Regina History & Facts
ther, including heavy coats, hats and gloves, though there is no snow on the ground. And the only
mayor to fight against Britain in a war: Cornelius Rink, who fought
for the Dutch in the Boer War. A photograph of Mayor Cornelius Rink
in 1934. It is a head shot with Rink looking to the right of the
frame. He has thinning, white hair, is clean-shaven and wears a dark jacket, white shirt and
bowtie. The image has a frame with a hand-drawn banner reading “C.Rink Mayor”. In 1905,
Saskatchewan became a province, and in 1906, Regina became its capital. Back then, Saskatchewan was
the fastest-growing province. A photograph of decorated arches made of wheat for Inauguration Day,
1905. The image is from a postcard. To the left is a photograph of decorated arches with bunting
and a banner above reading “North West Forever”. Flags top the archway. A small boy is standing in
the centre of the arch. A similar arch appears in the far background, visible through the closer
arch. Stores and buildings are to the far left of the arch, decorated with bunting, banners and
flags. To the right of the arch is the Canadian Pacific Railway gardens. The caption below the
image says “South Railway Street, Regina, Sask., Inauguration Day”. A postmark reading “Brandon,
Man. Can. 1907 Sept. 19 2:10 pm” is stamped on the picture. To the right of the picture in the
space for a message, it reads: “Dear Nellie, I was so glad to hear from you. I have never heard
from Annie since we left do ask her wo write to me. I am liking this country fairly well but would
rather have the dear old country. Write to me soon. I wish I was near you. Love to Both. Bab.” We
still had no trees, though. Once we became the capital, the residents worked on making Regina look
less like a flat moonscape. A photograph of the bare, unlandscaped space that would be developed
into Victoria Park in about 1905. The photograph is looking south over houses towards Wascana Lake.
No Legislative Building has been constructed yet. On the unlandscaped Victoria Park there are
unpaved trails showing where residents have walked through the park. A fenced area marks off a
surface for playing sports. To the far left of the image is the edge of a gazebo. There are no
trees, flowers or bushes planted. They planted trees, A photograph of tree planting in 1960. Trees
have no leaves on them and are about waist-high on the men in the picture. Three men with shovels
in background are planting trees, while two men examine a tree in the right foreground. There is no
snow on the ground. All men are wearing coats. built a Legislative Building, Composite image of two
photographs. The photograph to the left shows the Legislative Building under construction. There
are multiple wooden platforms and pathways constructed to aid in the construction of masonry. In
the background are two crane or winch-like machines. The photograph to the right shows the nearly
completed Legislative Building in about 1912. The building’s outer walls have been completed and
the scaffolding has been removed. The Dome has been clad in copper, but some of the windows are
missing in the building. The building stands on flat, featureless prairie with no road leading to
it. landscaped parks, A black and white photograph of the hand-coloured “Design for Victoria Park”
by Frederick Todd, 1907. The image shows a square outer layout of trees flanking the perimeter,
with a circular spoke design featuring an empty space at the centre of the park left intentionally
open for a prominent feature. In the early days of the park, the centre location was filled with a
fountain, while the Cenotaph is the current prominent central feature within the park. and built a
City Hall. By 1912, Regina looked pretty impressive. A photograph of Regina’s second City Hall in
1908. An ornate four-storey, brick, gingerbread building with a central cupola and a clock tower on
the left of the image. The grand entrance to the front of the building is to the left of the image.
