PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT #41484517 PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT #41484517 Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan HELPING HERITAGE HAPPEN Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan HELPING HERITAGE HAPPEN Volume 24 Issue 3 Fall 2012 Main Street Project REVITALIZES WOLSELEY – Fallout Shelter Found in Eatonia – 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Heritage Architecture Excellence Awards SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE
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ArchitecturalHeritage Society of SaskatchewanHELPING HERITAGE HAPPEN
ArchitecturalHeritage Society of SaskatchewanHELPING HERITAGE HAPPEN
Volume 24 Issue 3 Fall 2012
Main Street ProjectREVITALIZESWOLSELEY
–
Fallout Shelter Found in Eatonia
–
2012Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan HeritageArchitecture Excellence
Awards
SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE
Heritage Partership Fund
he process for member organizations of the Architectural Heritage Society of T Saskatchewan to apply for money to Help Heritage Happen in your community
has been streamlined. Visit our website (www.ahsk.ca) to learn more.
So, if you have a project that needs money to Help Heritage Happen in your
community this spring or summer visit the website right away or call the office
at 359-0933 or at 1-877-903-0933 .
Here's a brief description of each of the four grants.
Heritage Site Consultant Report Grant (Maximum $1,000)
Heritage Forums Grant (Maximum $1,500)This matching grant program is intended to help community-based organizations that are
members of the Society to defray costs of hosting conferences, presentations, panel discussions,
seminars, workshops, awards ceremonies, and other educational forums that encourage or
empower people of the community or province to acknowledge, preserve and/or promote
their built historic and cultural heritage.
Heritage Publications Grant (Maximum $1,500)This matching grant is intended to help community-based member organizations to defray the cost
of printing materials that promote public interest in membership, local programs and activities.
Heritage Communications Grant (Maximum $200)This matching grant is intended to help the Society's community-based member organizations to
defray the cost of printing brochures or programs that promote public participation in local forums
like conferences, presentations, panel discussions, seminars, workshops, awards ceremonies, walking
tours, and other educational forums that encourage or empower people of the community or
province to acknowledge, preserve and/or promote their built historic and cultural heritage.
Visit www.ahsk.ca for further
details and applications.
toll-free
Success with any conservation project depends on its viability. AHSS supports conservation
through providing grants for professional services like structural analysis, architectural design, legal
consultation, and construction cost analysis to provide building owners the opportunity to more
accurately gauge the feasibility, cost, and methodology for site conservation and re-use.
Next May ..................................................... 7
Wolseley Main Street Program
Revitalizes Community ........................ 8
Saskatchewan Youth Passionate
About Celebrating Heritage ............ 11
Cold War Bunker in Eatonia ............ 14
Moose Jaw Historian
Leith Knight column ............................ 16
A Beacon on the Prairie..................... 17
In The News ............................................. 20
Brick by Brick ......................................... 22
Her Honour, the Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield is the Patron of the juried awards sponsored by the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan.
25th AnniversaryAlan Gill, President of the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan, cuts a cake with Her Honour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the not for profit organization.
All Saints Church of England, Cannington ManorMembers of the All Saints church of England project at Cannington Manor were recognized in both the Interior and Exterior Conservation awards categories. From left to right are: Autumn Downey, Jim Hines, Tilly Palendat, Wes Palendat, Her Honour, Leigh Robinson, Michelle Moore, Josie Cuddington, Freida Cuddington, Val Cuddington, Jean Hindmarch.
Redmond House, Maple Creek Michael Morrow of Maple Creek was bestowed with an award in the adaptive reuse category for work on the historic Redmond House in Maple Creek.
Bloodline Tattoo Company, Moose JawChet Spriggs and Raelyn Tilbury of Tilbury Design Ltd. in Moose Jaw were honoured in the Sympathetic New Construction category.
AWARD AWARD RECIPIENTSRECIPIENTS2012 Heritage Architecture Excellence Heritage Architecture Excellence
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
The Binning Block, Moose JawHonoured for the Rehabilitation of The Binning Block in Moose Jaw from left to right from Her Honour were Teresa-Marie and Doug Mintenko, Helen and Richard Ingold.
Moose Jaw MLA Attends Event Warren Michelson, MLA for Moose Jaw North (centre, gesturing), visits with Brian Bell, Vice-President of the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan following the awards presentation.
Full House – Again!More than 125 people attended the awards presentation and reception at Govern-ment House this year!
