C.F. Ewer came to the new town of Moose Jaw in the spring of 1883 with the intent of starting a newspaper. The North-West Land Company provided a free corner lot as an incentive to the first paper established. The printing press arrived two days before the first edition was scheduled to run. The first edition of the Moosejaw News was published May 4, 1883.

Dr. J.E. Wells LL.D. had arrived in Moose Jaw from Toronto? shortly after Ewer, also with the intent of starting a newspaper. Ewer did not seem to have enough capital to continue while his new paper established itself. Rather than attempting to compete with limited resources, Ewer sold the paper and press.

The next edition of the paper had an editorial stating that Wells, “late of Rapid City”, was taking over the paper along with a Mr. Powell who were listed as editors and proprietors.
In October 1884, H.N. Morphy took over the paper but by February 1885, the Moosejaw News was bankrupt.

There was no local newspaper until the Moose Jaw Times began publishing in April 1889.
Another newspaper was published under the banner The Moose Jaw News ca. 1922-1923, possibly through Quality Press, located at High St. East. It does not seem to have any relationship to the original Moosejaw News.

The origins of the Moose Jaw Board of Trade are unclear but the first edition of the “Moose Jaw News” on May 4, 1883 makes reference to a “Billiard and pool hall in the ‘Board of Trade Rooms’”.
The earliest minutes refer to a meeting on October 1, 1888 to organize the Moose Jaw Board of Trade. It does not seem to exist as an legal entity prior to this date. Among the members at this time were prominent names such as Ross, Fysh, Annable and Hopkins with J.H. Ross named acting chair and A.N. Hopkins named acting secretary until they are incorporated.
Their activities included the promotion of the City to outside interests and the formation of committees to address issues of local infrastructure - e.g. Railroad, Bridge and Reservoir.
In 1927, a Young Men’s Section of the Board was formed. Among their activities was the publication of “The Optimeter”, a newsletter touting the accomplishments and bright future of Moose Jaw.
Some reference materials state that the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce was the successor to the Board of Trade in the first decade of the 1900's but the Board was very active for some time later. The 1945 Henderson Directory lists G.S. O’Shaughnessy as the commissioner for the Board of Trade at 18 High Street East. The 1946 Henderson lists the Chamber of Commerce at this address with the same individual as the commissioner for that group. This would seem to be the approximate date of succession.

The Moose Jaw Natural History Society was formed in 1957 by Rosalind Taylor. John Walker was the first president, Rosalind Taylor was vice-president and program convener, Muriel Walker was secretary-treasurer, and Kay Rankin was in charge of publicity. The first field trip was held on April 28, 1957. In the spring of 1958 it was decided at a meeting to set up a proper organization with a full executive and a fee charged to cover expenses, and to include the Saskatchewan Provincial membership and the Blue Jay Magazine (a journal of natural history and conservation for Saskatchewan and adjacent regions published by the Saskatchewan Natural History Society). At the November 15, 1958 meeting, a constitution was adopted, a full slate of officers was elected and the first membership fees were collected. By 1967 membership increased from 9 charter members to 125.
The purpose of the Society is to provide enjoyment and education for its members on topics such as birds, animals, plants, fossils and Indian relics, and to provide funds for worthwhile projects that help in the preservation of natural history.
The Society was active in many activities and presentations, especially those to encourage interest in nature and conservation among the young people. Members went on many early morning field trips. One of the aims of the Society is to conduct at least six field trips a year. They offered bird watching courses and flower identification classes. One popular annual event is the Christmas Bird Count. The purpose is to observe and accurately name as many species of birds as possible in one day during the Christmas holidays (Dec. 21st - Jan.1st.). In Moose Jaw the event is usually held on Dec. 26th or 27th.
In 1993 the name of the Society changed to Nature Moose Jaw and the Provincial body to Nature Saskatchewan. The aims and activities of the organization remain unchanged.

The Starr's Point Temperance Society was based in the Starr Point School District #357, and the R.M. of South Qu'Appelle No. 157. In May 1896 president of the society, Mr. Bray reported 37 names in the pledge book. Regular monthly meetings were held at which time "the pledge" was circulated. The pledge was a promise to abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors and tobacco. The programme of each meeting consisted of hymn singing, readings, recitations, debates, and sometimes guest speakers. Occasionally special concerts were held.

The Moose Jaw Fine Art Guild was formed in June 1949. The first executive elected were president, Mrs. Owen Wilson; secretary-treasurer, Miss Letty Stuart. Charter members also included Mrs. W.E.S. West, Mrs. Walter Clarke, Mrs. Oswald Fysh, Miss Ruth E. Way, Miss Isabel Anderson, Mrs. Hugh House and Mrs. Marwood Gaye. The Guild was associated with Women's Art Association of Saskatchewan. The W.A.A.S. disbanded in 1957.

