By GREG NIKKEL, of the Weyburn Review
Over 300 people crowded through the Soo Line Historical Museum on Wednesday for the Founders' Day celebration, marking Weyburn's 100th birthday since settlement.
The afternoon began with a tea, with a standing-room only crowd in the main display room listening to remarks from Mayor Don Schlosser, MP Roy Bailey and MLA Judy Bradley, along with an introduction by Erna Murray of the Weyburn Artists' Workshop for the unveiling of their First Nations wall mural and teepee display.
Weyburn historian and writer, Isabelle Eaglesham, was also on hand to autograph copies of her history of the early days of Weyburn entitled, The Night The Cat Froze In The Oven, which went into its fifth printing. The city provided cake and lapel pins, both of which ran out before the afternoon's festivities were done. More pins were delivered to the museum and are available for anyone who didn't get one on Wednesday.
"It's very fitting we should be holding this type of celebration in the museum. A lot of things in here go back 100 years or even prior to that," said Mayor Schlosser.
In noting the many ups and downs experienced since Weyburn was settled, and the difficulties currently facing farmers, MP Bailey said, "I wish this spring the agricultural people had the same aspirations about putting their crops in as those farmers did in 1899, but that'll improve."
"Here in Weyburn, we really do have a past we can be proud of. I think we're going to have a bright future for Weyburn," said MLA Bradley, adding many significant people have come from Weyburn, including such notables as T.C. Douglas, W.O. Mitchell and Isabelle Eaglesham.
Historical Society president Art Wallace said the Artists' Workshop put in many hours of research and painting to create the mural, which is entitled, Many Moons Ago. It took the artists about three weeks of work to complete the mural. Much of the research was done by Roland and Lois Olson.
Workshop member Erna Murray said the mural depicts the Assiniboine peoples in an encampment at what is now Weyburn. The mural shows a scene looking across the Souris River from where the museum is now located, looking towards Signal Hill. A number of teepees are shown, and an actual teepee has been erected in front of the mural as part of the display.
A scene was drawn up from the point of view of the museum's location, and was then projected onto the wall. It was originally going to be eight feet high, but the artists decided to make the mural extend to the ceiling, enlisting the help of painter Brian Glass to paint the blue sky up to the top.
The workshop members include Erna Murray, Ed Jones, Margaret Zelionka, Edna Jennings, Shelly Van De Sype, Elizabeth Murray, Dorothy McPherson, Mary Keedwell, Rose Drescher and Lois and Roland Olson.
Box 400, 904 East Avenue
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