealogy region on ancestry.com

All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste.

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Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

Homesteads of one hundred and sixty acres of land were offered by the Dominion Land Act of 1872. They were created as the Dominion Government wanted British Columbia to join the Dominion and B.C. would only do so if there was a transcontinental rail line built joining them to eastern Canada.

The Dominion Government agreed to this term. When it came time to survey the land and enlist existing rail line companies to embark on this project, the rail lines did not wish to lay rail through the prairies. They argued the rail lines would not be used due to the low population, and therefore it would not be ecomically feasible in the long run and feared the rail lines would be subject to disrepair and vandalism.

Without a British presence in the west, the Canadian Government realized that the area ay fall to the United States. The Dominion Government, Railway colonisation companies and private colonisation companies all promoted homesteading in Eastern Canada, United States and Europe.

Precursors to the rail lines and deciding factors to the rail lines were dependent upon the Palliser expedition and the Henry Youle Hind expedition reports.

Captain John Palliser led a Royal Geographical Society expedition (1857-1860) that explored the Canadian West in an attempt to survey the region's resources, provide an early analysis of where to best lay a transcontinental railway, and to assess the economic potential.

In 1853, Palliser wrote the book "Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the prairies." It was his advice that the railway should be surveyed from Winnipeg up through the area which later housed the Northwest capital of Fort Livingstone (1873-1876) east of present day Norquay and Kamsack. He suggested he rail should extend north of the Eagle Hills through Battleford, to whit, this area became the North West capital between 1876-1883. Following along, the rail would run through to Edmonton. By 1885, the telegraph lines were surveyed and laid in the west following this route including Fort Pitt at Frenchman's Butte and Fort Saskatchewan enroute to Edmonton.

Palliser was of the impression that the ony settlements arising in the west would be north of the tree line in the forested area of the Northwest Territories and the economic mainstay would continue to be the trapping industry. This area was believed to be the only place to obtain wood for building houses and subsequently heating them through the prairie winter.

"In Pallisers Triangle, Living in the Grasslands 1850-1930 delves into the living conditions during a time when the grasslands were experiencing drought like conditions similar to those experienced in the 1930s. The area called Pallisers triangle was thought to be an extension of the American desert.

John Palliser's conclusions were: "[This area now known as Saskatchewan] can never be expect to become occupied by settlers...it can never be of much advantage to us as a possession." Captain Palliser became famous or perhaps infamous, for these words.

Henry Youle Hind and Simon Dawson set out on a subsequent expedition 1857-1858 which showed a much larger area of land was fertile than previously asserted by Captain John Palliser on his expedition. Hind was a botanist and saw the potential for agricultural settlement in viewing the native grasses and plants growing in the river valley area near Long Lake. It was due to his report that the survey for the rail lines took a more southerly route from Winnipeg then south of Long Lake where the settlement of Regina later established itself becoming the capital of Saskatchewan (1883 to present). This route was more economically viable to the rail lines.

In 1867, the British North America act brings the provinces of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia into one Dominion of Canada, divided now into four provinces named Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Prime Minister John A. MacDonald wanted to build the nation of Canada from coast to coast.

On November 19, 1869, the Hudson's Bay Company agreed to surrender Rupert's Land to the Dominion of Canada for 300,000 pounds and 120th of lands in the fertile belt. (This amounted to 3,351,000 in the current province boundaries of Saskatchewan). This request was given Royal assent June 23 180.

Sir Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior initiated a huge advertising campaign for immigration. Homesteads of one hundred and sixty acres of land were offered by the Dominion Land Act of 1872.

Europeans were familiar with settlement acts. In 1763 Catherine the Great issues Manifesto inviting foreigners to settle in Russia,and in 1862 the United States enacted a Homestead Act inviting immigration to America.

The terms of the Russian 1763 Manifesto, held that immigrants to Russia would receive communal property, implement their own education and for the majority exercise their religious practices and be exempt from serving in the military and paying taxes.

The American Homestead Act of 1862 offered the settler 160 acres (64.75 ha) of land, free of monetary cost in exchange for an agreement that the homesteader remain living on the land and cultivate it for a minimum of five years.

