Looking northeast at the Physics Building.

Bio/Historical Note: The Physics Building was constructed by Smith Bros. & Wilson General Contractors from 1919 to 1921 for $437,000, and was designed by D. R. Brown and H. Vallance. It was officially opened in 1922. The building originally housed the Departments of Physics, Botany and Zoology, the Plant-pathology section of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, as well as the soils branch of the Canadian Department of the Interior. The Physics Building possessed non-vibratory walls, laboratories for Electricity and Magnetism, Light, Electron Physics, wireless work, a number of smaller research rooms, a dark room and a large lecture theatre, which was quickly put to use by many different colleges. The attic of the building was used as a temporary museum, with meteorological recording equipment situated on the roof. The basement was fitted with offices and classrooms, as well as with two fireproofed rooms containing the Shortt Library of Canadiana. During the 1946-1947 academic term a Physics Annex was "constructed" on campus at a cost of $46,000. Built initially to accommodate the Betatron, the Annex was a World War II air force hut that was reassembled on campus. After the completion of the Betatron Building in 1951 the annex was used to provide “temporary” classroom space for the department. Though scheduled to be demolished after the completion of the Physics Addition in 1967, the annex would remain on campus until it was destroyed in fire on 28 April 1979. A proper addition to the Physics Building was finally completed in 1967 by W.C. Wells Construction for $2,029,876.

Aerial view showing construction of the Physics addition, with a partial view of the Bowl and Administration Building.

Four men working in the lab in [PFRA Peterson Building].

Bio/Historical Note: In 1958 the federal government leased a three-acre site in what was then the north end of campus from the University for $1 a year. On that site was built the PFRA-Peterson Building, home of the northern Saskatchewan PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act) regional group. Staff worked on planning for the Gardiner Dam, soil conservation, and provided a variety of technical services to its prairie clientele. Sold to the University of Saskatchewan in 1998 for $1, the building's name refers to Bob Peterson, PFRA's first soil mechanics and materials engineer who was involved in the design and construction of many of the PFRA dams in Western Canada.

Close-up view of the sundial located on the south side of the Observatory.

Bio/Historical Note: The Observatory was designed by Gentil J.K. Verbeke and constructed in two phases using local limestone from 1928-1930 for about $23,000. The R. J. Arrand Contracting Co. was contracted to build the Observatory Tower in 1928 for a cost of $6625. The firm completed the tower $353 under budget on 14 April 1929, for $6,272. On 20 June 1929 R. J. Arrand was again awarded a contract by the University, this time to build the small classroom wing of the Observatory for $15,640. Work on the classroom wing was completed on 23 January 1930 for $15,034.50. University funding for the construction of the building was supplemented by private donations. Along with the Field Husbandry Building, the Observatory would be among the last free-standing buildings constructed on campus until after World War II. A plaque with the names of many donors still hangs inside the dome of the observatory. Saskatoon residents will find many of the names highly recognizable even today. A sundial was added to the exterior of the Observatory during the 1940s. It reads:
I am a Shadow
So art thou
The observatory facilities are available for use by both university students and visitors to the campus. The telescopes and other scientific equipment are used by students during the laboratory component of their courses. University personnel regularly offer tours of the observatory to elementary and high school classes, youth groups and other community associations. The Observatory is staffed year-round on Saturday nights so that any visitor may view celestial objects through the telescope.

Looking north at Observatory.

Bio/Historical Note: The Observatory was designed by Gentil J.K. Verbeke and constructed in two phases using local limestone from 1928-1930 for about $23,000. The R. J. Arrand Contracting Co. was contracted to build the Observatory Tower in 1928 for a cost of $6625. The firm completed the tower $353 under budget on 14 April 1929, for $6,272. On 20 June 1929 R. J. Arrand was again awarded a contract by the University, this time to build the small classroom wing of the Observatory for $15,640. Work on the classroom wing was completed on 23 January 1930 for $15,034.50. University funding for the construction of the building was supplemented by private donations. Along with the Field Husbandry Building, the Observatory would be among the last free-standing buildings constructed on campus until after World War II. A plaque with the names of many donors still hangs inside the dome of the observatory. Saskatoon residents will find many of the names highly recognizable even today. A sundial was added to the exterior of the Observatory during the 1940s. It reads:
I am a Shadow
So art thou
The observatory facilities are available for use by both university students and visitors to the campus. The telescopes and other scientific equipment are used by students during the laboratory component of their courses. University personnel regularly offer tours of the observatory to elementary and high school classes, youth groups and other community associations. The Observatory is staffed year-round on Saturday nights so that any visitor may view celestial objects through the telescope.

Image of the Norman Ferrier Memorial Curling Trophy of the University Curling Club shot on a black background.

Bio/Historical Note: Norman Ferrier was a chief biological technician in the Biology Department.

