Saskatoon: A Century in Pictures

T.D. Regehr is a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan and
author of The Beauharnois Scandal: A Story of Entrepreneurship and
Politics.

The 1983 centennial of the founding of the city of Saskatoon has led to the writing of a major new history (Don Kerr and Stan Hanson, Saskatoon: The First Half Century; Edmonton: NeWest Press, 1982) and a pictorial history. The two works should be read and enjoyed together, even though the written work covered only the first half-century while the pictorial work covers the entire century. The arrangement in both cases is chronological and both works are divided into roughly the same chronological time periods.

Saskatoon: A Century in Pictures begins with a brief section on the pre-settlement period and follows with an interesting collection of pictures, maps and documents related to the founding and early history of the temperance colony. Each of the remaining sections covers about ten years, with a short, well-written, and informative introduction providing the context out of which the pictures came.

The pictures, mostly photographs taken by non-professionals, document the life of the city and the experiences of the people. Mayors and other civic and political leaders receive no special attention, and even Mr. Diefenbaker gets only three pictures, of which only one is overtly political.

For natives and residents of Saskatoon this book will bring back many memories. Other Canadians will value it as an unpretentious portrayal of life in a Canadian prairie city over the period of 100 years.