McCord Homecoming ’71 — Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society

Cover image: Young riders in the parade, Homecoming ‘71 in McCord, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of the McCord and District Museum.

In the 1800s people from other parts of the world began to come to the Canadian prairies and the area around the present-day town of McCord in south-central Saskatchewan. The Métis travelled on trails older than memory. European explorers and settlers called the trail that ran east-west through the area the Hudson Bay Trail or the Old Trail. Later this route became known as the Northwest Mounted Police Trail.

As people came to this area, small community centers formed around schools, post offices, and small businesses. Locally the communities were called Milly, Summercove, Horse Creek, Varsity, Montague, Pebble Hill, Patriotic, and Four Corners. Four Corners got their own post office, named McCord after a local landowner. The Holiness Movement (Methodist) had built a church west of the McCord Post Office and settlement in 1913. A Roman Catholic church was later built at Milly south of McCord in 1927.

Almost a generation after the arrival of the first settlers, in 1928, the CPR brought a railway track to McCord. Businesses from Four Corners moved a short distance to be near the new railway station, and grain elevators were built. The Holiness Movement Church was moved a mile east to the new hamlet of McCord. All across the south, communities moved near the track. McCord grew to a hamlet of about 200 people in the 1950s.

On July 2, 3 and 4th in 1971, McCord grew to over 2000 people.

Parade, Homecoming 1971. Courtesy of the McCord and District Museum.

The Saskatchewan Government had an idea. Their goal was to promote tourism, both now and into the future. Why not invite former Saskatchewan residents to come home for a visit? This would boost tourism for 1971, and get local communities involved in developing tourism in their areas. The Saskatchewan Tourist Association and the Department of Industry and Commerce organized the provincial campaign. They had a pack of products to help organizers that contained logos and official things that could be purchased such as buttons, stationery and envelopes for invitations, posters, and a coin for collectors. There was even a theme song. Over 200,000 people across Saskatchewan came to attend reunions and community events.

McCord embraced this idea with a planning meeting, and committees were formed on August 6, 1970. It was an ideal time. Many homesteaders and their children were still alive. They were ready to show their friends and grandchildren their Saskatchewan. McCord had 71 residents and there were 260 in the surrounding area. 799 invitations were sent out and there were 732 positive replies. A few people in distant cities volunteered to spread the word in their city about the celebration.

McCord sign. Are cats, dogs and budgies part of the population?

What a joyous time! As people arrived on Friday the visiting, hugs, and excitement began. A Welcome Wagon kept people organized. Campgrounds sprang up near the Recreation Centre and on nearby farms. There were parking attendants and a First Aid Station. A few family groups organized reunions too.

Belsher family reunion campground at Perley Belsher’s farm, very close to McCord. There was another Belsher campground on Bernard Belsher’s farm too.

A teen dance began the weekend with music by “Wascana” from Regina. Young people were meeting new friends.

Pancake breakfast and registration booth on Main Street.

A pancake breakfast on Main Street began Saturday. A bicycle decorating contest for kids was followed by a parade of floats, cars, trucks, horses with riders, and lots of fun.

A ball tournament of Men’s Baseball, Women’s Fastball, Pony League, and Midget games filled the day. Two food booths and an ice cream truck kept people well fed.

There was an Art Contest for students, and Art exhibits in the School and Hall. Several adult artists displayed representative works. A museum had been organized in McCord in 1967. Visitors admired the exhibits in an old store on Main Street and talked about their memories.

Other activities were a horseshoe tournament, a spike driving contest, pillow fights, kite flying and more contests. Children enjoyed the playground. A beef barbeque supper was served. A Beer Garden was operated in the evening. A dance was held with music by “Csadas” of Gravelbourg.

BBQ beef cooks Louis Nogue, Glen Belsher, Cal Ruthig.

A young Orville Ottenbreit of Assiniboia took photos so people could order albums of McCord Homecoming ’71. Bob Mitchell, organizer and Chairperson, contacted Ottenbreit to take the pictures. It was a good idea. People could buy a small album of pictures and would not need to take any pictures themselves. They could visit and take part in activities.

Orville Ottenbreit arrived bright and early and started to take pictures with the eye of an artist. He loved the old wagons, wagon wheels, old barns, buildings, and scenery. Bob Mitchell finally said, "Orville, we want you to take people pictures and activity pictures because those are the ones that people will really want. They are the pictures that will sell." So, Orville took lots of pictures of people too – crowds, and small groups of people. The group pictures of local ball teams were excellent.