City Hall is surrounded by small, wooden and larger brick buildings in the image. On June 30, 1912,
Regina became the site of Canada’s deadliest tornado, when twin funnel clouds tore down two of the
most populous streets in the city. A photograph of the Knox Presbyterian Church after the 1912
cyclone. The image reads “Presbyterian Church Wrecked by Cyclone Regina, Sask”. The four-storey
Knox Presbyterian Church, a large, brick building, has had its central tower destroyed by the
cyclone. The building has no roof and a large portion of the brickwork in the centre and left of
the image has been destroyed. Piles of rubble can be seen through the gothic arches that had held
stained glass windows but are now empty. A row of young trees, heavily bent by the high winds,
stand nearly leafless in the foreground in front of the church. Debris covers the paved sidewalks
and street. Twenty-eight people were killed, hundreds injured and 2500 people were left homeless. A
photograph of houses damaged by the 1912 cyclone. The image reads “Regina Cyclone June 30/12”. To
the right of the frame sits a mostly intact brick house. Part of its roof has collapsed and it has
no shingles, but many of the house’s windows are still undamaged. To the left of the frame sits a
similar stone house. The second floor and roof is completely gone, with only some of the walls
leaning precariously and outlining where the rooms would have been. Two of the three downstairs
windows remain intact, though there are some stones missing from the house’s façade. Debris covers
the lawns in front of both houses. Within a year, most of the city was rebuilt, but it took about
40 years to pay off the debt. A photograph of three men with a team of horses and wagon pick up
debris after the 1912 cyclone. The image reads “Regina Cyclone June 30th”. The intact façade of the
Massey Harris building is seen in the background surrounded by debris. No windows remain in the
brick building. Another man in the background leads a second horse. When residents returned from
World War 1, Regina became a pioneer in the field of aviation. A photograph of a woman sitting in
the cockpit of the first registered airplane in Canada, in about 1917. The building in the
background reads “Aerial Service Co.” The airplane is a biplane style. The woman has short dark
hair in a curly style. She is smiling at the camera person. It was the home to Canada’s first
airfield. A photograph of Aerial Service Co. Ltd., Canada’s first airport, with four airplanes
lined up. Six unidentified men are leaning against the first airplane in line. All airplanes are
biplane style. An automobile with no roof sits to the far right in front of the line of airplanes.
The first commercial pilot, Roland J. Groome, and the first airplane mechanic, Bob McCombie. One
advantage of being flat, featureless and treeless turned out to be that you can build a nice, long
runway for airplanes. A close-up photograph of Roland J. Groome’s commercial pilot’s license, the
first such document ever issued in Canada. Groome’s picture is on the bottom right of the image. He
wears goggles on top of a pilot’s hat with long, ear-protecting flaps. He is young and
clean-shaven. In World War II, Regina would be the home of RCAF flight schools for Allied pilots,
and Regina’s runway was so long that it’s one of the few locations in Canada where the Concorde was
able to land. A photograph of Regina International Airport in about 1970. An air-traffic control
tower in the centre background of the image with a terminal building extending to the left and
right of the image. The word “REGINA” is on the side of the terminal building in the background. In
the foreground is a Viscount airplane, call number CF-STS 616. The airplane has two propellers.
Baggage handlers with carts are visible at the rear of the airplane. In the 1930s, Regina suffered
the consequences of the Great Depression, which collapsed the economy and led to massive
unemployment. Regina hosted two make-work projects, the deepening of Wascana Lake, A photograph of
an empty Wascana Creekbed before the 1931 deepening. To the right of the picture is the Legislative
Building’s east side. The image looks north towards the city centre. Hotel Saskatchewan is visible
in the top middle of the image. Parts of the creek bed have snow or sediment remaining. The Image
has a blurred white spot, likely caused by poor development on the original film at the bottom
centre of the image. and the construction of the Albert Memorial Bridge. A photograph looking
southeast from the Albert Memorial Bridge towards the Legislative Buildings in about 1935. The
Legislative Buildings and bridge are in the background, while in the foreground the
Eastview/Parliament streetcar is stopped to take on passengers. One man walks near the end of the
bridge balustrades towards the streetcar, while a man and a woman are closer to the streetcar in
the centre of the frame. There are no leaves on the trees and all the people are dressed in heavy
coats, though there is no snow visible. But the number of unemployed men far outstripped employment
opportunities, and by 1935, unemployed men in British Columbia were traveling towards Ottawa, where
they intended to demand help. A photograph of the On To Ottawa Trekkers Camp near Craven, 1935.
Multiple tents are set up near two wooden shacks in a field. Hills near Craven are visible in the
background. Vegetation is green and lush. A fence is in the foreground in front of the tents. The
federal government ordered the “On to Ottawa Trek”, as it became known, to be halted in Regina
because of its RCMP presence. A photograph of men riding on the top of boxcars and climbing up the
sides of boxcars during the On to Ottawa Trek in 1935 Arrest warrants were issued, and when police
moved in to shut down the peaceful rally, the Regina Riot broke out. A photograph of the riot in
Market Square on July 1, 1935. In the centre foreground is a paving machine and several carts. In
the middle ground is a truck and a car. In the background is a large building and a large row of
buildings. Many men are standing about watching. The air is filled with smoke from fires. People
are running and fleeing. In the right centre, two men in blurred motion throw items at one another.