The Stone House, Moosomin An award for Interior Conservation of The Stone House was bestowed upon (left to right) Robert Griffin, Susan Pirie and Charlie Pirie.
Plans are in the early stages, but the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan is coordinating a weekend Chi-cago Architectural Tour next May!
Details are being finalized. However, a group of 30 individ-uals or so will fly direct to Chicago and visit interesting locations in the city in collabo-ration with the Chicago Archi-tecture Foundation.
Cost will include the flight, accommodations (likely in the historic Palmer House) and tours on foot, via motor coach and a cruise along the Chicago River that provides a unique view of more than 50 buildings.
Discover the neighborhood where Frank Lloyd Wright's famed Prairie Style of architecture evolved. You'll also enjoy a special one hour lecture with photo-graphs on the “Rise of the Skyscrapers” following the Great Chicago Fire.
More details will be posted on the Society's website and in Worth magazine as the project takes shape.
2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Al Gill, President, Regina
Brian Bell, Vice President, Moose Jaw
Richard Hiebert, North Battleford
Terry Sinclair, Regina
Michelle Taylor, Prince Albert
Rod Stutt, Moose Jaw
Jayne Remenda, Prince Albert
Wally Dyck, Saskatoon
Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan
Become a Society Member.
The Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan encourages,
supports and rewards meaningful conservation of our built heritage. Any
person, enterprise or community-based organization may apply to become a
full and active member of AHSS for an annual membership fee of just $20.
Fees help the Society communicate with members and provide grant
funding for community-based programs and projects across Saskatchewan.
To join simply complete and mail to AHSS, 202 -1275 Broad St, Regina,
SK S4R 1Y2 or visit www.ahsk.ca for information under “Join”.
Settled in 1882 when the Canadian Pacific Railway pushed across the Prairies, the Town of Wolseley now is un-dergoing a renaissance as one of four communi-
ties to participate in the province's Main Street program.
“My initial review of the Main Street Program gave me the impres-sion that it was the best economic re-vitalization model I had ever seen,” explained Ed Attridge, who resigned his position as municipal administra-tor to become the coordinator of Main Street Wolseley.
“The immediate potential benefits of the program were obvious, but what really made an impression on me was that the overall benefit for the community was limited only by how, and to what degree, the commu-nity was willing to embrace and par-ticipate in the opportunity.”
Situated around Adair Creek and Wolf Creek, early settlers named the community Wolf Creek because of the amount of wolves that called the area their home.
In 1898, the area was incorporated as the Town of Wolseley, which was the same name of Garnet Joseph Wolseley, a British General.
Although General Wolseley's greatest significance to Saskatche-wan's history appears to be his role in the Red River Rebellion of 1870, the town was named after him only be-cause of its similarity to the name Wolf Creek. Many of the original
buildings built before and during the time of the town's incorporation are still standing in Wolseley. These in-clude Canada's first Beaver Lumber store, the Town Hall/Opera House, the oldest standing courthouse in Sas-katchewan and Banbury House Inn. Together, with the swinging bridge and Fairly Lake, they create a picture perfect community
The town's commitment to the resto-ration and preservation of the commu-nity's heritage buildings and historic houses, and their conservation of their wildlife, resulted in Wolseley being named one of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine's 10 prettiest Canadian communities in 2000.
What was once just a small railroad town has flourished into one of Can-ada's best-kept secrets – a small town in Saskatchewan brimming with life and vitality.
“The opportunity to become involved in the effort to maximize this overall community benefit was rather irresist-ible and I am happy to report that the program has met or exceeded my expec-tations in every respect,” Attridge said in an interview for Worth magazine.
WolseleyWolseleyREVITALIZES COMMUNITY
MAIN STREET PROGRAM
By Joe Ralko
Wolseley Town Hall
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“The program has a proven successful track record in other provinces where it has significantly contributed to the economic sustaina-bility of the community/region/ province,” the Wolseley coordinator concluded.
“In Quebec for example, one suc-cessful program in one community has led to over 120 programs in 120 communities. Re-investment totals count in the millions of dollars, as does the revenue generation resul-tant from the projects.”
“I am a strong believer in small town community culture and felt that Wolseley had all the right attributes to ensure a successful program re-sult. In fact, it seemed to me that the community was ideally poised for the Main Street Program.”