The family reunions had some other activities as well such as bonfires, wiener roasts, conversations and singing that for some young people went on all night. Some people got their beauty rest. There was no community breakfast on Sunday morning so people could breakfast in their host’s homes, eat in their campers, or just get extra sleep.

On Sunday there was an early church service for Holiness Movement/Methodists in the old church on the hill. The Belsher family challenged a team of local volunteers to a pick-up ball game. There were some family gatherings.

At 2 p.m., an outdoor Interdenominational Church service was held with people of many churches taking part. A picnic lunch followed. An open-air Talent Show concluded the weekend. Many people headed for home for work and commitments. Some people lingered for a few days to visit friends or family and to tour the area.

Local people had to work hard to make the celebration happen. There was lots of cleaning, trimming, painting, improving the hall, kitchen and washrooms, building picnic tables, and work on the playground. Then there was cooking and the organizing of events. All the local people worked on a committee.

Breakfast cooks, Main Street. On the left side: Martha Davidson and Joyce Hiltz.

The Province of Saskatchewan gave McCord two prizes: 1st for Hamlets and Municipalities (McCord held the largest homecoming event of any town, in their population group, that year), and an award for Community Improvement. But the biggest reward of all was the smiles and enjoyment of people, and the renewed friendships with memories to last a lifetime. Stories from the past were retold that day. Homecoming ’71 created many new stories to be told in the years to follow.

The museum has books of signatures of people that attended and a scrapbook of thank you cards and notes. The official count of people who signed the guest book was 1700, but the number of people who attended may be closer to 2000. Several people did not sign the book, such as visiting ball players, musicians, and people who lived nearby and wanted to spend a few hours visiting and taking in events. Some of the local people were just too busy to sign a book.

Homecoming really increased tourists in Saskatchewan that year. Locally it brought changes too. In McCord, it was followed by Grassland Fairs in 1975, 1978, 1980 and a Country School Reunion in 1988. They had ball tournaments as usual but included some Arts and intercultural events. Homecoming ’71 may have been the first time different Christian religions in the area actually got together for a worship service. The beef barbeque was done by local people, and it was so popular that about eight to a dozen local people began doing beef barbeques at other large events though out the area for a few years following Homecoming. About this time all the community groups in McCord formed a Unified Recreation Centre organization that has continued to this day.

Many things have changed since then, but McCord and area still has great community spirit. You will now find the Museum is housed in three buildings: the former CPR Station, a caboose, and in the 109-year-old Museum Church (formerly the Holiness Movement Church). There is a small park and playground. There is a small quiet campground where you can stay awhile as you tour the area and visit Grasslands Park - both the east and west blocks. A Co-op Card lock system and a community-owned grocery store provide your needs. McCord welcomes you to our community.

Written 50 years after Homecoming ’71 by Audrey J. Wilson, from memories and materials about the event that are preserved in McCord and District Museum.

This article appears in the Autumn 2021 Edition of Folklore Magazine.

AUDREY WALKER WILSON was an elementary school teacher in southern Saskatchewan for a few years. She lives on a family organic grain farm and commercial Hereford ranch in the general area between the east and west blocks of Grassland National Park. She likes books, a big garden, plants, the native Prairie, sewing and quilting, and volunteer work in the community. She has been involved for more than 30 years with museums especially McCord and District Museum. She has done research and writing to help record family and local history.

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Additional Sources

McLennan, David. Our Towns. Saskatchewan Communities from Abbey to Zenon Park. Canadian Plains Research Center, 2008.

Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan “Saskatchewan Homecoming '71” web page accessed August 9 2021 at https://www.saskarchives.com/collections/exhibits/Homecoming71

Regina Leader-Post “Moment in time: Family's Sask. Homecoming '71 reunion preserved” web article accessed August 9 2021 at https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/moment-in-time-familys-sask-homecoming-71-reunion-preserved

Virtual Museum of Canada Community Stories Webpage. Pioneers Use, Reduce, Re-cycle, and Reuse in McCord and southern Saskatchewan. Accessed August 9, 2021 at https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=search_record_detail&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000808&hs=0&sy=&st=milly&ci=&rd=230429