In the end, there were two dead, including one police officer. Hundreds were injured and tens of
thousands of dollars in property damage was done to downtown Regina. It wasn’t until World War II
started that the Great Depression lost its hold over the world. A photograph of the rescue of
Detective Millar during the riot. In the centre background, a helmeted policeman pulls a prone man,
likely plainclothes policeman Detective Millar, from where he had fallen after being struck a fatal
blow. Several men armed with sticks are running towards the men. Other men and women throw rocks at
the police officers. Another prone man is being attended to by a different man at the far left
centre of the image. After the end of World War II, Regina started to prosper again. The oil
industry flourished, A photograph of the Co-op Refinery’s buildings and equipment is silhouetted
against a red sunset in the 1970s. The refinery is black with white dots from the lights against a
blood-red sunset. Saskatchewan celebrated its Jubilee in 1955, A photograph of a city trolley bus
reading “Welcome to Regina 50 Years of Progress” for Saskatchewan’s Golden Jubilee, 1955. The bus
is painted with “1905 1955” on front, and the former coat of arms for the city is painted on the
trolley bus. and there was a postwar construction boom. A photograph of a large crane moving cement
up to the top tier of construction of the current City Hall. In the foreground is a metal fence and
scaffolding. The building is being constructed using concrete forms on a floor-by-floor basis. It
appears to be at the third floor of construction of the 17-storey building. In 1955, the Royal
Saskatchewan Museum got a permanent home after having been located in a variety of spots since the
first artifact donation in 1906. A photograph looking southeast towards the College Avenue entrance
of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum on the corner of College Avenue and Albert Street. Fresco on the
side of the building is visible because trees and bushes near the building are very short at this
time. Two large trees in foreground. In 1970, Regina completed construction on the Centre of the
Arts, now known as the Conexus Arts Centre. It gained the nickname “the largest monkey bars in the
world” due to construction delays. A composite image of two photographs. Left photograph shows an
aerial view of the University of Regina and Centre of the Arts Buildings under construction in the
1960s, with Wascana Lake in distance. The right photograph shows the Centre of the Arts after
completion, looking over Wascana Lake toward the southeast, with bushes in the foreground. In 1990,
the MacKenzie Art Gallery moved into its current home in the T.C. Douglas Building. Home to over
3,500 works of art, the MacKenzie can trace its origins back to 1936, when Norman MacKenzie
bequeathed a portion of his collection and estate to the University of Saskatchewan for use at
Regina College. A photograph of the view of the Albert Street plaza and entrance of the T.C.
Douglas Building in winter 1981. Snow is on the ground and most of the trees are barren. Most
people don’t realize it, but Regina is a cultural powerhouse. The Regina Symphony Orchestra is
Canada’s oldest. A photograph of the Regina Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s on stage at Darke Hall.
The conductor stands in the centre, facing the camera person, while orchestra members sit in a
semi-circle on the stage. The front three rows are playing violins. The fourth row is playing
percussion and flutes. The backmost row against the stage back is playing tuba, trombone, trumpet,
bassoon and bass violin. Musicians include both men and women. Canada’s oldest theatre troupe is
the Regina Little Theatre. Photograph reads “Regina Little Theatre Society in Officer 666, Regina,
February 28, 1927”. Actors pose for a cast photo onstage. The back row has four men dressed in
tuxedos and six men dressed as police officers. All are standing. The front row consists of man
dressed as police officer holding flowers, a woman in fancy dress, a man with a cane and dark suit,
a woman in a bonnet and a cape, a man in tuxedo, a woman in fancy party dress and a man in suit.
All are sitting. Canada’s longest consecutively running play is Regina’s “The Trial of Louis Riel”.
A photograph of an actor dressed as Louis Riel makes an impassioned speech during a courtroom scene
in ”The Trial of Louis Riel” in about 1969. In the background, a man dressed as a North West
Mounted Police Officer in red serge looks on. And we have a number of famous actors who spent part
of their lives in Regina, including Leslie Nielsen, John Vernon, Shirley Douglas, Steven Yeun and
Tatiana Maslany. Speech bubbles with names of actors who lived in Regina: Steven Yeun, Leslie
Neilsen, John Vernon, Tatiana Maslany, Shirley Douglas Musicians such as opera singer June
Kowalski, Feist, Rah Rah, Library Voices, Jack Semple and Colin James have called Regina home.
