Saskatoon History, Saskatchewan

Saskatoon has a rich history expanding to about 600 years. The name Saskatoon has been derived from the name of the local berry which is called as “mis-sask-quah-toomina” by the local Indians. It was an abode to the aborigines until 1880 when first set of Europeans arrived here. 

 The early settlers were led by John Lake. They arrived in this city by train from Ontario. At the time when this was happening, the government of Saskatoon was offering large pieces of land to the colonized powers. The Methodist community of Toronto saw this as a golden opportunity and flocked here. Their conservative ideas allowed them to take a break from the persisting liquor break of Toronto. The whole rally led to the signing of Temperance Colonization Society which had the signatures of 3,100 possible migrants.  

John Lake, who had was a Methodist minister cum industrialist was looking for a site for immigrants down the Saskatchewan River. He chose a place called Minnetonka and in 1883 first land survey of the present Saskatoon was carried out. Even though the initial process began with a lot of enthusiasm, the progress became slow and the 1885 North-West Rebellion further slowed it.  

1890 was a historic year when the Qu’Appelle, Long Lake and the Saskatchewan railway Company came together to build a bridge across the river and a railway line to Prince Albert. This ambitious project attracted a new stream of settlers along the west bank of the river near the railway station. This small settlement was named as Saskatoon in the year 1901. With the advent of time the city grew towards east and it was called Nutana. On the west, developed the third settlement called as Riverdale. However in 1906, all the cities merged to form one city of Saskatoon. With excellent infrastructure and civic amenities, the immigrants started coming to Saskatoon in huge numbers. The city was growing at a fast rate.  

With the construction of three railway tracks and one traffic bridge in South Saskatchewan, Saskatoon became an integral part of the transportation network. In the contemporary city of Saskatoon, there are seven vehicle bridges and two rail bridges.   

This fast-growing city saw yet another growth boom in 2005 when the construction of four residential complexes along with numerous proposals for business parks or zones was shaping up. The infrastructure of Saskatoon was furthered by construction of public buildings and some high schools in the year 2006.  Currently the city has a population of 200,000 and the number keeps growing.   

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