Mayor Dennis Fjestad said many organizations have participated in the various events hosted by Main Street Wolseley. “These have ranged from the Friendship Centre (Senior's Drop In Centre) to children involved with our Christmas Party,” said the mayor who also is the Chair of the Main Street Wolseley program. “It would be very difficult to give a com-prehensive total for the number of community volunteers who have 'taken hold' of our various projects.”
Fjestad has seen some positive and immediate impact of the program on his town.
“Main Street Wolseley is becoming a true volunteer community project. It is our hope and plan that more and more people will become directly in-volved in the future,” he explained.
“One of the immediate effects of the program was the increased aware-ness of the need for the revitalization of our main street area. Another sig-nificant aspect is the necessity for coordinating the plans and efforts of community organizations. Our Main Street office quickly evolved into a clearing house of information for many community events. “Along with the Main Street program a cultural plan is being developed, the mayor said, adding he expects it will pay
Attridge said the net effect of the program has been extremely positive both for users and participants.
“To establish the program in Sas-katchewan, in my opinion, is much needed,” he said. “Many of our com-munities have suffered through long periods of economic uncertainty and decline. This is now changing and our communities need to reflect the social and physical improvements that Sas-katchewan's burgeoning industrial sector offers the opportunity for.”
Saskatchewan, Attridge said, is rapidly becoming a destination prov-ince for industry, professionals, fami-lies and tourists.
“The Main Street Program offers the opportunity to prepare for, and take advantage of, these changes through a process that is completely community-driven,” he said.
The program has two parts.“It provides matching dollars for
building owners, at a maximum of a total of $50,000 per year, for highly visible improvements to buildings in the historical downtown area,” explained Ed Attridge, Coordinator, Main Street Wolseley.
“Therefore, the minimum target for this component of the program is a total of $300,000 in physical improve-ments to buildings over the course of the 3-year program. Owners have not limited themselves to the matching dollars available. Several are plan-ning improvements to their buildings that are in addition to those that are
The Wolseley Project
Original Beaver Lumber Store (left) and boarding house.
huge dividends for Wolseley in the future.
Ed Attridge researched the impact of the concept of a “Main Street Program” across Canada.
eligible under the Main Street pro-gram. For this reason, we expect re-investment totals will significantly exceed the minimum targets by pro-ject end. Secondly, and of equal im-portance, the Main Street Program process involves the organization, promotion, and economic re-vitalization of the community. “
He said this is done by coordinating the existing capacity of the commu-nity and working to implement what the community thinks needs imple-menting.
“I refer to this as the “reflective” component of the program as the benefit achieved, and the direction taken, is strongly linked to commu-nity involvement,” Attridge said.
“In Wolseley, the Main Street par-ticipants have decided that our heri-tage buildings and Fairly Lake are the areas we would like to utilize and promote more effectively. To wit, Main Street Wolseley organized and successfully conducted the first fish-ing derby to occur in the lake – coin-ciding with the annual Wolseley Dam Days celebration – and is working towards building a boardwalk around the entire lake. “Most of our target objectives were achieved during the fishing derby”, Attridge reported,
Wolseley, Indian Head, Maple Creek and Prince Albert were selected to participate in the Main Street Saskatchewan demonstration program from the 18 communities which had submitted proposals.
Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Bill Hutchinson made the announcement as he visited Wolseley and Indian Head on August 19, 2011 and toured the main streets of each community.
“We believe that through vision, creativity and planning, the historic main streets in these communities can return to prominence as places where commerce, community and culture once again meet,” Hutchinson said.
“The Main Street Saskatchewan program is great because it supports economic development through heritage conservation, and strengthens our province's growing arts, culture and heritage sector.”
Earlier this year, the Government of Saskat-chewan announced a $1.65 million investment over three years to provide funding assistance
Main Street Saskatchewan Programsto four demonstration communities to implement the Main Street Saskatchewan approach to downtown revitalization.
The four communities were selected on the basis of community readiness, community capacity, community support, existing historic buildings and potential for growth. The 3-year demonstration program includes matching
funding to help cover operating costs and capital expenses for revitalizing main streets in each of the four communities.
The Main Street program is one of the ways the provincial government is implementing the new cultural policy, Pride of Saskatchewan, which calls for supporting heritage stewardship and strengthening the province's vibrant arts and culture sector, both of which contribute to the economy and quality of life in the province.
For information on the Main Street Saskatchewan demonstration program, visit www.pcs.gov.sk.ca/heritage.
