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The Early Years of a Farm Town

Wishart derived its name from one of its earliest settlers, a Robert Wishart, who in 1880 left Ontario and travelled west and settled in an area a few miles west of Wishart’s present location known as the Round Plain area. By this time the Canadian Pacific Railway was built to Qu’Appelle seventy miles to the south, which meant other settlers came in search of homesteads in that good grazing and agricultural land just north of the Touchwood Hills and established themselves in the Round Plain area.


In 1907, the Grand Trunk Pacific was built across the prairies passing within about fifteen miles to the south of the Round Plain. The Canadian Pacific Railway which passed through Elfros, Mozart and Wynyard to the north in 1909 was of less importance to the community because of its greater distance as this area of the Round Plain was only now starting to become settled.



The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway which later became the Canadian National Railway had passed south of the Round Plain through Touchwood Hills, while the Canadian Pacific Railway to the north had also missed the good agricultural land and ran a line bordering the alkali flats of the Quill Lakes.


until 1927 was action taken towards building a railway line to serve the area between the two existing lines, although the Canadian Pacific Railways had been granted this right. The community of Round Plain and others which had been established between the rail lines by this time, still had the problem of those long hauls to either line to market their grain or other produce.


was the farmers of the Willowbrook area who petitioned Hon. Charles A. Dunning, Minister of Transport for a railway to serve their area. Dunning, who grew up on a farm in the Willowbrook area was sympathetic to their request, so it was in 1928 that the Canadian National Railway began construction of a railway which would run from Yorkton through the Willowbrook area, then on through the Round Plain to join a Regina line at Bulyea.


soon as construction on the Willowbrook line commenced the Canadian Pacific Railway, who claimed a prior right to serve the Round Plain area, began construction the same year of a line out of Foam Lake. It would run south to Edmore then in a westerly direction through West Bend, Bankend and end at what is now the village of Wishart. The Canadian National line ended at Parkerville still a few miles short of the productive land west of the Beaver Hills.



Five elevator companies, Saskatchewan Pool, Parrish & Heimbecker, Inter-Ocean, Federal and United Grain Growers immediately started construction of elevators on the right of way, along with a number of business places. A station was built east of the elevators in a low lying area. The Railway showed little interest in establishing a town, even declining to survey and purchase a town site as had been their practice on most lines. The weather being especially fine for October and November, construction moved ahead rapidly. A row of buildings were being built on the right of way between the Pool elevator and the station, these were smaller or granary type buildings to be used as offices for the machine agents, real estate agents, lumber agents and a shoemaker. Just to the north of these, on land owned by Lucas A. Kowalski larger buildings were being erected, such as a two-storey hardware store. All buildings were being built on blocks until titles to the property could be obtained, so they could be easily moved to another site.



1928 was part of a period of prosperity before the depression years and there was a great deal of optimism for the future of the town of Wishart.


Business Growing
A number of firms were interested in establishing businesses. A Saskatoon partnership planned to build a large hotel, while representatives of two large chain stores had made inquiries. However the lack of a townsite hindered the building of permanent foundations for large structures. By the fall of 1929 when a townsite with surveyed lots had been established legally, the economy had suddenly deteriorated and the depression was making its presence felt.



A number of businessmen established themselves in Wishart at the same time, but at least two deserve special mention. Benjamin Jeal had a small country store in the Round Plain community for a number of years before the railway came. In 1928 he moved into Wishart, he was also the postmaster and a leading figure in the community. Herman Collingwood was a building contractor and with his brothers had built churches, schools, large barns and houses throughout a large part of south central Saskatchewan. He played a leading role in the planning of the village of Leross and was prepared to put this experience to work in the planning of the new town of Wishart.



As the original site of the village was situated in an area with low lying land on every side and unsuitable for a booming town, Benjamin Jeal and Herman Collingwood along with Harry Butcher of Punnichy as their legal advisor set out to establish a townsite.



