TOWN PROFILE - History of the Town of Kerrobert

The Town of Kerrobert is located at the junction of Highways #21, #31 and #51 in the West Central region of Saskatchewan. It is approximately 65 km east of the Saskatchewan/Alberta border and 180 km west of Saskatoon. The Town of Kerrobert started as the Village of Hartsberg about 1906. The following year a land rush into the district began in anticipation of the arrival of the Canadian Pacific railway line. In 1910 the Outlook-Macklin branch line appeared in Hartsberg and during September of that year the first sales of town lots began. The Village became a Town in 1911 and was re-named Kerrobert and like many towns along the railway, it’s name is derived from an early C.P. railroad executive, Robert Kerr .

The Town was on the “Tote Road” which followed the right-of-way marked out by the surveyors and was used by the freighters hauling supplies for the building of the new railway. Kerrobert became the railway centre of the West Central region of Saskatchewan until rail traffic was re-routed when terminal elevators were constructed in British Columbia, causing less prairie wheat to flow east.

Kerrobert became the seat of the Kerrobert Judicial District in 1913 which necessitated the construction of the Court House which remains a focal point of the Community to this day.

From its strong agricultural base which continues to be the backbone of the community, the Town has also evolved into being one of the centres in the booming oil and gas industry in the Province.

The Town logo above is a caricature of the four historical buildings in the community, namely the Court House, Railway Station, Water Tower and the Library.

The Town of Kerrobert boasts of four landmarks in the community:

Court House:

Constructed in 1920, the Court House is a focal point in the community. Designed by the Provincial Architect Maurice W. Sharon and built by Wilson and Wilson of Regina at a cost of $145,750.00; this imposing brick and tyndall stone building was the seat of the Kerrobert Judicial District. The building with its beautiful historic park surroundings are now the home of the Town of Kerrobert Municipal offices as well as legal, accounting and other professional services in the town. There are rumours that the Court House is haunted. People have heard whispering voices, in otherwise empty rooms, and footsteps ascending the main stairway and walking through the Court Room in the early hours of the morning. Some say the ghost has something to do with an old skull which was locked in the basement Evidence Room – it dates back to a 1931 murder trial which was defended by John G. Diefenbaker, a future Prime Minister of Canada (1957 – 1963).

Water Tower:

The Town’s original waterworks system was built in 1914 and featured a 100 foot high standpipe Water Tower. This tower with its eleven, 7 foot high rings of riveted steel, has a capacity of 150,000 gallons of water. This facility is one of only two such towers remaining in Saskatchewan and it is still in use today.

Kerrobert Wheatland Library:

This is the original Canadian Bank of Commerce building, constructed in 1911 and situated at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Bosworth Street. The two lots on which this building sits were the first two lots auctioned in Kerrobert and the bank paid $2,040.00 for the property. The Auctioneer was no less than T.C. Norris the future Premier of Manitoba. The building is now home to the Wheatland Library.

Canadian Pacific Railway Station:

This heritage site was constructed in 1911 and featured an exotic garden area, complete with fountain. The building was declared a Municipal Heritage Site in July, 1985 and has since become the home of the Kerrobert Fish and Game Association and houses meeting rooms as well as a shooting range.