Our south Saskatchewan sweep of 1989 took us by a watercourse named Moose Jaw Creek, according to an 1859 map of the Palliser Expedition. Referring to that map in the Eighteenth Report of the Geographic Board of Canada (containing all decisions to 31 March 1924) ... this creek's name was to be written as Moosejaw.
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| from: Exploration - British North America. : papers relative to the exploration by Captain Palliser, 1859 at archive.org |
I believe the CPR Moose Jaw station is located just north of
the junction of Thunder Mn Cr and Moose Jaw Cr.
Captain John Palliser (1817-1887) reports below:
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| from: Exploration - British North America. : papers relative to the exploration by Captain Palliser, 1859 at archive.org |
In 1989, we woke up in Regina and sped southbound through Moose Jaw so I've arranged this post in that order.
In 1892:
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| from: CPR Annotated Timetable (westbound) - July 19, 1892; Railfare reprint. |
Regina in 1915:
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| from: Atlas of Canada; 1915; Government of Canada. |
Around 1920:
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| from: Across Canada, Annotated Timetable (westbound); circa 1920; CPR. |
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Regina in 1989
Below, with the sunrise on September 12 occuring at around 0630hr, the nearby houses and our VW Fox are frosted. That diesel looks a little cold too.
Looking at a Saskatchewan crop insurance First Fall Frost Map ... between September 11 and 17 is a reasonable time to expect a first frost in the Regina area. I don't know if what you see here would cause frost damage to crops or if it would result in affected grain being classified into a lower grade. However, as eastern Canadians we were surprised when we looked out and saw frost.
As a relevant historical example, if a settler arrived here from Essex in England ... the first frost there usually occurs between November 11 and November 20.
... Welcome to the Canadian west ... Surprise!
As a relevant historical example, if a settler arrived here from Essex in England ... the first frost there usually occurs between November 11 and November 20.
... Welcome to the Canadian west ... Surprise!
I have been reading that as the first (central) areas of the Prairies were being settled, earlier ripening grain cultivars were important to enable the first farmers to avoid frost losses. Some areas of the Saskatchewan frost map show first frosts are expected August 28 to September 4!
... The Dominion experimental farm system's farms at Brandon, Indian Head and particularly Ottawa were important in developing earlier ripening wheat and other grains because they obtained seeds from similar cold climates (e.g. northern Europe) and tested and interbred them. Not only did the wheat have to ripen in time ... but it also had to have suitable milling and baking properties - particularly if it was to be exported to Europe.
In contrast to ripening earlier to beat frost ... as more southwesterly areas opened up (where we will be driving later on this day) knowledge of moisture-conserving practices (such as summer fallow) became critical for successful farming.
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| from: The Imperial Highway; AN Homer; no date (pre-1915); Causton & Sons, London. |
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Some 'bar graphs' from 1915:
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| from: Atlas of Canada; 1915; Government of Canada. |
Above: After 1900, you can imagine how significant
western grain farming and ranching on the newly-occupied prairies
were becoming for the export-oriented Canadian economy.
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| from: Atlas of Canada; 1915; Government of Canada. |
Above, you can see the countries of birth for people the newly-settled Prairies.
Knowledge of dryland farming techniques did come north with some of the immigrants from the US.
I don't know when bar graphs were 'invented' ... the numbers, above, may seem confusing,
but they just show the percent data to two decimal places.
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| from: Atlas of Canada; 1915; Government of Canada. |
On the 'railway territory' map above, from 1915, you can see the influence of the CPR (green) in southern Saskatchewan.
For fun, notice that the spelling Moosejaw follows the Geographical Board's decision - republished in 1924.
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Following, are commercial advertisements
and a sponsored article about Moose Jaw from circa 1920.
In the following photos, you can figure out the vantage point of the camera ...
if you keep an eye on the grain elevators, water tanks, roundhouse and the station's distinctive roof.
Following the black and white pages is an older colour postcard which clearly illustrates those features.
(The station faces south and the grain elevators are to the west.)
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| from: Commercial Canada, Its Progress and Opportunities; ed: Fred Cook; circa 1920; Redman Book Co, Leeds, England. |
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| from: Commercial Canada, Its Progress and Opportunities; ed: Fred Cook; circa 1920; Redman Book Co, Leeds, England. |
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| from: Commercial Canada, Its Progress and Opportunities; ed: Fred Cook; circa 1920; Redman Book Co, Leeds, England. |
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| from: Commercial Canada, Its Progress and Opportunities; ed: Fred Cook; circa 1920; Redman Book Co, Leeds, England. |
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| from: Commercial Canada, Its Progress and Opportunities; ed: Fred Cook; circa 1920; Redman Book Co, Leeds, England. |
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A Moose Jaw Postcard
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| Postcard mailed Dec 31 1918 within Ontario. |
I just noticed the stub switches - this must be a rather old photo.
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| from: The Imperial Highway; AN Homer; no date (pre-1915); Causton & Sons, London. |
The view above comes from a rather elaborate book prepared to promote the CPR corporate empire.
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| from: Back cover: CPR Public Timetable; April 1939. |
The outside back cover of the CPR public timetable shows how Moose Jaw was a key junction
between the CPR's main line and its track through North Portal, Saskatchewan
to the US Midwestern States and the bright lights of Chicago.
Four months after this schedule went into effect, World War Two began.
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Photos from September 1989 and Our Minutes in Moose Jaw
I discovered that these two photos fit together - though probably not by design.
I think I detect some VIA blue on the closest section of the station - for The Canadian, before its CPR routing was cancelled.
The closed tunnels to the passenger tracks show the former importance of this CPR station.
Swinging the camera a little to the left (south) we see some power waiting for another run.
Finally, looking over Thunder [Mountain] Creek, here is the station (right, with its clock tower) and the CPR offices (left) as seen from the south. The clock could be seen along Main Street for a number of blocks. This would have been helpful to passengers who chose to shop while waiting for their train connections.
If you locate the two tallest yard light standards, then find a point midway between them on the horizon, you may see that the last of those three or four country elevators was still standing in 1989.