Cavell/Coblenz
Saskatchewan

Coblenz - Cavell Village 1909-1943
Submitted by Irene Gerlinsky


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History of Coblenz - Cavell is inoformation collected from the The Archives, The Wilkie Press, Coblenz-Cavell town and school board minutes, Saskatchewan Pool, CNR, Bills of Lading 1911-12 for Coblenz Railway Station, and local residents who were very co-operative and helpful in assisting me with useful knowledge of the past.

Coblenz, situated beside the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, was declared a village on April 27, 1909.

The rails between Saskatoon through Coblenz to Edmonton were constructed in 1908-1909 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, with the first train entering Edmonton August 13, 1909. Coblenz was considered as a divisional point, but due to the lack of water, this idea was soon abandoned.

In July of the same year the Railway Company purchased 135.28 acres of the NW 1/4 sec. 12-38-19 W3rd from Gavin Spence for the development of the village of Coblenz. Grand Trunk Pacific was also instrumental in the building of the railway station and the stockyards.

Coblenz, at the time, boasted a general store, restaurant and boarding house, two lumber yards, livery stable, machine agencies, hotel, butcher, carpenter-contractor and an Imperial Dealer.

The first residents in Coblenz were Frank, August and S. Gillen, Wm. and John Delainey, S.H. Simmons, Peter Gilmore, Geo Twiss, Jos. Hoyer and M. Scherman.

The population of Coblenz had increased dramatically to a couple of hundred by 1913, but as years progressed very few families were moving in, while causing the population to diminish rapidly. By 1925 the population was as low as twenty, but increased to thirty as a family of ten moved to the village. All that remains around Cavell of these pioneers, coming and going, are wagon trails which they used so frequently to travel to and fro.

During the middle twenties the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company was in financial difficulty. At this time the Canadian National Railway took possession of the railway and properties.

Cavell lost its status as a village in 1943, giving way the Rural Municipality of Reford #379.

Businessess and operators remaining were:


1. Municipal Office -- Ed. R. Dunnett
2. General Store -- Jake Kaufmann Sr.
3. Saskatchewan Pool Elevator -- Fred Bulmer
4. Northern Elevator - Ivor Griffiths
5. Post Office -- Joe Hingston
6. The Town Hall -- Elmer Watts
7. The Christian Church -- Freke Hingston
8. St. Margaret's Anglican Church -- Don Martins
9. Cavell School -- Rose Gidluck

Rosina Thrush was the only retired resident in Cavell at this time.

As these places of employment and businessess started closing, residents slowly moved away.

In 1980, Eva Frey was the last resident living in Cavell. After the passing of her husband Jake, she moved to Wilkie.



Homecoming 1980 was a summer to be proud of for Cavell and area residents, as they entered a miniature ghost town float at parades in nearby towns.

In the fall of 1982, a disposal chemical can unit was erected in Cavell by the R.M. of Reford, and a new machinery shop was built in 1987, to house the Rural Municipalities maintenance machines.

Besides these, two churches, the post office, Kaufmann's store and two houses still remain in Cavell.

Old, worn out and not in use, it's all that remains of a once thriving village.



Source: Chain of Memories - Leipzig and District 1905-1990








Last Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2002