“We wanted to raise the profile of the Main Street program, promote Fairly Lake as a recreational area, get kids more involved in Dam Days activi-ties, and do so in an interesting and fun way. The derby went very well with nearly 300 people registering to fish and has received highly positive
reactions from the community as well as regional stakeholders and partici-pants”.
In addition, Main Street Wolseley is working to develop streetscape improvements such as an urban planting program and improved pub-lic amenities to complement the im-provements being undertaken by the local building owners.
The Main Street Wolseley is a community-wide process that uses the improvements to the historic downtown core as its' foundation.
The historic downtown area of Wolseley is defined as including Front Street from the Post Office to the AG Auto building, and Sherbrooke Street from Front Street to Varennes Street, which encom-passes the entire downtown area (approximately two square blocks).
The historic opera house and court-house are also included in the project target area
Location
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Perley Block Front Street
Fundraising grad held on Main Street Swinging Bridge and Fairly Lake
he Saskatchewan Youth Heritage Fair Association (SYHFA) is a unique endeavour in this province. For the past 16 years the Tprogram has received an
outstanding enthusiastic reception from parents, teachers, and most importantly, the students.
While the focus of the work is on teachers to work with children from grades four to nine in all Saskatche-wan schools through an Inquiry Lean-ing Experience, the heritage commu-nity across Saskatchewan directly supports the teachers and students as well.
“Heritage Fairs” is a unique pro-gram in this province in that the fairs are a convergence of teachers, stu-dents, provincial curriculum with professional archivists, provincial and community based museums, history of designated heritage build-ings, the resources of the Saskatche-wan Library system, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Regina and financial supporters such as Canada's History, Ministry of Edu-cation, SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, Saskatchewan Lotteries and Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan and the list goes on and on.
Many elements point to the success of the program.
First among these are the re-sources the SYHFA provides teachers and students. Our website contains letters to explain the program to com-munity members and parents. There are resource guides, “how to” docu-ments, time-lines, assessment docu-ments, and curriculum correlational documents which trenchers use to deliver the Ministry of Educations approved program (www.saskyouthheritagefair.com).
Secondly, there are the students, who when they hear about the pro-gram, understand the freedom they have to engage in an authentic learn-ing experience.
Each child chooses a topic from Canadian history, heritage, or cul-ture. Each uses the Inquiry Learning approach to research and write a research paper of between six to ten paragraphs which can be anywhere from 250 to 800 words.
Students gather information from their parents, school resources, or community resources.
The student then presents the research as a visual display with components of music, dance, drama, or computer assisted technology such as a slide show.
During the 2011-2012 school year the SYFHA had 2,198students en-
Gabrielle: Ecole Wilfred Walker SchoolThe Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918
Karlee: Stewart Nicks SchoolCirque du Soleil
Kaitlyn: Stewat Nicks SchoolTitantic: Canadian Connection
rolled from 41 schools and 18 differ-ent school divisions. There were 99 teachers who assisted their students to accomplish their goals. Students created 1,698 projects.
Teachers en-rol their classes on line. Schools host a school fair to which the community is invited. Then, regional organizers plan a regional fair and school repre-sentatives come and present there.
Students win awards in many categories such as Best at Show in Military History, Architectural Heritage, The Arts, Agriculture, Built Heritage and so on.
Several are selected to represent their region at the provincial level, the SYHFA Showcase.
The showcase is a two day “History Fair”. Students from across the prov-ince come to the SYHFA Showcase venue.
There are about 15 students from each region, so there are about 60 students in attendance together with teacher chaperones, and organizers. Students are engaged in ice breakers,
The most exciting and engaging part of Showcase occurs when students and the public meets.
tours, and workshops.The most exciting and engaging
part of Showcase occurs when stu-dents and the public meets. Students
present their pro-jects to their visi-tors in an engaging time of sharing knowledge and interests.
The pictures on these pages repre-
sent the enthusiastic voice of stu-dents for our heritage.
Through Inquiry Learning as the process for focusing on a topic and gathering information for explana-tory and descriptive reports, students also engage in the arts to meaning-fully represent their information.
Parents, teachers, and the heritage community support the students with information, tours, personal guid-ance, and encouragement.
Along the way, students increase their level of sense of worth, as they learn that they have a voice to which members of our communities listen.
ŸSource: Wally Dyck has been active in the SHYFA since he helped establish it 16 years ago.
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About Celebrating Their Heritage
Nikolas and Reuben: École Monseigneur de LavalLa résistance de Batoche
Her Honour, the Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield spoke with many of the students at Showcase 2012 in Moose Jaw.
