Yorkton had become a judicial centre in 1896. The picture is of Yorkton's first Court House built in 1903 on North Front Street, now Livingstone Street. The actual location is on lot 42 on the south side of Argyle Street, built at the back of the block, where McBean Motors and later Dedman Motors were located. The wooden building looks impressive, containing court rooms, offices and accommodations for the Royal North West Mounted Police, as well as jail cells. However, it was getting bad reports already in 1915. The part where the cells were located was considered drafty, unsanitary, unhealthy, inadequate and a fire trap. The police did their own cooking, and with stables nearby their building, they were responsible to care for their horses. Prisoners were often doing the janitorial jobs, and other tasks. The building was taken over by the Great War Veterans Association, when the new court house was built on Darlington Street in 1920. Photo dated 1907.
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton, Box 400
37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
.JPG;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
