Reford, Saskatchewan

Compiled by Betty Herle

My write-up includes excerpts from "What's in a Name", by E.T. Russell, and the Wilkie Press. I also personally interviewed many local residents, who were most helpful and co-operative.

Reford almost became a big town. It was picked for the divisional point of the Grand Trunk Pacific, but unable to strike water, which was so essential to the old steamers; Biggar was chosen instead.

The astonishing thing is, that it wasn't called "Wilkie". The names on the first tax roll read: George Lachner, George Howitson, John Rutherford, Joseph and Ernest Irwin, and the rest were Charles, Alexander, John, W.R., James, W.F. and H. H. Wilkie. Taxes, in those days, were $8.00 a quarter, $50.00 in 1979 and today, 1984 they are from $500.00 to $700.00.

The Grand Trunk Pacific was responsible for naming the town. Robert Reford (1831-1913) was an important merchant and capitalist. In 1870, in Montreal, he founded a steamship agency business. "The Robert Reford Co.", which became the agent for the Donaldson Line to Glasgow, the Thompson Line to London, Hull and Newcastle and the other lines. Some of his money and influence were behind the Grand Trunk Pacific, hence the name.

In 1906, the Grand Trunk Pacific was built (now the Canadian National Railroad) and it came through Reford in 1908. Seventeen lots were sold at Reford in 1909. Reford Board of Trade was organized with 17 members. Officers were Frank MacFarland and Smith Bell (who is living in a nursing home in British Columbia at the time of this writing). By 1909, Reford was a thriving town. There were two elevators in Reford in the beginning, the Atlas and the Grain Growers, two grocery stores, post office, lumber yard, livery barn, a blacksmith shop and one church.

When Reford's dreams of becoming a divisional point went by the board, and when the Canadian Pacific Railway, in its turn backed up from Adanac to Wilkie to find water, almost all of Reford businessmen moved to Wilkie, which became the divisional point of the Canadian Pacific Railway, just six miles to the north of Reford.



Source: A Harvest Of Memories - A History of Rural Wilkie






Last Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2002