A suitable site could be found less than a half mile to the west(the old town site is now the area dump). The railway had bought a strip of land south of the tracks just east of the line fence which divided the northeast quarter section owned by Lucas Kowalski and the northwest quarter section belonging to the D.H. McDonald estate. On this trip they constructed a Y to provide a turn around for the trains. To the north of the tracks they had built an access road to meet up with the east-west municipal road. It was here that they decided to form a new townsite by laying out an eighty foot main street using the access road. They then purchased ten acres of land from Lucas Kowa1ski on the east side at $95 an acre. Next they purchased ten acres on the west side of main street from the D.H. McDonald estate for $10.00 an acre, they then hired a Mr. Harding, a surveyor, from Punnichy to survey four blocks. These were surveyed into thirty foot lots facing an eighty foot main street and sixty foot lots at the rear for a residential area and also set aside an area to the north for a park. They also registered building caveats on all the thirty foot lots which meant that livery barns and blacksmith shops could not be built on main street. Unfortunately, many of the residents owning sixty foot lots sold half lots which meant crowding of the homes on first street east.



Before the buildings' were moved from the former site and off the right of way, a meeting was held to determine who got which lot. The lots were being sold at $50.00 each and the corner lots for $75.00. Arni Jacobson, who owned the hardware store suggested that the hotel should be situated on a corner lot on the south end of main street near the railway. Don Y. Sou, who was operating a cafe agreed to expand his building to include hotel services, while North American Lumber who needed space for a yard took a corner lot to the north. John Bazuik, a merchant from Fosston bought a corner lot across main street opposite the lumberyard, later to become the centre of the village.


The Moving of the Town
Now came the problem of moving those earlier businesses which had been started east of the elevators. Herman Collingwood arrived on October 15, 1928 and was persuaded by the North American Lumber Co. to manage Wishart’s first lumber yard. Two other lumber companies, the Reliance and Security had offices but did not stock lumber, hoping to get in on the building boom. Benjamin Jeal had set up a grocery store and the post office as did three other general merchants. K. Novosad, Juluis Boyko and John Bazuik. Two cafes had been established, one operated by D.Y. Sou and the other by George Coles, a poolroom owned by John Summerlidson and a shoemaker’s shop owned by T. Chornapeski. Arni Jacobson had built a large hardware store with living quarters above. A. Jensen had started a real estate business also handling bulk oil and fuel. One blacksmith shop owned and operated by Joe Karhut. Two implement agencies with stock, the John Deere with Alvin Reese as their agent and Massey Harris with R. McRae as agent.



The moving of these business places was a major undertaking considering the condition of the roads and the lack of power in some cases. The moving of the smaller buildings went smoothly with the aid of gas tractors and horse power. To move the larger buildings, a mover from Viscount was hired who had the necessary moving equipment but no power. This meant hiring John Lewandowski with his steam engine and also a large Sawyer-Massey gas tractor owned by D.H. McDonald and operated by John Dyck, this tractor broke down later. They met with very little difficulty until Arni Jacobson’s two-storey hardware store was making the turn on the muddy street at the south end of main street. There, it is said, the steamer got stuck, the street grew dark and the mover got drunk.



Under the direction of Herman Collingwood and with the power of another steam engine belonging to Edward C. Watson the store began to move again. It was with the dim lights of a number of kerosene lanterns that the building was moved onto its foundation, its stock still intact on the shelves and Mrs. Jacobson comfortable in her upstairs living room.



By now all the business places had been moved from their former sites and placed on their own property with the exception of the two lumber companies, Security and Reliance and A. Jensen the Real Estate agent, who sold out rather than make the move. It was hoped that the station would be moved closer to the new townsite but the railway made no move to do so, claiming that a suitable site could not be found further west. Mr. Walter Thompson was the first station agent.



Even though the new site was established just as the great depression of the thirties began and businesses had to cope with a failing economy, lots were in great demand as new places of business and homes were being started almost daily. Possibly one reason for this building boom, was the fact that this fertile agricultural land of the Round Plain-Wishart area had always produced a crop and never had a complete crop failure, as had been the case in other parts of the province.


