Photo taken 1947.
Yorkton鈥檚 first grist mill was built by Yorkton鈥檚 founders, the York Farmers鈥� Colonization Company of Toronto in 1884 on the east bank of the Little White Sand River. (Name changed to 鈥淵orkton Creek鈥� in 2000.) The construction of the mill at that time did two things for the community: it provided work and wages, putting new money into circulation; and provided for a local source of flour, both of which were in short supply. It eliminated a 100 mile journey to Fort Ellice to buy flour, or to Whitewood, 70 miles away. The mill operated until the Manitoba and North Western Railway arrived in Saltcoats in 1888, from where you could ship your grain to mills or purchase refined flour in Manitoba. This stone foundation is the last remaining landmark indicating the original town site of Yorkton. On a visit to the site in year 2000, there was still evidence of the foundation. Regarding this 1947 photo, from left to right, the visitors to the site are: D. Arnett, Pauline Summers, F.O. Langstaff, D. Fergus, W.H. Wilkinson, H.M. Jackson, H.M. Bailey, Mayor Charles Peaker, George Parsons, Frank Collacott, Ruth Beck, next two are unknown, next Frank Meyer and J.E. Hockley. We do not have a date when the four-storey mill was torn down. It had to be a landmark seen from several miles away. Certainly, Yorkton was unique because of its founding by a colonizing company with enough money 鈥� $300,000, to improve trails, establish a ferry on the Qu鈥橝ppelle River to improve the route to Yorkton, set up a mail stagecoach, and Company administrators who kept negotiations going with the government and the railway company to push for the tracks to be built to Yorkton. Although delayed for too many years, this was achieved with the arrival of the first train in 1891. (Photo taken by Cliff Shaw. 鈥� Howard Jackson Collection.)
聽Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince, Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton Archives, Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3聽聽 306-786-1722聽聽 [email protected]