EATONIA – Beneath the restored one-of-a-kind 1925 Canadian National railway station in the Town of Eatonia sits a Cold War artifact at odds with the town's peaceful Heritage Park, which also includes a restored 1917 Eaton's catalogue house and a CN caboose.
The modest concrete block nuclear fallout report-ing post built in one corner of the station basement is one of the few surviving examples of the more than 100 such shelters known to have been built in Saskatch-ewan during a secret crash shelter-building program between 1959 and 1963.
This modest shelter – just 10 feet by 7.5 feet – provides us with a glimpse into how Canada's military and polit-ical leaders attempted to come to grips with the un-thinkable: how to restore order in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on Canadian soil.
More than 2,000 fallout reporting posts like the one at Eatonia were built across the country as part of the government's Nuclear Deto-nation and Fallout Report-ing System.
The secret national plan called for reporting posts to be located on a grid south of the 55th parallel, with posts 15 miles (24 kilometres) apart on a north-south axis, and 45 miles apart from east to west.
Dr. Andrew Burtch, a historian with the Canada War Museum, has identified more than 100 reporting posts that were constructed in Saskatchewan, usually in the basements of railway stations, post offices and RCMP detachments. Most of those located under railway stations were likely buried when the stations were either demolished or moved.
Bill Wardill is a local his-torian, a former mayor of Eatonia, and a member of the town's Heritage Board. As postmaster during the period when the shelter was built, Wardill says the con-struction project was an open secret in the commu-nity. “That's how it works in a small town. Activity like that would be noticed, and be the subject of conversa-tion at the post office.”
Wardill and other volun-teers are restoring the shel-ter to what it might have looked like in the early 1960s, with canned food and household products lined on rudimentary shelves along one wall. Fold-down bunk beds and fallout monitoring equipment make an already confined space positively cramped.
For the station agent and his wife, who would occupy the reporting post in a nu-clear attack, staying sane until the “All Clear” signal was given might have been the greatest challenge.
telegraphy,” Wardill ex-plains, “and he would have sent reports on fallout lev-els, and supported train operations, assuming trains were still running. While townspeople knew about the shelter, we never knew what equipment went into
it, or what was taken out. That part of the program remained a secret.”
While the world came close to the brink of nuclear war a few times, the fallout reporting posts were never tested in actual conflict.
Almost as soon as the
network of shelters was completed, and before all of them were properly equipped, the advent of thermonuclear weapons
and the hydrogen bomb made them obsolete.
The unimaginable had trumped the unthinkable.
Eatonia's humble report-ing post remains as a re-minder of Canada's largely forgotten response to the threat of nuclear attack.W
Storage Shelves in fallout shelter
Bill Wardill, former mayor and local historian
A radio for communications
Increase your ability confidence
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EXECUTIVE MBALearn more about this and our other exciting programs!Phone: 306-585-6294 or visit our website: http://levene.uregina.ca
Who are the First Nations Men
Decorating the FourthAvenue Bridge?
little effort. Sometimes it was called Fifty Cent Bridge because the kids would try to hoodwink unsuspecting pedestrians into paying a toll charge.
Wagons and teams crossed the creek a short distance west near to where the CPR Outlook line now branches from the main yards. This trail came out of the valley near the site of the old Swift Canadian plant and meandered across the prairie to the southwest.
By 1909, Moose Jaw had grown sufficiently to warrant something more substantial than a shaky footbridge over Thunder Creek, and a footpath over a busy trans-Canada rail line.
Late in 1909 work commenced on an impressive viaduct, which would straddle the broad valley. Three concrete piers carried the steel structure over the CPR tracks in a span over 200 feet long. On the south side of the tracks, the bridge was carried on piles for 915 feet. The flooring of the entire bridge consisted of creosoted blocks.
This structure stood until 1929 when the burgesses of Moose Jaw gave their approval to the erection of the present viaduct on the site of the 1909 one. On Dec. 19, 1929, Mayor James Pascoe officially opened the new concrete bridge and the images of Bear Ghost and Mike Oka were admired and wondered upon for the first time.
Ted Bison of Sayre, Oklahoma, claimed that one of the images, Bear Ghost, was his
o one knows for sure the identity of the two aboriginal men whose images Ndecorate the light standards on
Moose Jaw's Fourth Avenue bridge.Bear Ghost and Mike Oka were not
members of the Moose Jaw Sioux, a remnant group of Sitting Bull's followers who camped here until 1913.