The Changing World
Many changes have taken place since the new townsite was settled in 1929 which was as follows, yet not necessarily in this order.



Joe Karhut moved his blacksmith shop onto the corner lot along railway avenue on the east side of first street east, the reason being that the town fathers had placed a building caveat on all property in blocks one and two on main street to safeguard against having blacksmith shops and livery barns built in these areas. Joe Karhut operated this shop until his retirement in the early seventies. It is now the site of Wishart’s new water storage and filtering plant.



Stanley Krenkewich had purchased the office of E. Jensen and placed it on the corner lot on the east side of main street, where he set up in business as an agent for International Harvesters and Imperial Oil. The same year he built a 30 x 50 foot warehouse and office, selling out in 1940. Owners to follow were: Alex and Mike Dublanica (garage), Alex Dublanica and Alex Federko (Wishart Farm Service), Alex and John Federko (Wishart Farm Service) and now it is owned and operated by Wm. Stephanuik & Sons.



To the north was the Post Office and grocery store owned and operated by Benjamin Jeal, who died in 1936, Owners to follow were: Ruth Jeal and Fraser Hall (B. Jeal & Co.), Fraser and Barbara Hall (B. Jeal & Co.), Robert Dawson and today it is the Wishart Senior Citizen’s Recreational Centre. In 1939, the Post Office was moved to the McRae home on first street east with Randall McRae as postmaster.



Next in line came Arni Jacobson’s two-storey hardware store which was later destroyed by fire.



John and Linda Bazuik placed their grocery store on the corner lot, which was operated by their son Mike Bazuik for a number of years, selling out to Mike Homuniuk to be followed by J.F. Kischuk, Nick Sulatiski, Peter Kuprowski and now operated by Jerry and Mildred Wolitski (Parkland Store).



George Coles established his cafe and boarding house on first street east, next to T. Chornapeski the harness and shoemaker.



Don Y. Sou, as was agreed earlier, had purchased the corner lot west of main and set up his cafe. In 1935 he added nine rooms, when it became the Wishart Hotel & Cafe, later adding a beer parlour. Don Y. Sou sold out to Mike Davinuik and William Martinuik of Ituna, later selling to William Nakonichny. In 1953 the hotel was purchased by Joe and Beatrice Dobranski of Wishart, who operated it for the next twenty years until selling out in 1973, during which time many renovations and improvements were made. Since then it has been operated by a number of others, the present owner being John Glushko.



Just north, Karl Novasad had established his general store, only to sell out to the Capital General Stores, who also had branches at Elfros and Perdue. For many years, the Wishart branch was operated by Louis Silverberg and his son, Harry. Later to be purchased by the local Cooperative Association, though the original building was sold, it is the present site of the Wishart Co-op Store. Present manager is John Szeman.



Next was the site of the poolroom owned by John Summerlidson, who in 1930 sold out to George Afish, followed by John Urbanoski, Wm. Roshka, Peter Evanski, the building now being owned by John Wielgoz.



On the corner of the same block, Herman Collingwood had moved his small office, but immediately began construction of a new office and residence for North American Lumber Co., serving as their agent for the next twenty-eight years, retiring in 1956. Later this business was sold to the Wishart Co-op.



North across the street on lot two, Elvin Reese had moved in with his John Deere Agency, a short time later selling out to James C. Watson (J.C.), who built a large garage just a lot north in 1930. Taking on the Cockshutt line of farm machinery and North Star Gas and Oils. Again the building was expanded and shortly after his death, Mr. Stanley Karhut became the owner of the property.



Opposite, across main street, Randall McRae had set up an office with a line of Massey Harris machinery.



The elevators were in operation and the records show that Lucas A. Kowalski sold the first load of grain. The first agents being, Saskatchewan Pool, Alex T. Hamilton, Parrish and Heimbecker, Hugh A. Cossar, Inter-Ocean Grain, J. Ternowetsky, Federal Grain, M. Olson and United Grain Growers, Robert Beckett.



