Pioneer Tales: How a Flooded River Brought the Busse Brothers to Gull Lake (1906)
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In the summer of 1906, two young men from North Dakota — Frank and Oscar Busse — set out for Rosetown to look for homestead land. They never made it. The Saskatchewan River was in flood, travel was impossible, and a chance conversation in Swift Current changed the direction of their lives.
A locator named Sharpe told them there was still good land available near Gull Lake. Frank agreed to go, and three other travelers—Fred Rushford, Joe Ohlheiser, and Louis Matheson—asked to join the trip. They arrived southwest of town only to learn that Joe Small had already claimed the best quarter there. Advice from a nearby sheep rancher sent them further south, where they found two promising quarters about nine miles from Gull Lake.
The brothers settled the matter with a coin toss. Oscar won the toss and chose first, selecting the quarter that remained in the Busse family for many years. Frank took the other, and both men began shaping the homesteads that would anchor their early lives in the district.
A Hard First Winter
The Busse brothers returned to North Dakota to finish their harvest, sold their holdings, and came back to Gull Lake with a carload of implements loaded on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Gretna, Manitoba, on their way north.
Frank spent the winter of 1906–07 in a one-ply board shack with Magnus Johns and “Scottie” Birnie, heating with lignite coal. When the coal ran out, Scottie famously “borrowed” fence posts from the lumber yard to keep the fire going.
By 1909, Frank had built the house he would call home for decades and married Miss Docksteader of Ontario.
Family Note: “Scottie” Birnie
One of the men who wintered in Gull Lake during 1906–07 was “Scottie” Birnie — remembered for keeping the fire going when the lignite coal ran out, even if it meant borrowing a few fence posts from the lumberyard. Scottie was the great‑grandfather of Blake Campbell, connecting this early chapter of Gull Lake’s settlement directly to a present‑day local family.
A Growing Settlement
Gull Lake in 1906 was little more than the 76 Ranch buildings, the CPR station, and a scattering of shanties and tents. Among the early families were Donald McGillivary, foreman of the 76 Ranch, and the Dalgleish family, whose baby boy born that winter became Dr. Harold Dalgleish, later head of Saskatchewan’s College of Physicians and Surgeons during the 1962 Medicare crisis.
Construction began that same year on the Busse Bros. store, originally a two‑storey building facing west. Ed Busse and his family lived in the rooms above the store, and the brothers operated a hardware business that remained on the same site for generations.
A Town Taking Shape
The years 1906–07 saw rapid building: Pennock’s Store, Chaston’s Store, the first Gull Lake Hardware, and the Lakeview Hotel. Some of these early structures were later lost to fire, but they marked the beginning of a permanent community.
In September 1907, excitement swept the district when CPR land around Gull Lake was opened for pre‑emption at $1.50 an acre. The Busse brothers were among those who secured additional land.
Another Early Arrival
One of the other early settlers, George Richmond, reached Gull Lake in November 1906 after years of traveling across western Canada. His journey from Regina included being mistakenly put off the train at Webb during a blizzard, walking to Antelope for shelter, and finally reaching Gull Lake in time for supper at the old ranch house.
Richmond and his brothers spent the winter of 1906–07 building shacks and stables on their homestead southeast of town.
Conclusion
The arrival of the Busse brothers—shaped by a flooded river and a change of plans—helped set the foundation for the community that would become Gull Lake. Their story reflects the resilience, adaptability, and steady determination that continue to define the town today.
If your family has early Gull Lake stories, feel free to share them below.
Gull Lake Events
Source: Gull Lake Memories: A History of the Town of Gull Lake
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