Nor can they be found among the Assiniboine and Cree tribes whose traditional hunting territories straddled Moose Jaw Creek.
The design of the viaduct was conceived on the drawing board of C.A.P. Turner, a Minneapolis architect. Detailed planning appears to have been drawn up in Minneapolis, and even the 1929 Moose Jaw city council was left in the dark.
Fourth Avenue viaduct stands on or near one of the old crossings of Thunder Creek, probably dating from the fur trade era.
James Hamilton Ross and his four companions, the first settlers to reach the site of Moose Jaw, found three men belonging to the railway survey crew living in a dugout abode along Thunder Creek near the site of the present viaduct. Track laying was still almost eight months away.
Early travelers and settlers remembered the beauty of the Thunder Creek valley before the days of industry. The creek meandered through swampy ponds fringed with willow bushes.
Short shrubs grew along the banks and the entire wide valley was a “paradise for birds.” Muskrats were abundant and fish came in plentiful numbers from the Qu'Appelle Valley.
Until 1910, a footpath crossed CPR tracks at the site of the present viaduct, while the crossing of Thunder Creek was made via a flimsy wooden footbridge with railings.
A generation of the town's youngsters grew up on that footbridge which to their great delight could be rocked with very
great, great grandfather. In the tragic aftermath of the Little Big Horn battle, Bear Ghost and his fellow Sioux fled to Canada.
Like many of the refugee Sioux, Bear Ghost soon returned to the United States. He died in old age near the Black Hills.
From the Blackfoot of Alberta comes the name Mike Oka, who was a member of the Many Tumors division of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the most warlike and feared of all the plains tribes (and the earliest known occupants of the Canadian plains).
Mike Oka was born in the Porcupine Hills in what is now southwestern Alberta, and was given the name “Mike” by the early settlers.
In the 1930s, now an old and respected gentleman, he recalled some of the great battles fought between his tribe and other tribes of the plains.
“I was quite a lad when the great battle was fought between the Bloods and the Assiniboines of Montana. My father took part in that battle. I could hear the guns very distinctly.
“Our camps were at Fort Whoop-Up. That is where the fight began. Many of the enemy never reached the east shore of the Oldman River. They were killed in the water.
“I never saw so many scalps in all my life as on the next day in a victory war dance. The heaviest part of the battle took place on the present site of the city of Lethbridge.
While it is unlikely Mike Oka and Bear Ghost ever visited the site of Moose Jaw, they do represent the first people of the western plains who, for countless generations, hunted and lived near the valleys of Thunder Creek and the Moose Jaw River.
Reprinted with permission from ŸThe Moose Jaw Times-Herald
Don Meikle, the Senior City Planner consulted the City build-ing permit records and reported on December 8, 2009 that
“the first component of the cur-rent structure was in fact the first three floors of the north wing, which was constructed circa 1956 as an addition to an earlier building that was known as the Arlington Hotel. The north wing was designed by the local archi-tect/engineer, H.K. (Ken) Black.
According to the Henderson’s Directory, the name of the hotel had been changed to "The Plains" by 1957, perhaps in conjunction with the completion of the north wing.
Advertising on the Plains Hotel (centre) promoted redevelopment of the site while demolition of the Plains (right) took place in November and December, 2011.
History:The story of the Plains Hotel goes
back to an earlier facility, erected in 1956 as an addition to an existing building called the Arlington Hotel.
According to Bill Argan, in his book “Regina, The First 100 years”, a hotel called the “Arlington House was built in 1915 on Albert Street at Victoria Avenue. The Arlington Hotel replaced Arlington House in 1936. Regina lawyer E.W. Hinkson acquired the Arlington Hotel in the 1930s. Along with his son Frank, he demolished the old Arlington and constructed a new hotel called the Plains in 1956. Frank Hinkson and his sons sold the Plains in 1983 to former Roughrider Larry Bird and partners.”
Arlington House
Plains Hotel Weather Tower
Proposed Capital Point hotel and condominium complex
The basement and first three floors of the south/main block of the hotel appear to have been constructed in 1959-60, replacing the original hotel structure. This component, as well as subsequent fourth floor additions to both wings in 1963-64, was designed by Joseph Pettick.”In a subsequent communication,
dated 10 April 2012, Meikle stated:“. . . it appears that construction
of the north wing of what became the Plains Hotel might have actu-ally commenced in 1957. This was the structure designed by Ken Black. The permit record identifies Joorisity Construction as the con-tractor . . .