Bio/Historical Note: Donations were solicited towards a curling trophy in the memory of Norman Ferrier (died 1965), with the trophy being awarded each spring to the winning team of the University Faculty and Staff Curling Club.

Clippings from the Saskatoon Phoenix describe experiences of early settlers as they arrived in Saskatoon, beginning in the 1880s. The time period covers from 1 April 1911 to 19 April 1921. Also included is an article taken from a book on the settlement of the West by F. Maclure Sclanders, Commissioner of the Saskatoon Board of Trade. Also included is a program of the "Dinner for the '83 Boys", the men who homesteaded the Saskatoon area. Held 3 October 1912; names of participants are written on the inside of the program.

View of students standing outside of the Native Law Centre at 420 Cumberland Avenue South.

Bio/Historical Note: The Native Law Centre at the University of Saskatchewan was founded in 1975 by Dr. Roger C. Carter whose commitment to social justice issues convinced the University of the need for a Centre to facilitate access to legal education for Indigenous peoples. This was to promote the development of the law and the legal system in Canada in ways that better accommodate the advancement of Indigenous peoples and communities, and to disseminate information concerning Indigenous peoples and the law. Structured initially as an independent special project within the University of Saskatchewan, the Centre became a department of the College of Law in 1984. From the beginning, the Centre has nurtured innovation in its program areas of teaching, research, and publication. The Indigenous Law Centre continues to build upon that history and remains attentive to the contributions made as well as the challenges confronted by Indigenous peoples in Canada and internationally. Directors of the Centre have included: Roger C. Carter (1975-1981); D.J. Purich (1981-1994); J.Y. Henderson (1994- ) and Larry Chartrand (2017-). In May 2018, the Cree words “Wiyasiwewin Mikiwahp” were added to the Native Law Centre's name, so it will now be called Wiyasiwewin Mikiwahp Native Law Centre.

A.S. Morton and G.W. Simpson pose with the executive of the Morton Historical Association in academic robes. Names of members not supplied.

Membership in the Historical Association, formed in 1917-1918, was open to any student who had taken one course in history at the University. Professor A.S. Morton fostered the society from the beginning and proved a source of inspiration in awakening and sustaining interest not only in ancient history and historical research, but also in modern problems and events. A photograph of members and a brief account of the Associations activities appears in most editions of the official yearbook or Greystone.

Executive of the Morton Historical Association. Written on back of photo are names: K.M. Benson, Jean E. Murray, Ruth Smith, P. Jordan, Jean MacKay, Beth Stewart and Jack Purves.

Bio/historical note: Membership in the Historical Association, formed in 1917-1918, was open to any student who had taken one course in history at the University. Professor A.S. Morton fostered the society from the beginning and proved a source of inspiration in awakening and sustaining interest not only in ancient history and historical research, but also in modern problems and events. A photograph of members and a brief account of the Associations activities appears in most editions of the official yearbook or Greystone.

Progress shot of construction of the most westerly gate of the Memorial Gates. Thorvaldson (Chemistry) Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: The Memorial Gates are a military memorial that is part of the University campus. Sixty-seven University students and faculty lost their lives while on service during World War I. The impact of the war on the University was immense: 330 students and faculty served during the War, a number equivalent to nearly all of the students who had registered the year prior to the beginning of the conflict. The desire to honor the staff and students who had fallen during the Great War was strong within the University community. As early as August 1918, 3 months prior to the formal Armistice, University President Walter C. Murray began making enquiries into the cost of a suitable memorial. What was settled upon were gates made of solid bronze, imported from England; the remainder, made of local greystone. Architect David R. Brown estimated the cost of what would come to be known as the Memorial Gates to be $30,000, with an additional $10,000 required for the memorial. The cement work was done by Richard J. Arrand in 1927-1928. A concerted fundraising effort among students and alumni helped cover the costs. The Memorial Gates were unveiled by President Murray and dedicated by the Bishop of Saskatchewan on 3 May 1928. A stone tablet, positioned between the bronze gates, bears the inscription: "These are they who went forth from this University to the Great War and gave their lives that we might live in freedom." For many years after, the site was used for the university’s Remembrance Day services at which wreaths are still laid every November 11th. These Gates were originally the entrance gates to campus and flanked University Drive. In the 1980s, due to increased traffic to the southwest portion of the campus, primarily Royal University Hospital, a new road entrance was built to the west. The gates remain, with the remnant of University Drive passing through them renamed Memorial Crescent. The gates are now primarily used by pedestrians, though the roadway is open to vehicles.

Main Barn shortly after construction.

Bio/Historical Note: The University Barn or Main Barn was designed by Brown and Vallance and built between 1910-1912.

Main Barn in winter.

Bio/Historical Note: The University Barn or Main Barn was designed by Brown and Vallance and built between 1910-1912.

Head and shoulders image of L.V. St. Louis, Associate Professor, Department of Economics.