Westview School District #256 was formed in 1893. The original school was a one-room school that was approximately 16’ x 24’ in size. A new school building was built in 1916, and a room for high school was added in August 1921.

The first annual meeting of the Westview School District was held on January 12, 1929 for the year 1928.

Due to low attendance, Westview School District #256 closed permanently in June 1963. The last recorded annual meeting of the Westview School District was held on April 26, 1965.

The Westview Rural Telephone Company was initiated in 1910 and formally incorporated in 1911. W.H. Brown was the first president with John Logan as Secretary/Treasurer. James Gilmour was the first of 34 shareholders in 1911.

The company was given permission to construct the telephone network on March 6, 1911 and a construction tender was awarded to Somerville & Olson of Regina. The area covered was primarily in 18-27 and 18-28 W2 between Archydal and Tuxford.

A rental agreement was made with the Belbeck Rural Telephone Company to connect with Moose Jaw. Major renovations were done to the lines in 1945 and 1964.

On October 18, 1976, the shareholders were in unanimous agreement to accept Sasktel’s offer to assimilate Westview into their system. At the time of dissolution, Alfred Maynard was serving as President while Oliver Spence was Secretary/Treasurer.

Frances McAusland was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, daughter of Clarance McAusland and Muriel Hadden. Frances completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1969. She married Arthur Westlund in 1970 and moved to his farm at Brownlee. During the winter months in the early 1970s, Frances and Arthur lived in Saskatoon. Frances worked at the University of Saskatchewan Library during the winter. In 1985, they moved to the Melfort area to continue farming on the McAusland family farm with Clarance McAusland.

Arthur Leo Westlund was born in May 1944, the son of Raymond and Flora Westlund. He attended school at Brownlee, Saskatchewan and then obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan in 1966. Arthur began farming with his father full time in 1964 after renting his Uncle Edwin’s land. Arthur was the third generation to farm the original Westlund homestead. Arthur took over the farming operation completely in 1971 when his father had to retire from farming due to poor health. In addition to farming, Arthur also lectured and taught laboratory classes during the winter months with the Crop Science Department at the University of Saskatchewan from 1966 to 1975. His position at the University would start in late October and end by mid-April so it worked well with farming. Arthur married Frances McAusland in 1970. In 1985, they moved to Melfort to join Clarance McAusland, farming together as Thatch Creek Farms Ltd. He passed away on September 18, 2017.

Western Producer Prairie Books was established as an independent department of the newspaper 'Western Producer' in 1975. It was dissolved when its assets were sold to Douglas and McIntyre of Vancouver in the fall of 1991. Mandate: The mandate of Western Producer Prairie books was to publish books which would contribute to the enjoyment and enlightenment of the farmers of Western Canada, to preserve a record of western tradition and history, and to encourage western writers. Manuscripts relating to the three Prairie Provinces, the various types of farming found in the region, and the ethnic groups which settled Western Canada were among those selected for publication. Predecessor and Successor Bodies: Prior to the establishment of Western Producer Prairie Books, books were published by the 'Western Producer' itself. It began to publish in 1954, and in 1968 the Prairie Books Committee was established to deal specifically with the publication of books. In 1973 Prairie Books purchased the publishing rights, remaining books and unbound sheets of the Institute of Applied Arts Ltd. from the estate of William Clarence Richards of Edmonton, its publisher. To obtain Manitoba titles for Prairie Books the list of Prairie Publishing Co. Ltd. was purchased from J.A.D. Stuart of Winnipeg. In 1975, the new Editor and Publisher of the 'Western Producer', R. Phillips, decided that the book publishing end of the business could no longer be run through the Executive Editor. He hired a manager, who would be in charge of editorial and marketing functions and Chairman of what had become the Publications Selection Committee. Soon after, additional staff members were added, and in that same year, 'Western Producer Prairie Books' became an independent department. In the fall of 1991, 'Western Producer Prairie Books' assets were sold to Douglas and McIntyre of Vancouver. Administrative Relationships: When 'Western Producer Prairie Books' was an independent department of the newspaper, 'Western Producer' it was subsidized by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, which also owns the 'Western Producer'. Administrative Structure: When 'Western Producer Prairie Books' was established as an independent department in 1975, a managerial position was created. This manager was in charge of both editorial and marketing functions. Additional staff members were added at this same time. Other Significant Information: The 'Western Producer' put out its first book, 'To Find the Daily Bread', by Jacob Fast, in 1954 after releasing it in installments in the 'Western Producer'. The next year, the newspaper took on its first commercial venture in book publishing, with the publication of 'So Soon Forgotten' by Dick Fairfax. In 1958, the new Editor and Publisher of the 'Western Producer', T.R. Melville-Ness, established the position of promotion manager, who would be responsible for the promotion and sale of books. Prior to this, books were advertised and sold directly through the newspaper. By 1966, the number of manuscripts awaiting publication had increased enough to necessitate publishing some books straight from manuscripts, rather than serializing them in the newspaper first. This new process put a great deal of strain on the printing plant and eventually resulted in the creation of the Prairie Books Committee in April of 1968, establishing a structure for the publication of books. Douglas and McIntyre of Vancouver, who purchased the assets of 'Western Producer Prairie Books', started the imprint, Greystone Books. This publisher maintains a mandate similar to that of 'Prairie Books'. It also holds the rights to the publication of all books that had been put out by 'Western Producer Prairie Books'.