Saskapaloosa

Saskatchewan happened in a hurry.

At the turn of the 20th century just over 90 thousand souls occupied this center of three plains provinces. A mere decade later, the population popped -- by a factor of five -- to nearly one-half million.

Growth continued apace and by 1930 it appeared that there would soon be a million people in this tall, slender slice of Canada.

Then came the Great Depression -- complete with drought and other challenges to farmers. Growth halted -- the population actually dropped for the next 20 years and didn't begin to rise again until the prosperous post war years.

The province finally did top a million in population in 1986, but quickly retreated below that milestone and has hovered near 975,000 ever since.

Before a quick look ahead, let's look back to those incredible decades of growth -- between 1910 and 1930.

Think Iowa.

That's right, Iowa. To be more specific, think of River City, Iowa at the time Professor Harold Hill came to town to start a boy's band.

Here's to the plow
Here's to the plowers
Here's to the quilting
For hours and hours
Here's to the tractors
The children can drive
Here's to the churches
That keep us alive.........
I opened my eyes to an infinite number
Of stars that have kept me awake half the night
'Cause when I awoke
When I awoke
I awoke in Iowa
          -- Uncle Bonsai, 1999

One reason for the exodus is mechinization. Visiting the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum in Saskatoon not only provides a replica of a Saskatchewan town during the period of growth (looking, as mentioned above, eerily like River City Iowa at the same time), but also provides a full-size real-deal history of the development of farm equipment from horse-pulled plows through behemoth steam-drive "land-trains" to modern gas- and deisel-driven tractors and combines.

Another reason was that in the '30s Canada was faced with the same massive drought and resulting economic depression suffered in the U.S. Many farmers pulled up stakes and moved north where water was more readily available and their abandoned farms were eventually consolidated with others as power equipment made it possible to manage more acres.

It seems likely that the province will again reach the million people mark. This time the growth is related to several factors, including oil production and jobs in new technology and education.

My sense is that the residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan tend to be loyal to their provinces and tend to stay put. Medical, educational and other social services seem to be of high quality and that makes these regions great places to raise families -- and more families, of course, means even more families as time passes.

I'm bullish on Canada after having spent nearly a month here. Before I finally head down the east coast, I will have spent nearly three months here -- and will have been in at least six provinces.

From now on, though, when I think of Saskatoon, I'll always remember the Saska-BOOM that hit between 1910 and 1930 and transformed the region from a wilderness to a settled agricultural region. The formula for success: offer free land with a rail system that promised to keep pace with expansion; add pioneers and watch it grow.