Some people claim Weyburn was named
after a railway man who supervised the laying of steel. There
are others, however, who insist the City got its name from a Scot.
There's the story that on a hot summer's afternoon, an exploring
Scot, on coming across the Souris River, exclaimed "Wee Burn,"
and hence, the community became Wee Burn later changed to Weyburn.
Records indicate the community of Weyburn was founded in 1899 when people started to arrive and a settlement started to take shape around a station house and freight shed. 1902 was a boom year when an invasion of Americans brought in a number of new business enterprises from across the border and Weyburn was incorporated as a village. On August 5, 1903, Weyburn was incorporated as a town and achieved City status on September 1, 1913.
The Crocus Tour was inspired by the series "Jake and The Kid" set in the community of "Crocus," Saskatchewan by one of Weyburn's native sons, W.O. Mitchell.
There are numerous historical points of interest in and around Weyburn to peruse, showing the living, vibrant history of the area still visible in many locations.
One of the most distinctive landmarks, used by the city in its coat of arms and city flag, is the water tower, located on Signal Hill. Built in 1909, it stands over 90 feet tall and was designated a Municipal Heritage Property in 1987.
Located nearby are two other landmarks,
including the original Calvary Baptist Church building, now named
the T.C. Douglas Centre. The church,
constructed in 1906, was the home of Tommy Douglas when he was
the minister there in the 1930s. The centre was opened in October
of 1991 as a tribute to Mr. Douglas, who went on to be an M.P.
and the Premier of Saskatchewan.
The Signal Hill Arts Centre is also near, built in 1912 as the Weyburn General Hospital as the first publicly-run medical facility in the community. It ceased as a hospital when the Weyburn Union Hospital was opened in October of 1952, and was operated as Mount St. Mary's nursing until '84; it was later bought by the city for the arts centre. On the second floor of the Signal Hill Arts Centre you will find our Prairie Gallery with monthly shows featuring local & regional artists. This five story Art and Culture Centre, now houses an art gallery, gift shop, darkroom, pottery studio, dance studio along with offices, meeting rooms and classrooms where art classes are held through the year..
Located below the centre is the Heritage Village, a replica of a village from the turn of the century up until the 1940s, including a one-room schoolhouse, church, rural municipality office, a blacksmith shop and, opening this summer, a newspaper office.
The residence of author W.O.
Mitchell can be found on 6th Street. Weyburn's court house
is another distinctive landmark, built in 1928 on Prairie Avenue,
the last good harvest year before the depression. The colonial
style was inspired by the reconstruction in Virginia, and shows
the city's strong ties to the U.S.
City hall, built in 1913, is on the corner of 3rd St. and Coteau Ave., is worth a look, including the "Big Wheel" located inside, a mosaic of Weyburn's history about 13 feet in diameter, made by local artist Joan Linley.
The Weyburn Security Bank, at 3rd St. and Souris Ave., was built in 1910 as the headquarters of Saskatchewan's only chartered bank to operate in this province, until 1931 when it was purchased by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
The power house museum, located on the banks of the Souris River, was built in 1909 to house the city's power generating utility. It presently houses the Soo Line Historical Museum (tour brochures available here), including the Charlie Wilson Collection, and the Tourist Information Booth.
The
Weyburn ReviewBox 400, 904 East Avenue
Weyburn, SK
S4H 2K4
Phone: (306) 842-7487
Fax: (306) 842-0282
E-mail: production@weyburnreview.com
This web page and its contents are copyright of the Weyburn
Review (1987) Ltd.