The aims of the guild were to encourage appreciation of art, to produce original paintings or pieces of art, to draw together those interested in art, to further art in the community, and to provide members with an opportunity to exhibit their art.

In 1984 a motion was passed to change the name to Moose Jaw Art Guild. Membership was declining and the guild felt that the term "fine" perhaps dissuaded some artists from joining.

Slater & York Limited was a men's clothing store which was established in 1921 when Ransom L. Slater joined in a partnership with Mervin E. York. Mr. Slater was born in Inkerman, ON, on May 13, 1870. He moved to Moose Jaw in 1890 and went into the tailoring business with Dan McCormack. Later he established his own tailor shop, and in 1913 opened a men's clothing store. Mr. Slater married Florence Annetta Powell in 1895. They had one daughter, Phyllis (Mrs. K.G. Murison). Mr. Slater was a member of Zion United Church, Moose Jaw Lodge No.3, Lodge of Perfection, Rose Croix, the Saskatchewan Consistory, Moose Jaw Shrine Club, Chamber of Commerce and he served as director of the Grant Hall Hotel. He retired from business in 1953. He died in 1962.
Prior to his partnership with R.L. Slater, Mervin E.York was a salesperson, buyer and department manager for various retail businesses in Moose Jaw. He began working as a salesman for R.L. Slater in 1916. Mr. York died in 1953. Slater & York Limited was sold to Geoffrey R. Baskwill and James Stewart Robertson in 1953. They sold the business to Reginald A. Bushell and George Field in 1959, who then sold it to Brian Chadwick in 1987.

A.M. Logan was born in Carleton County, Ontario in 1855. He homesteaded in the Manitou district of Southern Manitoba in 1879. In 1881 he returned to Ontario and on Feb. 22, 1882 married F.L. Hayes. They returned to Manitoba. In 1904, Mr. Logan and several of his sons moved to the Central Butte, SK district (Bridgeford area) and took up homesteads. Mrs. Logan and the other children joined them in 1909. The Logan children were Wilbert, Albert, twins Norris and Hardy, Ormond, Victor, Wilfred and one daughter Pearl.
Mr. Logan was a member of the Loyal Orange Lodge, No. 338 for nearly fifty years, and a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, No.135, of Manitou. He died on Feb. 22, 1928 at his home in the Central Butte district. His sons Albert, Hardy, Norris and Wilfred all served in World War I. Hardy was killed overseas in 1916 while serving with the 5th Artillery Brigade. Norris married Jane Ellis, his English war bride. He passed away in Central Butte on Dec. 11, 1976 at age 80 years. Jane died on July 10, 1978. Wilbert resided at Kindersley and Albert in Estevan. Pearl never married. She came to Moose Jaw in 1948 and passed away there on Oct. 22, 1976 at the age of 83 years.

The Moose Jaw Philharmonic Ladies Chorus formed in June 1937 as a successor to the Moose Jaw Philharmonic Society which had been formed several years earlier.

The results of the first election of officers was Miss Florence Johnstone - President; Mrs. E. W. Badger - Vice President; Miss Marjorie Horsefield - Secretary; Miss Lyla Hynes - Treasurer; Mrs. J. L. Hilton - Librarian; Mrs. G. Hall - Business Manager; Miss Mabel Bryce - Press Secretary; Mrs. Greenfield - Social Convener. Mr. Francis Stevenson was the first conductor.

The first concert was given in the Baptist Church. The choir sponsored a scholarship for the Moose Jaw Festival of Music. They won a number of awards in competition and recorded an album to tape in May? 1966 which was released in 1967?.

A final meeting was held on February 19, 1979 where a vote to disband was taken and all remaining funds were donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

The first meeting of the Newberry Rural Telephone Co. was held on May 22, 1912. The first board consisted of D.W. Newberry - President, F.B. Johnson - Vice President, W.F. Jacobs - Secretary/Treasurer and as directors S.R. Newberry, Jas. Sinclair, S.P. Peterson. One item suggests a 1910 incorporation but all other documents refer to the 1912 start date.
The company operated a small rural telephone system in the Archive area, south of Moose Jaw.

The last date of operation is unknown. The last date of the records is 1956 but they are incomplete.

The Moose Jaw Canucks Hockey Club was formed in September 1933. The management was headed by Adam Thomson and Ivan Morrison and consisted mainly of the fathers of players who had been members of the “Stars”, Moose Jaw’s entry in Juvenile hockey. Canucks coaches from 1933-1945 were Gymie McMillan (7 years coach), Ikey Morrison, Hal York, Chuck Robinson, Bob Kennedy, Clay Boiteau and Roy Bentley.

