Clark's Crossing

Canada / Saskatchewan / Warman /
 invisible, historic landmark
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A historic river crossing, often referenced in the correspondence of settlers from the Saskatoon area in the late 1800s. It was named for John Fowler Clark, a surveyor from Ontario who settled here in 1880. In 1881 the government granted him a charter to operate a ferry across the South Saskatchewan River, giving rise to the name Clark's Crossing. He built a house and several outbuildings and cultivated the adjacent lands. By 1882, the members of the Temperence Colonization Society and their leader, John Lake, had arrived in the area and met Clark.

Clark briefly returned to Ontario, married Margaret (Maggie) Ashton, and returned with her in 1884. He set up a post office in their home and was postmaster, an occupation he would hold again in his later years. At the time of the North-west Rebellion, the Clarks were visited by Major General Frederick D. Middleton, en route with his troops to face Louis Riel and the Metis. Middleton and his troops camped near the Clark home, and some remained to guard the nearby telegraph station and supply routes when the others proceeded to Batoche.

John and Maggie Clark tried for many years to obtain a patent for the land they occupied. Their long frustrations with the bureaucracy of the federal Department of the Interior may have contributed to their move to Vancouver in 1894. They returned in 1906, having finally obtained title to the land. John Clark died in 1934 and Maggie in 1939. They are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Saskatoon.
library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-09012010-095928/u...
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Coordinates:   52°19'4"N   106°27'22"W

Comments

  • Would appreciate a map showing where exactly it is/was.
This article was last modified 12 years ago