Early History of Landis, Saskatchewan

Compiled by Stan Hingston from several articles in The Landis Record Vol 1. Friesen Printers, 1980

When opening Saskatchewan to settlement the government established a Land Officer in the larger centers. The land was mapped in plots of one township each, showing the land available for homesteading.

Beginning October 1, 1905 the Land Office [in North Battleford or Saskatoon?] began to concentrate on the Landis district including Naseby, Plato, Landis, Wolfe and Traynor. Most of the land in this district was filed on within two weeks, although practically nobody moved on until the spring of 1906. In May of 1906 Bob Miller sold his quarter for the town site of Landis and was granted rights to re-homestead.

T. Brown, Jack & Louis Tinant, Herman & Julius Grenkie and James Braithwaite, came to Landis in 1906.

In the spring of 1908 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway laid the steel through Landis and it became a place on the map. The village was named for a railway official. The Landis station was built in 1909 or 1910. For a few years Landis served the districts of Leipzig, Handel and Kelfield before those towns were built.

The first village council was organized on June 15, 1909. The first Overseer was P. Deroche with councillors E.E. Bent and Archie Robertson.

Mr. R.K. Butler built the first store in Landis which also housed a branch of the Union Bank and an office for the Justice of the Peace, Mr. P.A. Deroche. Mrs. Butler, the first woman in Landis, baked bread for the bachelor homesteaders.

In 1908 Mr. E.E. Bent moved a store into Landis and became the first postmaster of Landis. The same year Archie Robertson opened the Monarch Lumber Company and Jack Tinant opened a livery barn.

The Landis Hotel was built in 1909.

Mr. Ernie Gillespie was the first carpenter in Landis and ran a wheel repair shop. He also operated a jewelry shop and was a licensed undertaker and embalmer. People had to be very versatile in those days!

One of the first burials in the new Landis Cemetery was in July 1910 for Mrs. Mary Stilbal who died after giving birth to twin girls. The babies also died and were buried with their mother.

The first school in Landis was built in the summer of 1909 and opened with May Louise Wells as teacher.

The first doctor in Landis was Dr. Phoenix and the first pharmacist Sam Martin.

The Landis Co-operative Association was formed during the winter of 1929. The Landis and District Savings and Credit Union opened in 1942.





Last Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2002