Yorkton History


Welcome, Esteemed Visitors!

Embark on the renewed journey of the https://saskgenweb.ca/skyorkto/Yorkton/. While we've shifted homes, our commitment to preserving Yorkton's essence remains steadfast.

In this fervent endeavor we invite you to join us in sustaining this venture through Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/SaskGenWeb). Explore our evolving pages at Support on Patreon ensures our beacon endures for historians, genealogists, and all captivated by the past. Gratitude to Ancestry.com and Rootsweb.com for past hosting. Today, we call upon our community, old and new, to unite in preserving this invaluable resource.

Welcome to a new chapter! Your support, in any form, is a cherished gift to the history that unites us all. As we embark on this journey to preserve and celebrate the rich history of Yorkton and its surroundings, your involvement is key. If you possess a one-room schoolhouse memory, a photograph of a cemetery headstone, a transcription, a yearbook, a directory, or historical letters, your contribution can greatly enrich the knowledge for others tracing their family tree and histories.

Share your treasures, and together, let's weave a tapestry that honors the past and guides future generations. Your generosity in sharing these glimpses into history is truly appreciated. Thank you for being a part of preserving our collective heritage.

With gratitude,

The  
Yorkton and Area Gen Web  
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Yorkton Area Historical Tidbits
This page is intended to share little "tidbits" of historical information. Things like if a town was named something else in the early years. Name changes of school districts, this sort of thing. Incorporation dates, railway info, etc. If you have something you would like to contribute, please feel free to email me and I will get it posted here.

Melville was originally called Bethania (1903-1908).
The post office was at Killaly until 1908.
Melville was named after the president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, Charles Melville HAYS. He went down with the Titanic on her maiden voyage.
Melville-1907-hamlet of 65 people, 1908- village of 625 people, Dec. 1908- incorporated as a village, 1909- town of over 1000 people, 01 Nov. 1909- incorporated as a town and in 1960- incorporated as a city.
Killaly was named after a construction engineer named KILLALEY who worked on the building of the railroad.
Killaly- incorporated as a village in 1909.
Village of Bangor- name changed from "Bascoe" to "Bangor" after the cathedral city in North Wales, 1907.
Fenwood- the first post office was in the back of Mr. GOOD's store, 1908.
Grayson- known as the R.M. of Grayson in 1914. The first post office was located at John HOLITZSKI's and opened in 1900.

Waldron- incorporated as a village in 1909.

The following was submitted by Jan Johnston of Iowa, U.S.A. (Thanks Jan!)

From People Places The Dictionary of Saskatchewan Place names Togo - Village (pop. 1905 - ) NW1-28-52-12-W2 on #5 b near the Manitoba border southeast of Kamsack. After Admiral Heihachiro Togo (1845-1934), who led the Japanese fleet to victory in the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. Togo fired the first shots of the war when he sent a surprise torpedo boat attack against the Russian eastern fleet to anchor in Port Arthur, Feb. 9, 1904. His fleet maintained absolute naval supremacy throughout the war. Tsushima is an island between Japan and Korea. The battle there May 27, 1905 will be studied as long as there are military colleges. Togo not only executed the classic naval manoeuvre of "crossing the T", in a daring and original move, he re-crossed it. Of twelve Russian ships of the line which had been sent out from Europe to teach the upstart Japanese a lesson, eight were sunk and the other four captured at a cost of 5,000 Russian lives. The Japanese fleet lost 110 killed in action and about 600 wounded. Japan had become a major naval and geopolitical power.



 
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Last Updated -- 25-Mar-2006

 
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