The new sports centre under construction, showing the arches in place. Park View Esso Service Station in background.

Exterior view of the old abandoned hockey rink in Brownlee, Saskatchewan

31 women holding straw brooms and standing in front of a building
Embossed on the bottom right corner of the matte: "G. Davidson Biggar, Sask."
Written on the back of the matte in blue and black ink: "Believed to be 1922-23 2nd Curling Rink Mrs. Briggs says 1923" and "W.E.W"

Cec Thompson escorting Queen Charlotte Gough at the Elks Skating Carnival in the recently opened Rosetown Sports Centre.

A lineup of equipment supplied by surrounding rural municipalities for excavating and preparing the ground to build the new Rosetown Sports Centre.

Two buildings with fence in between can be seen on the far side of a street; a child sitting on the grass can be seen in the foreground
Written on the back in blue and black ink: "1st Curling rink in Biggar North side 100 block 3rd W. Approx: Prairie west comm college"

Exterior view of the Skating Rink in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, located on Main Street between Ogilvie Avenue and Ninth Avenue.

Exterior view of the Jubilee Stadium in Biggar, Saskatchewan in the summer of 1959.

A northeast view of the arena frame under construction. Rosetown Composite High School and Midwest Tire visible in background. This arena was built by volunteer labour.

Rosetown rink construction crew. L-R: Ed Smith, Bob Fisher, Rob Thompson, Al Wishart, Mike Bohn, Vern Houston, Herb Frerichs, Mike Oze, Rudy Rollheiser, Andy Sieffert, Les Potts, Fred Deslauriers, Bill Annis, Gordon Atkinson, Jack Patterson, Archie McRae, Edwin Peters, Earl Oliver. (Not in photo are Ross Thompson and Don Cole).

Looking west at The Rutherford Rink.

Bio/Historical Note: Built on a site previously used for an open outdoor rink, construction of “The Rink”, later known informally as the “Dog House”, was due to student initiative. A campaign to have a closed rink facility began in 1920; by 1928, the Students Representative Council appointed a committee to look into the feasibility of the student body assuming responsibility for construction. The Board of Governors loaned SRC the funds; which the student council hoped to pay back by instituting a $3 student fee. Although opened for use in December 1929 the rink, “already the most popular place on campus,” had its official opening on 23 January 1930, with an inter-varsity hockey game against the University of Manitoba (Saskatchewan won, 5-1). 650 attended the opening; and between 18,000-20,000 people used the rink during its first year of operation. The original design included “waiting rooms” on the west and east side, primarily for use by men and women respectively. The rink was used for general skating, “scrub,” faculty, senior men’s and girls’ varsity team hockey practices, the “fancy skating club,” children’s skating, and band practice, and winter carnival activities. Speed skates were allowed, but the rink was “not responsible for injury resulting therefrom.” During general skating, “playing tag,” “cutting in,” “cracking the whip,” and “reckless disregard and abandon in speed skating” were not tolerated. The building was renamed in honour of William J. Rutherford, the University’s first Dean of Agriculture, after his sudden and unexpected death on 1 June 1930. Minor renovations occurred over the next 88 years. Merlis Belsher Place, a multi-use ice facility, opened in 2018, mercifully replacing the ancient Rutherford Rink. The new arena is located on the south side of College Drive near the Field House.