The building permit record iden-tifies two permits being issued in
1959, in August and October of that year.
The first permit identifies Poole Con-struction as the con-tractor. The second permit contains a reference to Hilsden & Company . . . the
name appears again in relation to a permit that was issued on June 17, 1964 for the 4th floor additions, which also identifies Joseph Pettick as the architect.” When completed, the four storey
hotel featured its trademark weather tower, which changed colours with changes in the weather forecast. As well, the pyramidal windows flanking the interior stairwell were a unique feature in Saskatchewan.
Located at the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 1, the Plains Motor Hotel was regularly used by business people as a convenient place to deal with business matters. It included several amenities for the travelling public: restaurant, bar and a branch of the Imperial Bank of Canada (later C.I.B.C.).
The Plains Hotel closed in 2009 when it was announced that a new hotel and condominium complex called Capital Pointe was to be constructed on this site. The old hotel stood vacant for over two years, but was eventually demolished late in 2011.
Architecture:H. K. (Ken) Black (1912-1993)
Joseph Pettick (1924-2010)
Ken Black studied architecture and engineering in Toronto and be-gan his architectural career in On-tario in 1937, but returned to Sas-
katchewan and joined the Sask. Association of Architects on July 5, 1941 and was assigned Registration num-ber 148. During World War II Black served as a
Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Cana-dian Navy, returning to his architec-tural practice after 1945. It was dur-ing his solo work that he designed the first segment of what was to become the Plains Hotel (north wing – 1956). After practicing on his own for some time, he joined in partnership with Harry Larson and Ken McMillan to form Black, Larson, McMillan & Part-ners in 1958. (This firm later became known as BLM Architects and erected many fine buildings through-out Saskatchewan.)
Joseph Pettick was accepted as a member of the Sask. Association of Architects on 27 Aug. 1954 and was assigned Registration Number 176. While Joe Pettick is perhaps better known for some of his landmark buildings, such as the SaskPower
Head Office and Regina's current City Hall, in his earlier years he designed several buildings of less imposing design. After all, the bills had to be paid
and, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a job was a job. Nevertheless, even for a basic design such as the Plains Hotel, Pettick inserted some artistic flare with the series of pyram-idal windows running up the front of the building. The south wing and 4th floor were designed by Pettick in stages between 1957 and 1964. After an illustrious career and several part-nerships, Pettick died in 2010.
The Weather Tower:
Brick Production:
Designer of Regina Landmark Recalls Its Creation
Saskatchewan Clay Products, Estevan
Reported By Geoff Smith for CJME Radio, Regina Posted August 15, 2009 - 1:07 pm
The man who designed a Regina landmark is pleased it's being pre-served. The Plains "weather tower" is being incorporated into the design of Westgate Plaza, a 19-story condomin-ium tower and eight-story hotel com-plex proposed for the Plains Hotel site. Since the mid-1960s, the weather tower has perched on the Plains roof, signalling changing weather conditions.
It was created by famed artist Ted Godwin of Calgary, who says he did it with farmers in mind.
"A lot of farmers used to come in to Regina on Satur-day," Godwin re-called for News Talk Radio's John Gormley Live, "and sometimes the RCMP would close the roads going out because of bliz-zards."
In fact, Godwin, a member of the "Regina Five" group of artists, says he first proposed it to the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, but when they passed, a smaller version was sold to the Plains.
Godwin explains the original inspi-ration was the tragic death of a youngster in a blizzard. He says to this day, he feels having a highly visible weather beacon is a good idea.
While over 100 brick plants pro-duced bricks throughout the province between 1877 and 1997, only three of those factories at Estevan, Claybank and Bruno were major producers and serviced more than just a local mar-
ket. There are currently no opera-tional brick factories in Saskatche-wan. The plants at Estevan and Bruno have been almost totally de-molished; the one at Claybank is pre-served and designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. It is also the best preserved historic brick plant in North America.
The Estevan Brick Company was established in 1906 and remained in operation until 1997. As such, it was the longest operating brick factory in the history of Saskatchewan. While in private hand for most of its history, the plant was acquired by the provin-cial government in 1948 and was redeveloped into a Crown Corpora-tion named Saskatchewan Clay Prod-ucts.
The business operated under that name and several others until 1969, when it was again sold to private enterprise. It was while operating as a Crown Corporation that Estevan bricks were supplied for construction of the Plains Hotel.
