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Souris River Saskatchewan

Unincorporated Area

NW Section 31, Township 1, Range 2, W2

Latitude 49° 05' 00" N
Longitude 102° 16' 02" W

Elevation 1705 ft

Located SW of Oxbow
and north of Elcott and Northgate
Located on the Souris River

Located on the CNR Railway
originally the Grand Trunk Pacific
Regina and Boundary Branch line (GTPRBL) see below

There was a giant gravel pit here
and tons of gravel was hauled from this area
for ballast on the Rail line

Obviously named since it was beside the Souris River
near where the railway crossed the river.

Appears there was an elevator here
Imagine it was a Pool Elevator

Souris River 1927 map

Sarah Matilda Davidson
and Charles Henry Miller
had land grants in this area.

Grand Trunk Railway
 Brief History

Originally this area was located on
the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad (GTPR),
 incorporated Oct  24, 1903,
a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway, (GTR)
referred to as the "GTPR Regina Boundary Branch Line"
GTPR station at Elev 1841 ft
Railroad built by
Grand Trunk Pacific Branch Lines Company (GTPRBL)
which completed the connection,
 to Prince Rupert BC from Chicago.
This Railroad connected at Northgate* SK.,
with a new branch line from Niobe, ND.,
built by the Great Northern Railroad.
(*note some old newspaper articles called it Northport)

Feb 6, 1912
Seward T. St. John** Secretary and General Manager
of the Transcontinental Townsite Company Ltd.,
located at 268 Portage Ave.
and also shown as 604 Sterling Bank Bldg., Winnipeg MB.,
who was in charge of the GTP Development Department,
announced the building of 15 new towns,
on the Regina Boundary Line.
A contract had been awarded to a Minnesota firm,
to build General Stores in various towns along the line.
They wanted to make sure the area the train went thru
would be well served and used by the settlers.
They had picked the following names:
Innes, Cedoux, Huntoon, Rainton, Beliot, Sander,
Minard, Breeze, Steelman and Deborah.
The Post Office required a name that was not the same
as any other town in Canada at the time.
Trains #7 and #8, left Regina at 1pm, Mon, Wed, and Fri.
arriving in Regina Tues. Thurs, and Sat. in 1914.
Times changed a little bit a few years later.
1923 this all became part of the CNR
By Mar 20, 1915
the Transcontinental Townsite Co. Ltd. was in receivership
and Mr. St. John was hauling the books into court.

**Seward Thaddeus St. John
b- Apr 20, 1865 in Eldora, Hardin Co., Iowa
d- ?
shown as a homesteader at Wilcox SK, 1901
also shown as Real Estate Agent there when he was
a shareholder in the Canadian Central Railway Company.
1900 living in Omaha City, Douglas Co., Nebraska, single
father- James McKie St. John, b- ca 1831 in NY
mother- Diantha Ellsworth, b- ca 1838, in PA
He married Stella Wilson, June 29, 1900
she was born in Roseland, Adams Co., Nebraska

Mar 17, 1913,
An article stated 600 men will
be working on this line that summer.
Branch expected to be in operation end of 1913.
Steel was already laid for 106.9 miles to Hill Hall.
grading was done as far as Frobisher, 136 miles from Regina.
and 90% of the grading was done to the border from there.

Saturday Sept 6, 1913
Government Railway Inspector,
approved the line for use.
Vice President and General Manager of the GTPR,
Edson Joseph Chamberlin***, was expected
the next Thursday or Friday to officially inspect the line.

***Edson Joseph Chamberlin
 b- Aug 25, 1852 Lancaster, New Hampshire, USA
d- Aug 27, 1924 in Pasadena CA
May 24, 1912 he became President of the Company
 after Charles M. Hays died on the Titanic in 1912.
Sept 1917 he resigned, and remained as Director.
Howard G. Kelley moved up from Vice- to President.

Dec 4, 1913
A Grand Trunk Special train of Regina Business men
with train executives, were the first to travel on this line.

ca 1914
Mr. G. U. Ryley**** was Land Commissioner for the GTPR
they named a village in Alberta after him.
He was in Winnipeg at this time
but I believe he was from Ottawa, married
This was the guy that named all the towns/stations

****George Urquhart Ryley
b- June 16, 1852 (1854?) in ON
d- Apr 16, 1927 in Carleton, ON, age 73
1881- Surveyor, living in Collingwood, Simcoe N, ON
married Eleanor Wallace McQuilkain, (McQuilken?)
Apr 14, 1881 in Toronto, York, ON
b- 1858
d- ?
daughter of Samuel and Kate McQuilkain

father- John Proud Ryley
 b- July 1, 1825, in Birmingham England
mother- Jane Elizabeth Ryley, nee Urquhart
 b- ca 1836 in ON, age 45, in 1881

3 younger siblings of George:
John Edmond Ryley- b- ca 1857 in ON, shipping agent
Alfred Golde Ryley- b- ca 1859 in ON, accountant
May Dickenson Ryley- b- ca 1871 in ON

2 children born in Ottawa

George had land grants on Sec 28 and 30, Tsp 71, Rge 3, Meridian 6