The Canucks became the first amateur affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League in 1945. Besides operating the Junior Canucks in the Southern Junior League, the Canucks Hockey Club also operated a Juvenile team in the South Central League, and a four team city midget league.

In 1974 the ownership and operation of the Canucks was turned over to the Moose Jaw Hockey Society. In May 1982 four men, John Waronek, Gilbert Prefontaine, Murray Baldwin, and Gary Bolinger purchased the franchise from the Moose Jaw Hockey Society. Later in the same season, Waronek took over sole ownership of the team. In November 1983 the Moose Jaw Junior Hockey Community Club was nominated by the Saskatchewan Amateur Junior Hockey League (SAJHL) to run the team for the remainder of the 1983-84 season after they (SAJHL) terminated Waronek’s franchise.

In December 1983 Moose Jaw Tier One Junior Hockey Inc. and the Moose Jaw Junior Hockey Community Club Inc. (Club) joined forces in order to bring the best junior hockey available to the city of Moose Jaw. The amalgamation of the two groups placed the bid to bring a Western Hockey League (WHL) franchise to Moose Jaw and the existing Moose Jaw Canucks of the SAJHL under one community hockey roof. The objective of the new group was to move ahead with the present tier two team (Canucks) in place and continue to plan for the future of a WHL team in Moose Jaw. The new group would assume all obligations which the Club had concerning the Canucks.

On December 22, 1983 Tier One Hockey Inc. were successful in their efforts to buy the Winnipeg Warriors, who became the Moose Jaw Warriors.

In 1944 people in Saskatoon called a meeting to discuss the formation of a senior citizens club. Many towns were represented including Moose Jaw. The Old Age Pensioners Club was formed with Mrs. A. Douglas, president; Mrs. Nurse, secretary; and Mrs. Brown, treasurer. In January 1945 Moose Jaw received their charter and were known as the Old Age Pensioners, Branch 5 Moose Jaw. The object of the club was to try to get together to make life less lonely for the elderly. The first officers elected for Branch 5 were Mr. E. Heath, president; Mrs. Ellis, first vice-president; Mr. Vaughn, secretary; Mrs. E. Foster, treasurer. Aims were to visit the sick at home and in the hospitals and to send cards to the sick and bereaved. A ladies auxiliary was formed to assist with fundraising projects. Four meetings a month were held in a small room on Main St. From 1954 to 1957 meetings were held in the I.O.D.E. room at the Y.M.C.A. With over 400 members in 1957 a larger hall was required, so the Odd Fellows Hall was rented for meetings from 1957 until 1964.

After the Old Age Pensioners approached several clubs in 1961, the Cosmos Club offered to sponsor them in their efforts to build a facility. After a meeting of the city, officers of the Old Age Pensioners, and Mr. Jack Dorfman, president of the Cosmos Club, the Pensioners agreed to turn over $11,000.00 to the Cosmos Club. The City of Moose Jaw provided the land to build, and in 1963 the Cosmos Centre opened. The Old Age Pensioners were given the use of the Centre.

In 1971 the name Old Age Pensioners changed to the Pensioners and Senior Citizens Organization of Saskatchewan, Branch 5, Moose Jaw. At a convention in Saskatoon in 1981 they joined with the New Horizons and became known as Saskatchewan Seniors Association Incorporated, Branch 5.

In 1984 Branch 5 had 59 members. It was the only charter branch left in the province. Officers were Violet Peeling, president; Agnes Goodnough, secretary; and Mrs. H. Braaten, treasurer.

On May 8, 1997 it was decided to disband Branch 5. Membership had declined to six active members. Mary Webber was president, Violet Peeling, secretary. Remaining funds were donated to the Moose Jaw Union Hospital and to the Provincial Saskatchewan Seniors Association Inc. All record books and material were donated to the Archives Dept. of Moose Jaw Public Library.