Western Canadian homesteaders could purchase a quarter section of land (160 acres) for a filing fee of $10.00 on the condition that they clear ten acres and construct a domicile within three years. The homesteader was expected to live on the land and cultivate it for six months out of every year in this first period This condition for "proving up the homestead" provided for settlement in the west, and prevented speculators from buying up large amounts of land. Land agents inspected homesteads to ensure that improvements were made annually.

These were the main factors at work to create opportunities for homesteading in the "Last Best West". The North West Territories evolved from a hunting and trapping lifestyle to a farming population. The creation of the province of Saskatchewan occurred in 1905.

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Sources:

California: A History Volume 23 of Modern Library Chronicles page 169. Kevin Starr. reprint, illustrated. Random House of Canada, 2007. ISBN 081297753X, 9780812977530. digitised online by Google Books. URL accessed February 7, 2012. Dickason, Olive Patricia (1997) (Paperback). Canada's First Nations A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times (second ed.). Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-541358-X, 0-19-541227-3.

Dominion Lands Act / Homestead Act 2006 Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina. URL accessed February 7, 2012.

History Of The United States Of America, Part Five International World History Project. January 2007. URL accessed February 7, 2012.

Introduction - Free Land! - A National Open-Door Policy (1867-1895) - Traces of the Past - Moving Here, Staying Here. The Canadian Immigrant Experience - Library and Archives Canada URL accessed February 7, 2012.

Lalond, Andre N. and Perdersen Maureen A. Administration of Dominion Lands 1870-1930. pp. 48-49.in Fung, Kai-iu (1999). Barry, Bill. ed. Atlas of Saskatchewan Celebrating the Millennium (Millennium edition ed.). Saskatchewan: University of Saskatchewan. ISBN 0-88880-387-7. McCracken, Jane. Homesteading. pp. 527-528. Volume 2 For-Pat. in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Hurtig Publishers Ltd. Edmonton, AB, CA. 1985. ISBN 0-88830-269-X (set)

McConnnell, J.G. and Turner A.R. Historical Geography. Land Settlement. pp. 16, 17. in J.H. Richards, K.I. Fung. (1969). Atlas of Saskatchewan. W.G.E. Caldwell, W.O. Kupsch. Saskatoon, SK, CA: University of Saskatchewan.

Life's a Grind: For Volga Germans, its not Christmas Without Sausage on the Table Obra, Joan. "Life's a Grind: For Volga Germans, its not Christmas Without Sausage on the Table." Fresno Bee, 20 December 2006.: North Dakota State University Libraries NDSU Germans from Russia Heritage Collection URL accessed February 7, 2012.

Russell, R.C. Carlton Trail. The Telegraph Line. pp. 73-75. Prairie Books. The Western Producere. Saskatoon, SK, CA. 1971.

Schwier, Charles. Railway History. pp. 1541-1544. Volume 3 Pat-Z. in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Hurtig Publishers Ltd. Edmonton, AB, CA. 1985. ISBN 0-88830-269-X (set)

Survey of the Western Part of the Dominion - Homestead Regulations of Dominion Land - Entry - Homestead Duties Map. Survey of the Western Part of the Dominion, Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year 1904. and 1907 by the Scarborough Company, Hamilton, Ontario, at the Department of Agriculture,Scarborough Company, digitised online by Online Map Historical Digitisation Project. Julia Adamson. Copyright February 3, 2009. URL accessed February 7, 2012.

________________________________________________________________________________ Related Posts:

What can be found at the NEW Saskatchewan Provincial Archives website?

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

Why were Canadian "Last Best West" homesteads created?

•Love and Marriage in Saskatchewan- a comprehensive guide

How did pioneers travel to their prairie homesteads?

•How to locate birth, marriage and death certificates in Saskatchewan, Canada

Are there genealogy sites that can compete with Ancestry.com?

________________________________________________________________________________ All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed throgh Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you. Namaste. ________________________________________________________________________________ Follow me on 500 px, Word Press, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, Flickr, and Flickriver

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