Now that the moving was over and numerous lots had been sold and the balance of the lots registered in the name of Herman Collingwood and Benjamin Jeal, the building boom was on. Wishart was to take on a new look from 1930 on. A number of homes were now under construction, John and Mary Dyck built a dining and boarding place on first street east. Alex Yourchuk, a blacksmith shop and Fred Wasylenko, a livery stable. Just north of the hotel, Don Y. Sou built a butcher shop which was operated by Sampson Coles and for a short while a general store operated by G.S. Fishman. Adolphus Spence, who owned the lot north of the lumber yard sold it to M. Blanchard for a garage, which was not successful. In 1934 the property was sold to Harry C. Shevchuk, who erected a new garage, and became the agent for Massey Harris, and later the Case agency. Harry Shevchuk was always interested in community affairs, so when the Credit Union movement started, Harry’s office became the birth place of the Wishart Savings and Credit Union. As business increased demanding a new office being built on the former site of Jacobson’s hardware. Harry, still as manager, was obliged to move also, later selling his garage to the present owners, the Wishart Co-op, with Barry Stefanson the present manager.



To the north, according to the early records, North American Lumber Co. erected a building which became the Liquor Board Store. Later it became the R.M. of Emerald office with E.J. Verity and David Moleski as secretaries. Then it was the Wishart Post Office with Thomas Matheson as postmaster.



The early thirties also saw the R.M. of Emerald office moved in and the doctor’s residence built just north of the Watson Garage.



In 1933, Jack Forgan purchased the corner lot north of Bazuik’s store and built a general store and meat market, followed later by Mabel Hogaboam (Dry Goods), Maggie Evanski (Cafe), Margaret Keller (Cafe), Robert Beckett and Don Short (Cafe). Then Mac Wasyluk took over, remodelled the building and started a beauty parlour operated by Leona Wasyluk. It is now Stan’s Cafe operated by Stanley Dublanica.



Dr. Harry Little started the Emerald Pharmacy next to the Pool Room selling out to Jack Davies, who was followed by Larry Gillott, Francis Watson (Dry Goods), Orest Senkiw (Radio and T.V.), Allan Nordal (Radio and T.V.).



Other businesses started in the early thirties were; Lucky Stryke Beauty Parlor operated by Muriel Watson, Harness and Shoemaker’s Shop by A. Drozduik, Livery barn by John Evanski, and later a Butcher Shop operated by John Romanowski. Nick Zack built a Theatre on the corner of second avenue and main, lair remodelling it into an apartment block, and it is the site of the present Wishart Post Office. Just across second avenue Wm. Gerhardt set up as an agent for Massey Harris, followed by Norman Krenkie.



Since 1929 some of the businesses have disappeared only to be replaced by others. The growth of the village has been gradual over the years. From its two blocks in 1929, the townsite now occupies nearly all the available land on the N. 1/2 of Sec. 30-29-14-W2nd north of the railway tracks.



With the town growing so rapidly, the town fathers faced many problems. The need for many facilities such as roads, a water supply, medical services, schools, recreation, electrical power, telephones and others were required.



The mail delivery service from Lestock remained on the same schedule that was in use when the post office was situated on the Jeal farm before its moving to Wishart in 1928. Mr. George Nofield of Lestock made the trip with team and sleigh or wagon twice a week regardless of weather conditions, often late but at least twice a week. As road conditions improved so did the mail service, later it became a daily service.



In 1929 they attempted to get a telephone exchange but failed. They had hoped that West Bend, Bankend and Wishart could form one exchange, since all were along the borders of the existing telephone exchanges. All these rural telephone companies were suffering from the economic problems of the time, therefore were unwilling to release any paying subscribers to another exchange, Wishart was to wait forty-five years for its own telephone exchange.



Wishart was just outside the boundaries of the Round Plain Rural Telephone Co., so the Saskatchewan Government Telephones placed telephones in Wishart and connected into the Round Plain Rural with its central at Punnichy. Elfros Rural Telephone Co. came right to the village limits on the north. An agreement was later made permitting Elfros Rural to install a telephone for the local municipal doctor, this was extended later to include the business places only, which meant that customers could now phone Wishart from all areas covered by the Round Plain and Elfros Rural Telephone companies. This worked well until the mid-sixties when the Saskatchewan Telephone Company took over the Punnichy exchange and refused dual service to the Wishart subscribers. Elfros Rural was therefore forced to remove their lines and phones and we were back where we started, long distance to all north of the village limits. This was to last until the early seventies when the Wishart-Bankend exchange was formed.



