User:Manner Taulie/sandbox

1911-1930
The years 1911-1930 could arguably be called the Golden age of Willow Bunch. At the end of 1927, according to the Willow Bunch Parish Bulletin, there were “77 baptisms, 11 marriages and six burials for a population of 1 348 distributed over 227 families of which 219 are French speaking.” During this time period there was also several notable buildings that were constructed, they celebrated their 50 year Golden Jubilee and they enjoyed an active political culture. But since this period, Willow Bunch has been in a steady decline. By the end of 1929, over 200 people had left Willow Bunch due to the intense drought and the effects of the Great Depression.

Notable Buildings
The Convent of the Sister’s of the Cross was built in April/May of 1914 using a $3000 grant from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina. The stones and sand for the foundation and all building materials were hauled for free by parishioners of the Willow Bunch Catholic Church. Construction was halted after World War I broke out because of a lack of funding and the loss of many skilled workers who joined the army. Construction resumed and was completed in 1921.

In 1920 the Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus was erected using donations of $4000 which was given by the community. The Statue was then consecrated on July 13 1922 at the Golden Jubilee. In November 1922, T.W. Sr. and Kate Bennett’s house served as the United Church of Willow Bunch until December 1926 when the United Church of Willow Bunch was opened and dedicated to the service and worship of God. The budget was set at $1500 lot and the town operated well below it as the lot was bought for $175 and the carpenters were contracted for $850.

In 1924, The Canadian Red Cross decided to install a nursing outpost at the Willow Bunch hospital, also known as the "Pasteur Hospital." The hospital was then expanded to more than twice its length in 1925. September 14 1927, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis took over general operations but they left in 1929 due to the Depression.

The first home to be built in Willow Bunch with running and flush toilets was the home of Treffle and Marie Louise Bonneau’s which was built in 1916/1917. In 1922, the Willow Bunch Rural Telephone Company was founded and a building was erected. The company was operated by Kate (Jeffries) Bennet and as of 1922, there were 12 subscribers. In 1926 the railroad came to Willow Bunch and by November the first passenger train steamed through town.

Golden Jubilee
On July 12 and 13 1922, Willow Bunch celebrated its 50th Anniversary in a Golden Jubilee Celebration. On the first day, a mass was held and was attended by 800 people. Following the mass, a large outdoor dinner was served after which the amusement program began: children’s races, three legged races, high jumping, hammering contests and more. The festivities concluded with an evening program which included musical and oratorical entertainment from local artists and guest speakers. On the second day, a mass was again held in the morning after which a young vs. old baseball game took place. The Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus was then consecrated in a special ceremony and then the Catholic parish hosted a banquet attended by 600 people.

Political Culture
William W. Davidson was elected as the Conservative MLA in the provincial Willow Bunch electoral district in 1912. Abel James Hindle was elected the Liberal MLA from 1917-1925 at which time he stepped down and passed the nomination to James Albert Cross. Cross was MLA until 1929 when another Liberal, Charles William Johnson was elected. At the Federal level, the Federal riding of Willow Bunch was established in 1924, and Thomas Donnelly was elected and remained in power until the riding was abolished in 1933.

On November 8 1922, Donnelly attempted to introduce a motion that “the federal government of the Dominion of Canada should no longer assist immigrants to this country in any financial way except so far as financial assistance is at present being extended to female domestics.”

When the Willow Bunch Municipal Council heard Austria Hungary, Germany and Turkey wanted to negotiate for peace with the Allies at the close of WWI, they offered this reply:
 * "This municipality is overjoyed at even the prospect of a possibly peace, but not the peace evolved by terms. One does not make peace with a mad dog or a venomous reptile. There can be but one condition and one only under which hostilities will cease- imperialism strangled beyond resuscitation and militarism banished for ever. Peace on these conditions may be possible but on no other.”

According to the Willow Bunch Legion, there are seven recorded Willow Bunch casualties during WWI.

Tragedies
This period was not without tragedies though. On a stormy night in 1912 a resident of Willow Bunch, H.B. Hodge, drowned in Willow Bunch Lake. Hodge, who was heavily intoxicated at the time, was taking a ride on the Willow Bunch Lake Ferry and fell off and due to the stormy weather no one heard him calling for help until it was too late. On August 15 1913, Willow Bunch and other villages in the south-west of Saskatchewan were hit by a large thunder storm. This storm brought lightening, hail and very strong winds which caused $4000 worth of damage to buildings, killed local livestock and destroyed crops. On August 5 1922, the population of Willow Bunch was rocked by a mumps epidemic, there were no fatalities but many children became gravely ill. \ --Manner Taulie (talk) 22:18, 12 November 2013 (UTC)