Whether by preserving memories of our past through stories and artefacts, maintaining the skills and crafts of our predecessors or making new creations to be cherished in the years to come, we recognise the importance of our Heritage. This page highlights some of the legacy being preserved, maintained and created in Your Community.

Some Early History of the Exhibition Neighbourhood

City of Saskatoon Archives – Courtesy Jeff O’Brien, City Archivist

Saskatoon’s First Cemetery

On the bank of the South Saskatchewan River, at the intersection of what is now Ruth St. and St Henry Ave., you will find the Nutana Cemetery (Pioneer Cemetery). The first recorded death in Saskatoon was in 1884. The site became an unofficial cemetery for the colony. In 1889 the site was officially recognized by the provincial government. The last burial took place in 1948.
Life on the prairies was difficult for our pioneers. Of the 144 identified graves, at least 51 are babies and 14 are children under the age of 16.
(Lynn Adamson)

Historic Residence

Constructed by Harold Pendygrasse between 1909 and 1910, the Pendygrasse House (Search this page only: “Pendygrasse”) is located in the Exhibition neighbourhood and was once home to one of the earliest families in Saskatoon.
This historic place, located at 1919 St. Henry Avenue, was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 2016. The heritage value is in the unique architectural feature.
(Lynn Adamson)

A Freeway from a Railway Line

The construction of the Idylwyld Freeway in the 1960s resulted in the community being physically bisected with several streets being realigned and what was at one time the City’s main CN rail line being removed.
In the 1980s the city attempted to relocate the Exhibition Grounds to the north end of the city so the land could be used for residential development. Voters defeated this plan in a plebiscite.
In 1966, the Canadian National Railway tracks were relocated out of the downtown. The former railroad right-of-way south of the river became the Idylwyld Freeway. East of Prairieland Park, it becomes Circle Drive and connects to Highway 16 east and Highway 11 south.
The former railway bridge was demolished and replaced by a traffic bridge; originally known as the Idylwyld Bridge and renamed in 2001 to the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge. The freeway crosses the river, at the bridge, and connects, at 20th Street, to Avenue A, renamed Idylwyld Drive.
(Lynn Adamson and Communication Committee research)

History on the Exhibition Grounds

The Log Cabin (Search this page only: “Log Cabin”) is a small log building located in the Exhibition Grounds. Constructed in 1937, the cabin remains a unique remnant of Saskatoon’s past.
(Communication Committee research)

Saskatchewan Muralist

His “high watermark,” a massive mural, is on display at the Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church in Queen Elizabeth neighbourhood.

Don’t forget, the largest human history museum in Saskatchewan, the Western Development Museum, is in Your Community!