Yorkton

The Yorkton region has long been inhabited by Nêhiyawak (Plains Cree) and later, Nahkawininiwak (Saulteaux) populations. Both the Whitesand River and the Little Whitesand River/Yorkton Creek (tributaries of the Assiniboine River and located just to the north of present-day Yorkton) have shown archaeological evidence of encampment sites and hunting activity. The migratory way of life of these Indigenous groups meant there were no permanent settlements in the manner that one might envision today as “townsites”, but the terrain was an area of frequent visitation and longer-term habitation over millennia. Yorkton's locality within the semi-sheltered Aspen Parkland ecoregion would have provided an adequate blend of protection from the elements with the open spaces vital to nomadic hunting culture. The advancement of European and eastern Canadian exploration and settlement greatly altered these migratory lifestyles, compelling some leaders of the region's First Nations groups to seek treaties with the Crown via the newly-formed Dominion (federal) government. With the signing of a treaty at Fort Qu'Appelle in 1874, the people and lands around the future Yorkton became part of Treaty 4 Territory. After this point, title to the land began to be sought in earnest by those hoping to conceive their own visions of community. In early 1882, a group of business men met in Toronto, Ontario, to discuss a plan to invest in the opening of lands for homesteading in Western Canada, specifically in the newly created Provisional District of Assiniboia, North West Territories. The Dominion Government had provided for the acquisition of free homestead quarter sections, as well as offering certain sections for sale to companies, who in turn could sell for profit, at the same time furthering the Government's dream of Western expansion. The York Farmers Colonization Company, with an Ontario Member of Parliament N. Clark Wallace as President and a capital shareholders' investment of $300,000.00 was incorporated May 12, 1882. Their charter allowed them not only to buy and sell certain lands, but to set up businesses, build roads, operate ferries, run stagecoaches, make loans, and generally take charge of the founding of a new colony. They also acted as agents of the Dominion Government for the assigning and filing of free homesteads. When four company officials, one being the Managing Director, James Armstrong came to view the area, they were impressed with the woodland scenery which resembled parts of Ontario, and with the rich quality of the soil. They obtained 8 townships and invited settlers from York County and other parts of southern Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, Manitoba, Great Britain and United States. Settlers began arriving in the summer of 1882, most of them heading east for the winter and to return the following spring. Four men stayed and wintered in one shack, existing on a minimum of supplies and with the help of Native people. They called their settlement "York Colony" and the hamlet, erected on the banks of the Little White Sand River "York City" situated 21/2 miles (4.6 kilometers) north of present day Yorkton. The name of the hamlet changed to "Yorkton" with the official opening of the post office on January 1, 1884. Compared to most other communities out West, it had an added boost simply because it had the backing of a wealthy colonizing company and its members who had business savvy and political clout. The company and the settlers transplanted from Eastern Canada the political, social, religious, educational, judicial and entrepreneurial systems. With the influence of the settlers from the British Isles, an English/ English-Canadian culture dominated in organizations, clubs, churches, and the business sector. Some of these settlers would make their mark beyond the colony—Joel Reaman, and Dr. T. Patrick for example, were both elected to the Council of the Territorial Government. By 1883, Rufus Stephenson, Inspector of Colonizat