Local: Regina History - The Post-War Years
In the early years of the 1900s, Regina grew quickly. In 1909, the CPR crossings at Albert Street and Broad Street were converted to underpasses or "subways."
in 1911, the city had its first electric streetcars running on 14.5 kilometres of
tracks (they were replaced by gas-powered buses in 1949 after a major fire in
the streetcar barns). On June 30, 1912 a tornado roared through the young city, killing 28, destroying over 400
buildings, leaving 2500 people homeless, causing total damage of over $5
million. Much of the downtown was rebuilt in the next two years.
Regina grew as a centre for the distribution of farm equipment and supplies. Grain prices dropped after the
Great War and in 1923, farmers began organizing a voluntary grain-producers co-operative or "pool."
By mid 1924, 45,000 farmers were under contract to the Pool, giving farmers some control over the commodity they produced.
The Great Depression of the 1930s led the government to begin several
make-work projects, including the construction of Wascana Lake. The Albert Memorial
Bridge was called "the longest bridge over the shortest span of water" and was
followed by the dredging of Wascana Lake was drained and dredged creation of
the artificial Willow Island, used for picnicking.
In the 1930s, normal rainfall eluded the farmers, leading to the great Dustbowl.
Many farmers could not meet their financial obligations and lost their farms.
Social unrest on the prairies led to the creation of the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (the "CCF") a socialist movement led by Tommy Douglas, who was a Baptist preacher from nearby Weyburn.
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation held its first annual convention in Regina in
1933. This movement became the social conscience of Canadians, championing the Old Age Pension, Universal Health Care and other reforms now part of the "fabric of Canadian Society" and has evolved into today’s New Democratic Party.
After World War II, significant reserves of oil were found in Saskatchewan, both in the northwest around Lloydminster, and the east around Estevan. This broadened the resource base of the province away from agriculture and potash. Regina also benefited from the surge of European immigrants after the War, and doubled in size in the post-war era.
More history of Regina
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