Bricks manufactured at Estevan were among the highest quality in
western Canada, and many impor-tant private and public buildings were faced with its bricks throughout the 20th century.
Unlike Claybank and Bruno, which had clays that limited their colour range (beige and brown at Claybank; orange at Bruno), the plant at Estevan was able to produce bricks of any colour.
Among buildings faced with Estevan brick are: the Estevan Court House and the Saskatchewan Train-ing School at Moose Jaw, as well as the Administration Building and Finance Building, situated just south of the Legislative Building, and the now-demolished Gathercole Techni-cal School in Saskatoon.
The distinctive pattern on the exte-rior bricks of the Plains Hotel was
created by a roller that passed over the brick surface as the brick came through the production line.
The pattern is repetitive and served as a more artistic version of an earlier design known as “rough tex-ture”.
The bricks selected for the Plains Hotel were made through an extruded process, and included three holes in each brick to reduce the weight and cost of brick production. These holes also provided additional strength as the setting mortar penetrated the holes and thereby helped provide a stronger bond.
Some of the Estevan bricks in the Hotel displayed the name of the brick manufacturing company on the back of the brick: “Saskatchewan Clay Products”, as well as the location of manufacture: “Estevan, Canada”. Others lack this identification but display a series of vertical lines on the back of the brick.
All of the brick show curved striations where the cutting wire sliced through the ribbon of wet clay moved along the conveyor belt.W
Kevin Doherty – Saskatchewan's New Heritage Minister
Kevin Doherty, who was recently appointed Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in No-vember 2011 for the constituency of Regina Northeast. Prior to his cabi-net appointment, Doherty served as a member of Treasury Board.
Born in Rose Valley, Kevin's parents Lenora and Mike still live on the family farm. After graduating from Rose Valley High School, Doherty earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sas-katchewan in 1985.
In his professional life, he has worked as a division director for Investors Group (he was formerly a Certified Financial Planner), the director of government relations for Bayer Healthcare, as well as the manager of provincial relations for Glaxo Wellcome. He also served as the Vice-President of Corporate Relations for SaskPower.
Kevin has a strong and diverse track record of community involve-ment.
His service includes:!
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President of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union;
! Member of the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors;
! Vice-chair of the Hospitals of Regina Foundation;
! Member of the Regina Cham-ber of Commerce Board of Directors; andPresident of the Saskatchewan Special Olympics.
IN THE NEWSIN THE NEWS
Virtual Museum Launched in Watrous
A number of interested individuals began meeting about a year ago toward the establishment of a Heritage Centre and Museum for the Watrous area.
On March 5, 2012, the Town of Watrous established a Board tasked with preserving the history of Watrous and area. Its goal is erect a facility to house artifacts and archives.
Until that happens, the Watrous and District Heritage Centre exists online as a virtual museum.
Photographs and the plan for the centre can be viewed at www.aadtek.com/WatrousMuseum.
In the May cabinet shuffle, Pre-mier Brad Wall appointed Doherty as the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, which includes responsi-bility for heritage.
In addition, Kevin was appointed Minister responsible for the Pro-vincial Capital Commission and has responsibility for:
Kevin enjoys spending time at the cabin in northern Saskatche-wan, travelling, golfing, reading, motorcycling and snowmobiling.
Source: Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.
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Interprovincial Lotteries;
Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts;
Saskatchewan Arts Board;
Western Development Museum;
Meewasin Valley Authority;
Wascana Centre Authority;
Wakamow Valley Authority; and
Wanuskewin Heritage Park Authority.
IN THE NEWSIN THE NEWS
Keith Knox Heritage Youth AwardMembers of the Regina Heritage
Advisory Committee (MHAC) voted unanimously to recommend the city name its heritage youth award in honour of Keith Knox who died on May 6 of mesothelioma, a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos.
Knox was a member of Regina MHAC and in the past had been president of the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society and the Regina Plains Museum.
In addition, he was a member of the Bell Barn Society of Indian Head, Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage Society and Biographies Regina.
He also served as Saskatchewan governor for Heritage Canada.
Regina city council is expected to deal with the Regina MHAC recommendation later this fall.
Correction! Ooops, We're Sorry!There was an error in the
A 1913 composite view of the crude wooden structures comprising the brick factory for the new Prince Albert Penitentiary, with the main three storey brick jail in the background. (Source: Public Works and Government Services Canada)
