Our Stories, Our City: Building Community for 50 Years with the Saskatoon Heritage Society

Come celebrate 50 years of the Saskatoon Heritage Society on Saturday June 20th at River Landing II (by the pumphouse). The Saskatoon Heritage Society invites residents and visitors to explore Saskatoon’s natural, cultural, and built heritage through multiple tour options scheduled throughout the day,with food stations and activities such as guided tours, dancing, colouring stations for the kids and much more!

Schedule:
12:00 PM – Opening Ceremonies & Welcome from Emcee Jeff O’Brien
Greetings from: Mayor Cynthia Block and Knowledge Keeper, Lyndon Linklater, and the Saskatoon Heritage Society
12:30 PM – Speaker Lenore Swystun, President – Saskatoon Heritage Society – “50 Years. Why Heritage? Reason for being.”
1:00 PM – Association of Cameroonians in Saskatchewan
1:30 PM – Speaker: Knowledge Keeper Lyndon Linklater – First Nations history of the land
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Tours! See below for tour information or Sign up here!
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Entertainment by:
Shining Spirit Dance -First Nations Dance Troupe
Chinese Dance School of Saskatchewan
Latino Canadian Cultural Association
Seed of Flowers
Saskatoon Scottish Country Dancers
Blakey River City Irish Dance
4:50 Closing Remarks – Emcee Jeff O’Brien

DISPLAYS AND ACTIVITES

KIDS ACTIVITIES by Jody Cason – Using her own distinctive architectural drawings which form part of the SHS “On Safari” walking tours, Jody will host a colouring station where children can draw and colour gargoyles, buildings and fossils and other stuff.

Our City, Our Story Wall -A clean mural paper under the Sid Buckwold Bridge will invite people to write their favourite moment or their favourite building in Saskatoon’s history. These public comments will be transcribed after the event and be part of the SHS 50th anniversary legacy. Hosted by architects Charles Olfert (AODBT Architecture) and Colin Tennent (retired – University Architect and Associate Vice-President of Facilities Management at the University of Saskatchewan) and Heney Klypak (formerly of Wallace Klypak Architects).

Saskatoon Heritage Society– Heritage advocacy over the years using historical photos and other archival material. Merchandise for purchase.

Food Vendors select food vendors will provide beverages and snacks.

Tour Information
All tours are free, however we ask that you please sign up for the tours as there is limited space per tour. Sign up here.

Tour Descriptions

Riverbank Wonder with Meewasin
Explore the past, present, and future of the Meewasin Valley. This fascinating walking tour uncovers the story of the river trails in downtown Saskatoon. You’ll learn exactly how the river and its banks have long been intertwined in the story of our city, and how Meewasin is working to preserve them.

River Landing Reimagined
Guide: Alan Wallace, Former Director of City Planning River Landing area’s history and the development that has made it the exciting “people place” that it is today.

How Did We Get Here
Guide: Dianne Wilson, Saskatoon Historian
The Tour will include an introduction of the choosing of the site of Saskatoon, a walk along the river and across the Traffic Iron) Bridge, a brief tour of some of the earliest settlement (now known as Nutana, including glimpses of the two oldest remaining buildings, the Trounce House (late-winter/early spring 1884), and the Marr Residence (June 1884), site of first Methodist Church & current Grace-Westminster Church, first High-school in Saskatoon (Now Nutana Collegiate Institute).

Market Square Tales
Guide: Jeanna South, City of Saskatoon, Director of Sustainability
Bridging the Past with Place Stories in Public Art & Urban Design. This tour introduces early public art and urban design carried out in the River Landing development area between 2005-2009, following the adoption of the South Downtown Master Plan. By 2004, it had taken over 20 years for the South Downtown development site to get off the ground, and leaders and creators aspired to support the area as a destination and enhance the yet to be proven viability for this neighbourhood. These earliest site works of art and design sought to highlight the distinct character of the neighbourhood through local and natural history storytelling. This tour will visit some of these early works across River Landing, introduce how and why the work came to be, and importantly, share some of the works’ stories.

Riversdale Uncovered
Guide: Terry Hoknes, Local Historian
As one of the founding settlements of the City of Saskatoon, Riversdale has a sense of history that you won’t find in other neighbourhoods. T our will focus on early culture groups settlers such as Ukrainian, Jewish, and Chinese and their importance to building our community.

Spirit of Alliance Sculpture (Drop-in)
Guide: Jean Sebastian Gathier – artist & Curtis Standing
A powerful Indigenous artwork honouring the historic partnership between the Blackfoot Confederacy and the North-West Mounted Police, symbolizing diplomacy, mutual support, and shared responsibility. The tour invites participants to reflect on relationships, reconciliation, and the enduring strength of Indigenous leadership and alliance‑building in shaping the Prairies.

Egg Money Sculpture (Drop-in)
Guide: Saskatchewan German Council
Honours the traditional practice of women saving and pooling “egg money” to support their families and communities, symbolizing resilience, resourcefulness, and collective care. It also highlights the often‑unseen labour of women whose economic contributions helped sustain Prairie households and shape community life.

A. L. Cole Pumphouse (Drop-In)
Retired architect Don Greer will provide you with the history of last standing remnant of the Saskatoon Power Plant.

Join us June 20th! Don’t miss out on this fantastic day of celebrating 50 year’s of Saskatoon Heritage Society!

Free to attend.

Welcome to the Saskatoon Heritage Society – please watch the following video which tells you more about our organization.

We also have an extensive collection of local history videos on the links above as well as 33 issues of our annual Saskatoon History Review magazine available for purchase.