We acknowledge we are on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay respect to the Indigenous Peoples and Métis, ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another.
FRIENDSOF THEMUSEUM
Municipal:City of MelfortRural Municipality of Flett’s SpringsRural Municipality of Star CityRural Municipality of Willow CreekMelfort Trade AllianceMelfort Agricultural SocietyRotary Club of MelfortMarguerite Riel Centre
National: Canadian Museums Association (CMA)Canadian Council of Archives (CCA)Canadian Heritage - Young Canada WorksNational Trust – Young Canada WorksService Canada – Canada Summer JobsCanadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)Celebrate Canada (Canada Day)
Provincial:SaskCultureCulture DaysHeritage SaskatchewanMuseums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS)Northeast Museums Network (NEMN)Sask. Council of Archives and ArchivistsMemory Sask (SAIN)Saskatchewan Archaeological SocietySaskatchewan Parks & Recreation Association (SPRA)
PARTNERSHIPS AND SUPPORTERS
Respected local photographer Ken Singer.Many of Kens pictures appear on this website. Ken is a retired broadcaster and is active in the Melfort Rotary Club.
The Melfort Agricultural Societyheld the First Melfort Exhibition in 1906
Melfort Agricultural SocietyOn May 23, 1906, the Melfort Agricultural Society was established through the efforts of the Board of Trade and Dr. Shadd. They set the date for the first Exhibition as being October 12-13. Mr. Aikenhead donated 19 acres of land for the society to hold the first exhibition. Adult admission was set at 25 cents and children 12 and under had to pay 10 cents. Vendors paid a fee of $10 to participate. The Melfort Band made their first public appearance at the fair and played each night in front of the Ozark Hotel. Plowing matches, auto races and other events drew larger crowds every year.By 1919, the Exhibition became a three day fair. The horse barns that were built are still in use today. Horse racing was one of the big events at the fair so the Society joined the Trotting Association. Life memberships were sold in 1919 to help stay afloat and Melfort joined the Class B Circuit so the grounds and the buildings were improved.In 1918, Farm Boys and Girls Camps were established and organized by the Melfort Agricultural Society. Children from all over would come to Melfort to attend these camps. The boys would learn about grain and showing animals, while the girls would be taught cooking and sewing. At one time the Farm Girls Camp had 60 leaders and 450 girls enrolled. These camps played a major role in drawing people to the Melfort Fair.
Rural MunicipalitiesOriginally there were no local governments. The dominion government was too remote for any actual contact with the settlers on the plains and the territorial government was in charge of an area so large that it was almost inaccessible. This situation left the settlers alone to deal with many of their own local problems such as well digging, cemeteries, and public sanitation. To deal with these problems, the pioneers of a certain area formed a Local Improvement District (L.I.D.) for their area. These L.I.D.'s eventually changed to Rural Municipalities. Three main RM's were formed: Willow Creek, Star City, and Carrot River.In 1910, the Willow Creek L.I.D. was formed. The L.I.D. of Star City started as early as 1897. There was a six man council and a chairman from 1908 until the R.M. of Star City formed in 1913. The R. M. of Carrot River was formed in 1910. The name of this R.M. changed to Flett's Springs in 1938, when the village of Carrot River became a town.
We acknowledge we are on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay respect to the Indigenous Peoples and Métis, ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another.
Municipal:City of MelfortRural Municipality of Flett’s SpringsRural Municipality of Star CityRural Municipality of Willow CreekMelfort Trade AllianceMelfort Agricultural SocietyRotary Club of MelfortMarguerite Riel Centre
National: Canadian Museums Association (CMA)Canadian Council of Archives (CCA)Canadian Heritage - Young Canada WorksNational Trust – Young Canada WorksService Canada – Canada Summer JobsCanadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)Celebrate Canada (Canada Day)
Provincial:SaskCultureCulture DaysHeritage SaskatchewanMuseums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS)Northeast Museums Network (NEMN)Sask. Council of Archives and ArchivistsMemory Sask (SAIN)Saskatchewan Archaeological SocietySaskatchewan Parks & Recreation Association (SPRA)
The Melfort Agricultural Societyheld the First Melfort Exhibition in 1906