The McWilliams family history in the Moose Jaw area consists of several generations beginning with Thomas Edwin McWilliams (Tom). He was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1840. He married Martha Jane Dunseith and had six children - Eliza Jane, Margaret Ann, Mary Victoria, Samuel Henry, George Edwin and William John. He spent from 1879 to 1882 in Fort Garry, returned to Ontario and then headed west to the Moose Jaw area in 1883. His family followed in 1884. He rented several properties in the Pasqua/Drinkwater area including a railway section house and E½ 10-16-25 W2. He worked away from the farm at various jobs including as a freighter of supplies for the military during the Riel rebellion.
In July 1886, Thomas discovered the hills south of Drinkwater contained deposits of a clay suitable for ceramics and brick. By 1887, he had registered a homestead claim for the property containing the deposits. He and his family moved to Moose Jaw and lived there for several years. Martha leased the Queen’s Hotel and operated it as a boarding house for a number of years.
By 1889, Thomas was in danger of forfeiting his homestead claim as he had not abided by the rules requiring habitation and agricultural development. He and his son, Sam, moved to the property - Thomas living there for six months of the year and working elsewhere the rest and Sam staying there year round while the rest of the family stayed in Moose Jaw. They cared for cattle on the property to help fulfill the agricultural requirements.
There are several different sources providing conflicting timelines re: the early development of the clay deposits. One states that after trying unsuccessfully to interest investors or raise capital to start manufacturing, Thomas sold the property to a group of businessmen in August or September, 1899. They then started what is known as the Claybank Brick Plant.
Another source suggests that McWilliams hauled clay from his property to Moose Jaw for sale to various manufacturers in Moose Jaw until he partnered with the Moose Jaw Fire Brick and Pottery Co. from 1904 until they reorganized into Saskatchewan Clay Products and bought out his shares in 1912.
Thomas was also a founding member of the Moose Jaw Orange Lodge and was recognized as being one of the longest serving members of the lodge in the Canadian west.
He died on River Street in Moose Jaw at age 78.
Samuel Henry McWilliams (Sam) was the son of Thomas E. McWilliams. He was born in Muskoka, Ontario ca. 1874 and moved with his family to the Assiniboia territory in 1884.
At the age of 15, Sam worked as a water hauler for the people of Moose Jaw. All the water used in the construction of Victoria School was hauled to the site by Sam. He attended the school the following year.
In the Fall of 1889, Sam moved to Claybank, Saskatchewan to help fulfill the residency requirements for his father’s homestead claim.
In June, 1892, when he turned 18, he filed for his own homestead on NE 1/4 24-15-25 W2. He purchased SE 1/4 31-14-24 W2 in 1904.

He married Bessie Ann Coventry of Coventry, Saskatchewan and had five children - Leslie Earl and William Henry who later rented the family farm from their father when he retired to Moose Jaw, Harry Hector who worked for the CPR, and daughters Fern Louise (who married an Englishman in the RAF and moved away) and Olive Jane.
Sam was active in the community and was an original member of the Moose Jaw Agricultural Society and was also a member of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers and the Moose Jaw Museum Committee.
He retired to Moose Jaw in 1939. He died November 13, 1962, age 88.
Leslie Earl McWilliams (Les) had one son, James Leslie (Jim). William Henry McWilliams (Bill) had three sons - David, Ronald and Murray and one daughter, Sandra.
A number of family members were involved in the St. Andrews Society and Scottish pipe and drum bands.

Tuxford Lodge No.87, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was instituted on January 9, 1912. Charter members were David Reekie, Roy T. Lowther, William D. Boyd, A.G. Kepner, J.H. Storry, John B. Calver, R.E. Spicer, Don Kilpatrick, John D. Fraser. The Lodge hall was built that same year. During its existence, 130 men joined the Lodge. The charter was surrendered to the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan on November 28, 1939. At the same time the Lodge hall was sold to the Village of Tuxford.

The Princess Patricia Club of Moose Jaw was formed in October 1933 by Maudie Radcliffe Baylay and Nan Evans Buchbach. The original aim was to help young girls during the Depression. Assistance was given to numerous girls, but soon extended to needy families and the elderly.
The first executive elected were Maudie Radcliffe Baylay, president; Nan Evans Buchbach, vice-president; Verna Woods Forrest, secretary; and Dorothy Knox Gibson, treasurer.
Blue and silver were chosen as the club’s colours. Meetings were held weekly. A special project was undertaken once a month. The prime source of fund raising became the afternoon tea and bazaar. Other projects included charity balls, supper dances, tag days, gala Boxing Day dances and sales of roses and tulips.
In 1939 the Princess Patricia Club was invited to become the auxiliary to the 77th Battery Royal Canadian Artillery. During World War II, the Princess Patricia Club sent more than 2800 parcels to Battery personnel serving overseas. Funds raised were also spent on bursaries, nursing scholarships, milk for Britain campaign, children’s shelters, the elderly and the blind. In later years the Club supported many institutions and local agencies including the Union Hospital, Providence Hospital, St. Anthony’s Home, Pioneer Lodge, the Christmas Stocking Fund, and Easter boxes for shut-ins.
In 1999, after 66 years on a most distinguished record, the Princess Patricia Club, mostly because of a declining and aging membership disbanded. A final donation of the Club’s funds was made to the Foundation for the Moose Jaw Union Hospital.