By Craig Baird
While the rest of North America was going through a very difficult time during The Great Depression, those hard times seemed to have spared Yorkton, at least partially. It began in 1929, one of the most prosperous years in the history of Yorkton. The local paper, The Enterprise, concluded that the next decade would be just as good.
As we all know, in October of that year, the stock market crashed and the weather took a turn for the worst. In many areas of Saskatchewan, farmers would seed their fields only to see a dust storm blow the seeds away, or bury them so deep they could not germinate. The rain even stopped as a large drought set in.
Even in Yorkton, during those early years, times were more difficult than usual. The Roxy Theatre lowered its prices to attract customers and the city was unable to keep up employment and had to provide relief for its citizens. Merchants tried to keep spirits high, even organizing 95 Cent Days. During the celebration, businesses would try to out-do each other in terms of offering bargains.
Despite some hard times, Yorkton was seen as an oasis amid the desert of The Great Depression. Even with employment being a problem and wages low, businesses were popping up at a fast pace in the city. In March of 1935, The Enterprise reported that so many stores had opened in recent months that were was not a single house or store available for rent or lease in the entire city. Even The Hudson's Bay Company renovated their building. A new car garage was opened up by Robert Spence and business was so good he took on the agency for Dodge cars and the Continental Auto Supply.
Even the theatre was doing well and a second theatre, the Princess Theatre was re-opened.
Throughout the 1930s, Yorkton was a town of contradictions. While businesses failed throughout the prairies, Yorkton continued opening up new businesses, all of which proved more or less successful. While more businesses came into town though, the population of the town fell. There were 96 fewer people living in Yorkton in 1936 than there were in 1931. Despite a fall in population, Yorkton had more homes, more mailboxes, more children in schools and more telephone rentals.
The economy in Yorkton stayed stable, while around the city the economy was erratic. Even odder was the fact that Yorkton's government increased relief benefits for unemployed single men who refused to work on farms, while farmers were desperate for help on the farms to keep up with the prospering crops. By 1937, 25 per cent of the taxes of the city went to providing relief to the unemployed members of the city.
It was a very odd time for the City of Yorkton.
Canadian History Ehx is not only a column, but also a podcast that publishes weekly with interesting stories of our great nation. You can learn more about the podcast by visiting http://canadaehx.blogspot.com
If you have any questions or would like Craig to look at something specific from Yorkton's history, e-mail him at [email protected]
