Leipzig
What's in a Name - The Story behind Saskatchewan Place Names
Expanded and Revised, Third Edition By E.T. Russell
Page: 172
Leipzig is a small town on a branch line of the CPR that runs south of Wilkie to Kelfield. The settlement is predominately German and they named the town in memory of the one of the largest and most colorful cities of their homeland, Leipzig.
Early settlers included the following: Melchoir Muller, Johannes Novokowsky, Joe Gartner, Alvis Stark, Vinzenz Schwemann, Wenzel Suchan, August Franke, Jakob Gerbinsky, Johannes Salewsky, Michael Huber, Johann Schmidt, Stephan Leidl, Georg Reininger, Simon Star and Henrich Nestman.
During the First World War Leipzig changed its name to Arperes. This was done to honer A. R. Peres, the manager of a syndicate from Chicago USA, that farmed twelve quarters of land called "The Seed Farm." Shortly after the war ended the name was changed back to Leipzig.
Melchior Muller describes how he handled a balky ox thus: "I was breaking on my homestead and it was hot. I stopped my team of oxen to rest and one of them lay down. I let him rest for awhile, then I slapped him a little and urged him to get up. He wouldn't budge. I talked nice to him but he just lay there and chewed his cud. I got thinking, what can I do? I took a small bundle of grass and laid it by his back. Then I lit it. The ox got up and off we went plowing. Once, later on, that ox tried the same trick with me and all I did was pick a bit of grass and lay it beside him and he didn't even give me a chance to light my match!"
Brief Outline
| April - 1905 | First set of German Catholic settler had left the United States for Canada | (3) |
| May - 1905 | Approximately 20 days later arrived in the area of Leipzig, Saskatchewan | (3) |
| 1912 | Leipzig Hotel was built by Dominic Miller | (6) |
| 1912 | Grocery store was built by Mr. Tony Kaufmann | (6) |
| 1913 | The pool room was built by Mr. Joseph Miller | (6) |
| 1913 | Livery Barn was built by Mr. Jacob Miller | (6) |
| 1914 | Charles Zrazell started a blacksmith shop | (3) |
| 1917 | Telephone system was installed | (3) |
| 1918 | Quaker Oats Elevator was built | (3) |
| l925 | Jacob Germin started a shoe repair service | (3) |
| 1925 | St. John's Lutheran Church was opened | (3) |
| 1926 | Liquor store was opened in Kaufmann Store | (3) |
| 1926 | Sisters of Notre Dame arrived to teach school | (3) |
| 1927 | The Notre Dame convent was started | (3) |
| 1930's | Melchoir Miller started a shoe and harness repair shop | (3) |
| 1935 | Beer parlor opened | (3) |
| 1939 | Co-op stared a coal, grease and tool shed | (3) |
By the Forty's, Leipzig was at it's peak.
| 1942 | Credit Union opened | (3) |
| 1950 | Curling rink was built | (3) |
| 1959 | New Leipzig school was built | (3) |
| 1960 | Ladies were allowed in the beer parlor | (3) |
| 1969 | Sisters closed the Convent and moved from the district | Resource Page |