Graphics with names of musicians who lived in Regina: June Kowalski, Feist, Rah Rah, Library
Voices, Jack Semple, Colin James Our visual arts community includes Joe Fafard, Bob Boyer, The
Regina Five and Wilf Perrault. A photograph of the Joe Fafard Cow in the lobby of Hill Tower 1. A
large bronze cow in a sitting position in the lobby of a glass and brass building. The ears of the
cow have been polished shiny by people’s hands patting it. Most of the sculpture is green with
verdigris. Regina’s literary community includes Ven Begamudre, Gail Bowen, Dave Margoshes and Ken
Mitchell. A photograph of a blue and white Regina Public Library book trailer parked at Elgin Road,
with children’s bicycles out front. In the 1970s and 80s, Regina experienced a downtown
revitalization, including the Cornwall Centre… A composite image comprised of two photographs. The
left photograph shows a man in a plaid shirt and baseball cap posing in front of metal pieces in
front of a crane that is constructing the Cornwall Centre. In the background is the SGI Building
and the Canada Life Building. The right image shows an aerial view of the Cornwall Centre looking
north. In the background are the railroad tracks, post office and union station. In the left
foreground is the SGI Building. In the centre of the frame is the Cornwall Centre. and the McCallum
Hill Towers buildings. A photograph of the demolition of the McCallum Hill Building in 1982.
Looking north from the far end of Victoria Park towards the implosion. The left side of the
building has not yet begun to fall, while the right side has collapsed into a cloud of dust and
debris. In 1975, Regina played host to the Western Canada Summer Games, which prompted a mini
construction boom connected to sporting facilities, A composite image of four photographs of sports
at the Western Canada Summer Games of 1975. Top left: Man doing archery, taken while he is pulling
back on the bow string. Bottom left: Young men participating in sprint. All are in mid-stride. The
middle image shows men playing volleyball captured in mid-jump. The third image shows a man on
waterskis doing tricks. He is standing on one leg holding the tow rope with his foot as the water
spray from the boat splashes him. including the Lawson Aquatic Centre. A photograph of the newly
completed Lawson Aquatic Centre Pool outfitted for the Western Canada Summer Games 1975. There are
no people in the pool. Regina has deep sporting roots. It was a recruiting ground for the All
American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, including Daisy Junor and Mary “Bonnie” Baker. Photo
reads “Nuthouse at Moose Jaw, 1941”. A man in a suit and hat, three female ball players, one man,
three female ball players, and one man stand, while five female ballplayers sit with balls and bats
posing at a Moose Jaw female baseball players’ match. Regina has always been hockey territory,
including players like Jordan Eberle, Ryan Getzlaf and Doug Wickenheiser. The Regina Pats are the
oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world, operating from their original location under the
same name. A photograph of the Regina Pats versus Prince Albert Raiders, 1983. The centremen for
the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders face off at centre ice as a referee prepares to drop the
puck. In the background is the Pats’ goalie. Our most famous snowboarders are Mark and Craig
McMorris. Regina’s pretty flat and doesn’t have many hills for snowboarding, after all, but Regina
was home to many famous curlers, including the Richardsons and the Sandra Schmirler rink. A photograph of the members of the Sandra Schmirler curling rink, in matching red and black dresses, seated, with an unidentified female
RCMP officer in red serge, Councillor Randy Langgard, Mayor Doug Archer, Councillor Gay Helmsing,
and an unidentified female RCMP officer, standing behind them. Sandra Schmirler is seated in the
centre. When Canadians think about Regina and sports, however, they think about the Riders. A
photograph of the sidelines and bench of the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Taylor Field, 1989. Four
players are seated while the rest of the team stands. In the foreground is equipment and water. The
four-time Grey Cup-winning Canadian Football League franchise started in Regina in 1910 and has
been going strong ever since. A photograph of the 1934 Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Team. The
team is wearing dark colours. Thirteen men are standing while nine men are seated. Saskatchewan
Roughrider fans have been described as rabid, obsessive and rowdy. A photograph of Riderville at
the 1989 Grey Cup: hundreds of fans wearing green and white or Roughriders jerseys wave pennants,
flags or pompoms and cheer. Those are compliments around here, a place where fans routinely dress
for games by putting a watermelon on their heads and playing a banjo. A photograph of two men
wearing Roughrider jerseys, a man in an orange jumpsuit, a man with a banjo in an orange jumpsuit,
a man in an orange jumpsuit and a man in a Saskatchewan Roughriders sweatshirt sing into
microphones while standing in front of a drum kit at a Rider pep rally, 1989 Regina has grown from
a tiny settlement to a thriving city of over 195,000 people. A photograph of the First Nations
University of Canada Annual Spring Celebration Pow Wow in 2014. A grand entrance of dancers move
into the center surface of the Brandt centre as hundreds of people look on. Judges are to the
foreground. A teepee is set up in background. Regina has a rich and diverse heritage and population…
A photograph of the grand entrance at National Aboriginal Day, 2016. An eagle feather staff held
by Rob Allin and dancer lead the mayor and councillors into the celebrations. A teepee is in the
background. that’s becoming more diverse as immigration to the city makes Regina an even greater
place to work, live and raise a family. A photograph of a diverse crowd of onlookers watching the
National Aboriginal Day performers in 2014. Onlookers watch from the curved gallery in Henry Baker
Hall at City Hall. While Regina may have started as a flat, featureless expanse, we now have over
300,000 hand-planted trees and more than 100 parks. A photograph looking at Speakers Corner on the
northwest side of Wascana Park along the lake. Bushes and light stanchions flank the circular steps
leading toward Speakers Corner, with lush trees in the background. Regina is the sunniest capital
city in Canada, A bright, colourful photograph of the garden in front of the Legislature Building.