The office of the R.M. of Emerald was built in 1915 by Herman Collingwood some three miles east of the present townsite on land owned by Stanley Krenkewich which was supposed to be the exact centre of the municipality. With the arrival of the railway, it was decided to move it to Wishart, where it was used as a meeting place for the municipal council for a short time. On the arrival of Dr. Harry O. Little, the first municipal doctor, it became the doctor’s office, later to be added to by the construction of the doctor’s residence at the rear. Mrs. Little, the doctor’s mother, lived with the Neelys during its construction. Wishart being a hamlet at the time and under the supervision of the municipality the medical needs of the residents were assured. Even after Wishart was incorporated as a village the services of the municipal doctor continued in an agreement with the municipality. Since the disappearance of the ‘municipal doctor’ the medical requirements of the village residents has been supplied by doctors from the neighboring towns and villages.



Power lines and electrical services were being extended in the early thirties to the towns and villages both north and south of Wishart and were to bypass Wishart for a number of years to follow. The business places and homes had to continue using the old kerosene lamp and gas lamps until early in 1947 when Alex and Mike Dublanica, who were operating a garage, purchased a generator and extended power lines to all business places, by December 10, 1947 a few street lights had been installed and the service extended to include ten homes. Service was limited to a period from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. until 1950 when they purchased a new unit and were able to supply twenty-four hour service. This was to continue until March, 1956 when they sold their plant to the Saskatchewan Power Corporation.



Water, or the lack of good drinking water was to become a problem for the next thirty years. A number of wells were dug by machine all with a fair supply but unfit for man or beast as was the one dug on main street which was kept in good repair for a water supply in case of fire. Hand dug shallow wells became the source of a limited supply of good drinking water, with a number of these wells situated in different parts and the use of Lucas Kowalski’s well. Water had to be used sparingly, so much so, that the wells had to be locked and opened for short periods each day. Another reason for the wells being locked was that the water was of such good quality that it was being hauled away in cream cans by residents of the surrounding district during the night and the wells were dry in the morning. In 1965 the village installed a sewer and water system throughout the whole village. The water supply now coming from a flowing well two and a half miles southeast of the village. The water system again being improved in 1979 with installation of a large storage and filtering system situated within the town limits on a site once owned by Joe Karhut.



It was twelve years before a school was constructed in Wishart, all students attended St. Mary’s School, one half mile east. St. Mary’s School was built in 1923 by Herman Collingwood, then of Leross. Elected to first board of trustees were; Mike Dobranski, Edward C. Watson and Lucas Kowalski. By 1931 the student population had grown to such a degree that a second classroom was constructed, then in 1939 the name St. Mary’s was changed to Wishart and a new site purchased from Lucas Kowalski, east of first street east. Construction of the new Wishart school was completed in 1941 with Steve Siganski, G. Skafel and S. Szostak as teachers. Since 1941 it has grown into a complex of sixteen classrooms, with all facilities for students from kindergarten to grade twelve. Now in 1979 another large extension is under construction which will improve our educational facilities further. The Wishart School forms part of the Foam Lake School Unit No. 38.



Recreation in the early days was at a minimum, but one winter sport became very active. A curling rink with one sheet of ice, known as the old straw rink was erected on the east side of the village and became a beehive of activity, even into the wee hours of the morning regardless of the weather. Enthusiasm was at a high level, it being just about impossible to get on as a spare and as is the case in most curling rinks, the best curling was being done in the crowded waiting room. Tennis courts were laid out just west of the lumber yard, these were to give away to a new curling rink. It is said by many that this rink was colder inside that outside because it was entirely constructed of rough lumber and slabs. Later this was demolished to become the present site of the municipal office, the doctor’s office and the fire hall. Our town fathers had the foresight when planning the new townsite to reserve an area at the north end of main street as a park, on which has been erected a two sheet curling rink and a skating rink.



