🕰️ Gull Lake in Motion: Council, Growing Pains, and the Shaunavon Lineup (1912–1914)
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
Gull Lake entered 1913 with a new council and a community already pushing past its early boundaries. Charles Morrison took the mayor’s chair, joined by councillors McCue, Tyler, R. Shingler, Markuson, George Donegan, and N.R. Hoffman. J.S. Tweed and F.V. Davies were appointed auditors; Dr. J.B. Swanson became Medical Health Officer, and the town made its first offer of appointment to solicitor R.E. Alexander—names that shaped the town’s early civic foundations.
Early decisions that shaped the town
The first months of 1913 were quiet, but by April the town was back in full stride. Council approved the purchase of 7.5 acres from Harry Hambly at $60 per acre, followed by a series of debenture by-laws that marked the transition from settlement to municipality:
$1,300 for the purchase and fencing of cemetery land
$3,500 for fairgrounds and improvements
$10,000 for the construction of a municipal hall
Water and sewage—always defining questions for prairie towns—entered the conversation as well, with council hiring the John Galt Company for a $400 feasibility study.
Taxes, permits, and the cost of growth
The mill rate set later that summer reflected the strain of a town growing quickly: a 40% increase over the previous year. While steep, it was typical of a community shifting from its early days into a functioning municipality. The rate was set at 15 mills for schools, 10 mills for municipal purposes, and a 5‑mill special levy.
Among the routine approvals was a building permit for Gus Henderson, who erected a brick building on Lot 29, Block 2. That structure would later become the Pioneer Co‑op grocery. In later years, the building stood vacant, its original brickwork now hidden beneath metal siding, but its footprint traces directly back to this early period of local development.
A ten‑day lineup that stretched down the street
One of the era’s most vivid moments came in the fall of 1912, when the Shaunavon townsite opened for applications. Because Gull Lake hosted the nearest Dominion Land Office, the town became the staging point. Oldtimers remembered the ten‑day lineup leading up to filing day—a snapshot of how quickly the Southwest was filling in and how determined people were to secure their lots.
Into 1914: steady leadership and new faces
With the close of 1913, councillors McCue and Hoffman resigned their unexpired terms. Despite these administrative shifts, leadership remained steady as Charles Morrison continued as mayor into 1914. The new council included R. Shingler, Gus Henderson, J. Latour, E.G. Shilling, A.H. Thomas, and J.S. Tweed.
Dr. McCue returned as Medical Health Officer, and with the resignation of secretary M. Spackaman, Fred Hinton—formerly the C.P.R. agent—was appointed town secretary at $100 per month. Auditor duties went to R.W. (Bob) Broley, another familiar name in early Gull Lake.
These decisions and transitions marked a period of steady growth and set the groundwork for the town’s next chapter.
Gull Lake Events
Source: Gull Lake Memories: A History of the Town of Gull Lake
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