One-hundred-and-eighteen years ago today, Saskatoon was declared a city.

In 1906, the city had a population of just 4,500, up significantly from a population of 113 just five years prior. The city was comprised of three smaller communities: Saskatoon, Nutana, and Riversdale.

The following three years sported the opening of St. Paul’s Hospital, the Traffic Bridge, the Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Fire Hall No. 1, and City Hospital. The University of Saskatchewan was close behind them.

Despite Saskatoon being officially recognized as a city in 1906, Saskatoon traditionally considers 1882 its founding year, as this is when the Temperance Colonization Society first examined the area and decided that it would make a good location to found their community.

The settlers were led by a man named John Lake, who is commonly identified as the founder of Saskatoon. On the advice of Chief White Cap of Moose Woods, Lake chose the region now known as Nutana as the place to establish the new town. The first Temperance Colony settlers traveled by railway from Ontario to Moose Jaw and then made the grueling 160-mile trip to Saskatoon in horse-drawn carts, as the railway was not yet present.

Photo: Prairie Towns