One of the most ambitious enterprises undertaken by the village for the recreation of its residents and the surrounding community, particularly considering that it was done in the depth of the depression was the erection of the community hall. In 1935, Dr. Harry O. Little and others began selling non-transferrable five dollar shares to raise funds for the construction of a thirty by sixty community hall with hardwood floors. So great was the enthusiasm and cooperation of the community and village that it was completed in record time. All work was done by volunteer labour with the exception of the supervisor, George Greba, who received twenty five cents an hour.



Streets and sidewalks were a great challenge in the newly settled townsite. This became the responsibility of the municipality assisted by the town fathers of the day, namely, Herman Collingwood, Benjamin Jeal, John Bazuik, Randall McRae, Alex T. Hamilton, Harry C. Shevchuk and others. Many arguments were to follow, as to how, where, and when this or that should be done. Road building in the municipality depended greatly on horse and man power, strong men to operate the two horse slusher or the four horse fressnels. As many as twenty outfits were employed in a day for the construction of the main street. A number of volunteers with teams and wagons were also used for hauling gravel. Most of the gravel hauled was for the sidewalks which were made of 3 x 6 municipal bridge planks laid lengthways and filled with gravel. This proved quite satisfactory when compared with the muddy streets after a good rain. Concrete sidewalks gradually took over until today, most residents enjoy these sidewalks throughout the village. Road and street conditions gradually improved with the use of gravel and a number of carloads of cinders brought in by train from Wynyard. With the progress of road building and maintenance equipment, the condition of the streets further improved. The 1970’s brought oil surfaced streets to most parts of the village.



In the early days, transportation in and out of Wishart was a matter of concern particularly in the winter. Adolphus Spence, Wishart’s first drayman also supplied a livery service which was utilized mostly by Dr. H.O. Little, the municipal doctor while making his country calls. He also made trips to the neighboring towns when emergencies arose. Travellers, blockmen, and agents got together and hired one vehicle either out of Lestock or Wynyard to make their calls. Farmers also joined forces to make their weekly trip to town for the mail and groceries often taking these supplies for their whole neighborhood.



The railway was supplying passenger, express, and freight service on a weekly basis. Many would gather at the station for its arrival while the children would board the train for a ride while it made its turn around on the Y.



Possibly because of this once a week service by the railway, Mr. A. Rooney of Bankend started a trucking service out of Yorkton. Yorkton was the main source of supplies at this date and for a number of years to follow. Mr. Rooney sold out to Hagen’s Transport, who in turn sold out to Allan Tourney. Tourney operated till 1952. On July 1, 1952 Harold Zander of Yorkton purchased the franchise to serve Parkerview, Jedburg, West Bend, Bankend, Wishart and all points along the way. Zander Transport has given continuous service for the past twenty-seven years, even with the most adverse weather and road conditions, he has always been able to make his regular two trips a week. Harold Zander, though never a resident of our village, has contributed a great deal to the development of our community, this net being fully realized until the railway discontinued their express and freight service and Zander’s Transport was the only reliable trucking service for supplies from Yorkton and points east.



Fire protection in the hamlet for a number of years was the well known bucket brigade and fire extinguishers, later by a chemical engine. With the installation of the water system, Wishart now has a modern and well equipped fire engine and volunteer fire brigade.



