NEW WEBSITE BRINGS SASKATCHEWAN SETTLEMENT EXPERIENCE TO LIFE

The Saskatchewan Archives Board and the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society are launching a new website that allows people from around the globe to experience the joys and sorrows of Saskatchewan's first settlers.

The Saskatchewan Settlement Experience, available at www.sasksettlement.com, combines more than 2,500 archival images to provide a glimpse into the lives of those who settled in the province between 1870 and 1930.

"The people of Saskatchewan owe a tremendous debt to those who settled the province," Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Glenn Hagel said. "Now, with the touch of a keyboard, records of the early settlement of the province can be viewed anywhere in the world."

The new website takes chronological and thematic approaches to presenting archival information. Visitors to the site may examine material by decade to discover the broad series of historical events, such as national immigration policy and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, that affected settlement.

The majority of the archival material is organized in thematic categories. The general public, genealogist, local history researcher, or student can find original material within such topics as Aboriginal Peoples, Life on the Prairies, Agriculture, and Education. Each section has an easy-to-use drop down menu that leads to specific topics. The inclusion of a special section on 'Saskatchewan Today' provides a connection between past experiences and the province as it now exists. Users may also search by community name.

The Saskatchewan Settlement Experience also includes close to 100 suggested teaching activities that are linked to specific learning objectives for Grades 4 to 12 in Social Studies or History.

The Saskatchewan Settlement Experience is an extension of the Saskatchewan Homestead Index data base that contains 360,000 references to those who settled in the province under the terms of the Dominion Lands Act. The Saskatchewan Homestead Index data base is available at www.saskhomesteads.com.

The new website is funded, in part, by the Canadian Memory Fund through Library and Archives Canada.

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For More Information, Contact:

Chris Gebhard Sask Archives Regina Phone: (306) 787-3381 Email: cgebhard@archives.gov.sk.ca