Sask. connections found in new designations of national historical significance

Dr. Alfred Schmitz Shadd was designated a person of national historical significance. (Photo source: The Melfort & District Museum)

The Government of Canada recognized five new designations of national historical significance, with two having connections to Saskatchewan.

Dr. Alfred Schmitz Shadd was born to a prominent African-Canadian family in Ontario. He was a physician and community leader in what eventually became Saskatchewan, at a time when the government was discouraging people of African descent from settling on the Prairies, according to Parks Canada.

Shadd worked as a teacher in 1896, then as a doctor in 1898 after completing his medical studies.

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After settling in Melfort, he ended up opening a medical practice and drugstore. Shadd also published the Carrot River Journal, served as a town councillor, and helped found the Lady Minto Hospital.

During his time as a councillor, he advocated for the installation of new sewage and water lines.

Parks Canada says Shadd’s story helps illustrate the diversity of early settler society in the province.

“As the first documented Black settler in Saskatchewan, Dr. Shadd played an important role in shaping the early growth of this community serving as a teacher, then physician, farmer, entrepreneur, and civic leader,” said Doug Chisholm, a Melfort & District Museum Board Member and proponent of Shadd’s designation.

Estevan Strike

The 1931 Estevan Strike and Black Tuesday were also designated an event of national historical significance.

On Sept. 8, 1931, coal miners in Bienfait, Sask. prompted a strike when mine owners refused to address their concerns over harsh working conditions and poor wages. Workers had turned to the Mine Workers Union of Canada to pursue negotiations, but owners refused to engage in talks.

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The miners and their families organized a motor cavalcade in Estevan to draw public attention to their concerns. However, the situation turned deadly when strikers came across a police roadblock.

Violence escalated as officers shot and killed three miners and injured 23 others.

According to Parks Canada, the riot and aftermath – known as Black Tuesday – highlighted the hopelessness experienced by miners and the risk of police violence during the Great Depression.

The event also showcased the divide between workers and company owners during the time and the obstacles to unionization.

The other designations include St. John’s Anglican Church in Port Williams, N.S., Honoré Beaugrand, a Freemason who defended freedom of thought in the late 19^th century and A.G. L. McNaughton, a scientist who made important contributions to the Canadian war effort.

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The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advise the minister responsible for Parks Canada of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada’s history, with the board then ensuring that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under the national program of historical commemoration.

Since the program was established in 1919, over 2,280 designations have been made nationwide.