By 1937 the population of the hamlet of Wishart had grown sufficiently to allow the town fathers to incorporate as a village and to form their own council of three members. The first council meeting was held in the new community hall on July 16, 1937 with Alex T. Hamilton as Overseer and Herman Collingwood and Harry C. Shevchuk as the other two councillors, with Randall R. McRae as Secretary Treasurer. Those to serve on council from 1937 to 1980 are as follows:



1937-1943 Alex T. Hamilton, Overseer; Herman Collingwood, Harry C. Shevchuk, Randall R. McRae, Sec. Treas.
1944-1945 Frank Maserek, Overseer; Herman Collingwood, Harry C. Shevchuk, J.F. Kischuk, Sec. Treas.
1945-1948 Herman Collingwood, Overseer; John Urbanoski, Harry C. Shevchuk, J.F. Kischuk, Sec. Treas.
1948-1949 Herman Collingwood, Overseer; John Urbanoski, Harry C. Shevchuk, Miss Marion Collingwood, Sec. Treas.
1950-1951 Hermari Collingwood, Overseer; Fraser Hall, Harry C. Shevchuk, Miss Marion Collingwood, Sec. Treas.
1951-1952 Herman Collingwood, Overseer: Fraser Hall, David Moleski, Miss Marion Collingwood, Sec. Treas.
1953-1955 Herman Collingwood, Overseer; Fraser Hall, David Moleski, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1955-1962 Herman Collingwood, Overseer; Fraser Hall, John Pylypiuk, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1962-1965 Herman Collingwood, Overseer; Fraser Hall, John Pasternak, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1965-1966 Fraser Hall, Overseer; Herman Collingwood, John Pasternak, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.



In 1966 the work load of council had increased to such a degree with the installation of water and sewer and other improvements that a bylaw was passed by council to increase the present three man council to five.



1966-1968 Fraser Hall, Mayor; John Pasternak, Leo Kowalski, Peter Kuprowski, Paul Latoski, Dave Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1968-1971 Fraser Hall, Mayor; Edward Kowalski, Leo Kowalski, Peter Kuprowski, Paul Latoski, Dave Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1971-1973 Fraser Hall, Mayor; John Pasternak, Leo Kowalski, Peter Kuprowski, Paul Latoski, Dave Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1973-1974 Fraser Hall, Mayor; Edward Kowalski, Leo Kowalski, Peter Kuprowski, Paul Latoski, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1974- Fraser Hall, Mayor; John Senkiw, Leo Kowalski, Peter Kuprowski, Paul Latoski, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1974-1976 Paul Latoski, Mayor; John Senkiw, Leo Kowalski, John Szeman, James Millham, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1976-1977 Paul Latoski, Mayor; John Senkiw, Christine Feigel, John Szeman, James Millham, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.
1977-1980 James Millham, Mayor; John Senkiw, Christine Feigel, John Szeman, John Prisiak, David Moleski, Sec. Treas.



It should be noted here that Herman Collingwood served for a period from 1928 to 1966, giving freely of his time and effort in the development of the village with little, if any, remuneration other than the satisfaction of being of service to his fellowman. Thirty-eight years of public service should be a record that will be hard to beat.



The religious needs of the village and community were not forgotten in its formation, as today, stand three Churches reminding us of the faith of those of former years, the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic Church and the United-Anglican Church. Fire destroyed the Greek Orthodox Church in 1964. Religious training for the young, Youth clubs, Altar Societies, Church clubs have always played an active part in the life of this community. Social life of the community is as varied as the people living in the area.



The residents of the village are proud of the appearance of their yards and dwellings, having won the award offered by the Saskatchewan Government, Department of Health to villages with a population under five hundred in the east central division of the province, on three separate occasions, which was every time the award was offered.



Recent construction of ten low rental suites and the Wishart Senior Citizen’s Recreational Centre has meant a great deal to the senior citizens of the area. These have since become obsolete with the dwindling population of the town and were bought and moved by a business owner in Dafoe, Sk.



Many were the changes and improvements down through the years, each being a highlight at the time, but the most memorable highlight in the history of Wishart would have to be their 50th anniversary celebrations in 1978, when hundreds made the trip ‘home’ from as far away as the west and east coasts, New York state and Yellowknife to the north, to meet and reminisce with friends and relatives, who they had not seen for years. The mile long parade was outstanding as it depicted that period of time from 1928 to 1978. Celebrations closed with an open air interdenominational Church service at the Round Plain Stone Church, with Rev. Art Fee of Washington, D.C. as guest speaker, who was once a resident of the area.

External links

• History of Wishart