The following article was originally published in the North Battleford News on May 19, 1938 as part of the paper's coverage of the 25th anniversary of North Battleford becoming a city. In the article, John O. Burton remembers North Battleford as it was when he came here from Ontario in 1905. The photos included can be seen, along with many others, in the book "Reflections of North Battleford", published by the City of North Battleford Historic Archives and available at City Hall in North Battleford.
A story of days gone by, of things that happened 33 years ago by an old timer whose name is John O. Burton, who, coming to what was to be North Battleford, arrived here April 4, 1905, in company with a friend, Tony Rea - coming from the town of Harriston, Ont.
Driving up from Warman, which was supposed to be the big town instead of Saskatoon, with Senator Benj. Prince of Battleford, with a team of broncs, I pitched my tent where now stands the public library. There was a house of logs being built by a Frenchman named Joe Duhaime, and later a livery barn in the place where now stands the skating rink.
I worked for Senator Prince, helping to get logs out of the river for his sawmill, which was on the banks of the river just north of Battleford town. Then I worked on the CNR grade, later helping to build the CNR round house. Then I went to work for Senator Prince again, hauling lumber from Battleford to North Battleford for a lumberyard and store which was called Prince's Store and Lumber Yard. We had to do all the hauling over the river on a steam ferry on the south channel and a cable scow on the north channel; this was very exciting. This ferry and scow was operated by Hamilton brothers and paid for by the government (a toll of 25 cents a team being charged). The ferry was later operated by Joe Nolin, who later was MLA for Jackfish constituency.
The first house built of logs was operated by Mr. Lambert, a Frenchman, as a rooming and boarding house. Later he started building the Metropole Hotel, which is now the New Clarendon. Bob Bishop and myself were the first to sleep and eat there when they opened it up, carrying our mattress up and putting it on the floor before the partitions were even built. Of course it was done more for excitement than anything else, and they were crowded for room in the old log house. We used to take turns cutting down trees to keep the fires going.
King Street was all trees and heavy bluffs such as you can see in one of my pictures in the City Hall. The trees were very heavy where the Empress Theatre now stands. Where the Auditorium Hotel now stands a hotel was built called the Grand Central. The bluffs were also very heavy where the Saskatchewan Hotel was built by Mike Tynan; and still lots of trees beyond that - all poplars and willows.
I shot rabbits and prairie chickens the fall and winter of 1905 where the Empress Theatre, New Clarendon and Auditorium hotels now stand. Game was very plentiful then, so much so, that many a time we, Tom Suter, Jim St. John, George Drummond and myself, used to go to the river and bring back 15 to 20 rabbits, take them to the restaurant and have rabbit stew and plenty of it and we enjoyed it. The rabbits were so plentiful that you didn't need a gun, only a club.
The Clarendon Hotel was built by Chapman brothers; this hotel is now called the Mills Hotel. There used to be a bowling alley that is part of the Mills Hotel on the north side. A souvenir of the old bowling alley can be seen in the hardwood floors in Jim Mills' house.
Our first barber had his shop where the CNR baggage room is now and later he moved up to where now stands the Dickinson Block on Railway Avenue. His name was Collins.
I remember when Pickel and Johnston started their store in a big tent on Main Street and later building. Also Mr. Pettypiece, with a big tent and a carload of flour opened a flour and feed store and later building. He also built a barn at the back of his store, which I had the use of many a time.
I laid out the first 22 people who died - they died of typhoid fever caused by poor water. They used to get the water from a slough just north of King Street School; it was filled with wrigglers and flies.
A hospital was built, a three-room place on the lot just north of where Calvert's garage is now. There were also two or three tents. It was a very mild winter (no snow). When these people died, I used to lay them out and store them in Mr. Pettypiece's barn, until instructions were received from relatives, and until a carpenter could make the coffins.
The first man who opened up as an undertaker was Jack Wood, who I helped many a time. His first case was in the house that Dr. Morrison built, now owned by Jack Tanner and rented by Bob Pettypiece.