even if it is one of the chilliest. A photograph of a streetcar clearing the tracks in the 1940s.
The streetcar is on the far left, preceded by a puff of snow. That’s over 135 years of Regina
history in about fourteen minutes. Want to learn more? Visit the City of Regina’s website at Regina.ca to find information about Regina both past and present. A
photograph of the Legislative Building in 1925. Looking south from the lake past the gardens to the
building. A cannon is in the left foreground. Heritage Walking Tours Archives Learn the history
behind street and park names in Regina. Street & Park Naming Find out more about Heritage
Properties in Regina and the Heritage Conservation Program. Heritage Properties City of Regina Map
Snow & Ice Control
12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""} 4419 James Hill Road - Located in the south
east corner near the park maintenance building and rink. 2965 Gordon
Rd 3806 Albert Street
{"lat":50.495118,"lng":-104.679035,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
2230 Lindsay Street - located in the parking lot near the tennis courts. 1380 23rd Ave - located
adjacent to the sidewalk on Hillsdale St & 23rd
Ave{"lat":50.403245,"lng":-104.62477,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
Victoria Park
{"lat":50.462346,"lng":-104.673886,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
{"lat":50.445771,"lng":-104.622869,"zoom":17,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":"2900
13th Ave, Regina, SK S4T 1N7, Canada"} South Leisure Centre North West Leisure Centre Northgate
Mall Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre mâmawêyatitân centre Jack Hamilton Arena
{"lat":50.455911,"lng":-104.544304,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
222 Sunset Drive - Located behind Optimist Arena in the joint parking lot. 2626 Dewdney Avenue 4419
James Hill Road 7th Avenue North and Lorne Street - Located in the southeast corner of the lot.
Murray Balfour Arena Grasslands Co-op Gas Bar 5149 E Green Brooks Way 1380 23rd Ave 3355-6th Avenue
- Located across the field at 7th Avenue and Montague Street. 615 6th Ave Maple Leaf Pool 2900 13th
Avenue
{"lat":50.404812,"lng":-104.64907,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
{"lat":50.429423,"lng":-104.537073,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
{"lat":50.45973099999999,"lng":-104.589526,"zoom":16,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
2965 Gordon Road - located by the far west entrance on Lockwood Rd in the parking
lot{"lat":50.423755,"lng":-104.601155,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
2900 13th Avenue - Located in the alley behind the building. 2626 Dewdney Avenue - Located in the
back parking lot near the garage with the green roof. Glencairn Neighbourhood Centre Ecole Harbour
Landing Elementary School Sandbox Map Ecole St. Elizabeth School
{"lat":50.458426,"lng":-104.629706,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
3130 E Woodhams Drive - Located in the far corner of the parking lot near the blue recycling bins.
70 Massey Road - Located in the far corner of the parking lot near Massey. 4705 Gordon Road -
Located in the parking area, south east of the building 3355-6th Avenue
{"lat":50.409379,"lng":-104.633502,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
1010 McCarthy Boulevard 5149 E Green Brooks Way - Located close to the sidewalk, north east of the
building. 4705 Gordon Road 3130 E Woodhams Drive Golden Mile Shopping Centre
{"lat":50.480886,"lng":-104.613932,"zoom":12,"type":"roadmap","height":0,"width":0,"address":""}
Southland Mall Al Ritchie Arena 1127 Arnason Street 1101 14th Avenue Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre
Eastview Community Centre 7th Avenue North and Lorne Street Lakeshore Mall
{"lat":50.415704,"lng":-104. ...
