Looking Back: 110 years ago, Northern Telephone Company

110 years ago - May 4, 1916

The Rosetown Northern Telephone Company awarded a contract to the Northwest Construction Co. of Saskatoon to put up 48 miles of phone line in the rural district to the north and northwest of town. The line was to be completed and operating by July 15.

C. E. Conlin had bought out D. H. Evans’ share of the Conlin & Evans implement business and Evans had purchased a share in the Rosetown Electric Light & Power Co.

100 years ago - May 6, 1926

W. B. VanAlstyne was building a house at McGee, part of which was to be used as a post office.

A chapter of the Eastern Star was instituted here on April 29 at the Masonic Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phillip, grand patron and grand marshall, respectively, of Hanley were in charge.

70 years ago - May 3, 1956

Two of the five speakers in the Toastmasters District 42 speech competition in Calgary came from this town or area.

Rosetown high school teacher Will Toombs finished second to the winner, Calgary geologist Desmond Oswald, who was to advance to a competition in Iowa.

Fiske-area farmer Howard Mitchell, an Edmonton realor and an insurance agent and world traveller from Winnipeg also spoke, stated a Toastmasters writer.

Toombs was supported by Mitchell and six other Rosetown club members: James Lynch, M. Dickie, George Leith, Bill MacDonald, Walter Topham and Ralph Moxley. They were “one of the largest out-of-town groups at the competition.” Toombs spoke on “Man’s Greatest Enemy . . . the enemy, the audience learned after some suspense, was man himself.”

Mitchell presented “the farmer’s practical point of view on the problem of world shortages in a talk titled ‘Charity.’ Speaking with sincerity and logic, he held his audience of almost 200 people in close attention for the seven minutes’ alloted time.”

At the second annual meeting of the Weather Modification Co-operatitve Ltd. in Delisle, local delegate Andrew Machan was re-elected for a three-year term.

50 years ago - May 5, 1976

An article focused on the art class sponsored by the Rosetown Contact Committee of Prairie West Community College. Photos showed student Lillian Anderson sketching and teacher Crystal Scott, a local artist and graduate of the Alberta School of Art in Calgary, watching and giving advice to Mildred Glass who was sketching an outline for an oil painting.

George Wilfred Shaw, 77, died at his home here on April 26. Shaw was born in Brigden, Ont., and first came to this district in 1916, went back to Brigden and returned in 1921. He worked in King’s Ltd., Dick Miller’s Men’s Store, at Security Lumber Co., travelled for J. I. Case Co. and worked at Rosetown Farm Equipment before operating Shaw’s Dry Goods from 1950 to his retirement in 1968. Shaw had been fire chief, a lifetime member of the Rosetown Curling Club and a semi-pro baseball player. Wife Margaret; a brother and sister, both in Ontario, and nieces and nephews survived him.

30 years ago - May 6, 1996

A photo showed Kathie Delowsky pouring a cup of tea for Florence Jackson at the Rosetown United Church tea and bake sale.

The former Herschel school hosted a seminar on Native culture with speakers Norma Jean Dubray/Byrd of Regina and Terry Widrick of Winnipeg.

20 years ago - May 8, 2006

A photo inside showed Mayor Alma Dubé and Heartland Health Region volunteer co-ordinator Pat Aylward unveiling a plaque during the dedication of the volunteer garden in front of the Rosetown & District Health Centre.