We used to have church in a boxcar. Several people now living here used to live in old Battleford, such as Dr. F. T. Wilson, optometrist, Douglas-Fraser, Ed Lafreniere and Babe Nolin, E. W. Marshall. Paddy Nolin is an old timer too.
North of town from a mile to two miles was sub-divided and was called the Annex. This property was owned by Stapleton, Cooper, Simpson and Mrs. Patton. She started a dairy farm. They were all old timers here. Among these old time residents of North Battleford were Ralph Brigham and Harry Detwiller, who built what they called the North Battleford Trading Store on Main Street on the lots now occupied by the Main Street Garage and Filling Station.
Those were the days when everybody was busy. People came every day looking for land. It was a common occurrence to see from four to eight outfits going out looking for homesteads, with from six to eight men to an outfit. They charged $8 to $10 a day and all expenses for a team and driver locating, Sunday included, and on return there would be such a rush to get to the land office, sometimes having to wait from four to eight hours to take your turn. I remember once there were so many standing on the stairway steps that they all fell down; then there sure was a scramble. All this had to be done in old Battleford as the land title office was located there.
There was lots of excitement crossing the river on the steam ferry, but everybody was happy and there seemed to be no scarcity of money. I have seen as many as 12 to 14 little shacks on the land between the subway and that little bridge leading to the golf course, with big families waiting to get a homestead and get settled somewhere or some had settled and were back in the village looking for work, and there was lots of work.
North east of town was called Chisholmville (Chisholm Town) on account of Mr. Chisholm, a lawyer, building a house on the corner of Arthur Street and Fourth Avenue. It was then away out in the country. Mr. Chisholm had a brother who had a hardware store on Main Street and a big lumberyard on George Street south of First Avenue, which later was burned down. On the opposite corner now stands a little stucco cottage, which I lathed, and I also lathed the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church. Mr. Sholtz had the contract for plastering. After he had finished these jobs, which incidentally were the last he did, he went to his homestead and with three other neighbours started to dig wells. While digging one of the wells they struck gas so strong that three of them were killed and we had to have iron hooks made to hook them up from the bottom of the well.
The first skating rink was built where now stands the Cooper Hotel. It was burned down about 1908. The first theatre was in a building south of Boyd's garage and close to Conroy's law office on Main Street. It also was burned down in 1911. I remember Gracie Bachelor singing on the first night a song,"I'm tying the leaves so they won't come down" and Mr. Jim Griese laughing and clapping. He was then a businessman with a candy and ice cream store at the corner of Railway Avenue and King Street. I believe Mr. Sheldrake used to help him make the ice cream, sitting on a box turning and turning away.
The late Dan Finlayson, who later became MLA, and Ab Craig were old timers in the village.
North and east of town there were plenty of wolves; in the early days it was nothing, while driving away 50 to 75 miles north in the night, to have a pack of wolves chasing and howling for miles and miles.
The late Mr. C. E. Hicks was also an old timer north of town. His son Charlie was well known as he worked in the Prince store. Later he went to the Great War with another good friend of mine, Bob Rowlston, both being killed as were a good many of their comrades and pals.
Fred Halterman is also an old timer. He used to take people out land seeking.
We had a swell hockey team in the early days; they were never beaten, and all good fellows, only one of whom is still in town - Walter Homer now working in the CNR freight sheds. We also had a good ladies' hockey team, Mrs. Stan Jackson and her sister, Mrs. Bob Pettypiece, being two of the players.
Mr. Klump and George Hadley were the butchers. Mr. Klump built his little cottage on George Street, the second house south of the Cooper Hotel. His brother-in-law, Mr. Micklejohn, was the blacksmith; and our first minister was Mr. Thompson, Presbyterian.
I remember in 1908 Christmas Day was a busy day for the ministers, as there were 18 weddings, one of them being my own.
The late A. P. Saer, an old timer, came to North Battleford from the old town and built a two-storey building with a store on the ground floor and a hall upstairs which was later turned into rooms. It was located on Main Street where part of Boyd's Garage now stands. It too burned down. Mr. Saer homesteaded in the Cut Knife district.
