Let me make the case that we should be renaming a few of our local landmarks.
Tisdale Elementary School. Tisdale Middle & Secondary School. Tisdale RECplex. Tisdale Curling Club.
Yawn.
St. Therese Park. Kay Montgomery Park. Henry Hamilton Park. Maurice Taylor Performing Arts Theatre.
Oh.
Interesting. Who were these people? How did they change Tisdale? What stories could they tell?
Giving buildings and public spaces meaningful names cements our area’s history, ensuring significant people and events will be remembered for years to come.
I flipped through Tisdale’s history book and found a few options. Sadly, I didn’t find many women or people of colour, but this isn’t a comprehensive list - it’s the beginning of a brainstorm.
Thomas Fawcett may have been the first Dominion Land surveyor in the Tisdale area. He’s said to have been surveying here in 1896.
Joseph Le Blond is the first known settler in this district, and you’ve got to admit his name has a great ring to it. Other early settlers included Thomas Hassett, Ben Neal and Thomas Hans (at this rate, if we just name a building Thomas, we’ll be honouring a good collection of significant folks).
There’s also Jack Hawthorne, who grew the first grain in the district, and Fred J. Hogan, the area’s first doctor. Rick C. Farr was elected mayor in 1921, another first for Tisdale.
Finally, there’s E.W. Schell, who printed the community’s first paper in 1906. Back then, it was the Tisdale Monitor.
I’m proud to work for a company with deep roots in this area, just like I’m proud to live in a community with an interesting history. It’s time we do a bit more to recognize and honour the past.
