A former one-room schoolhouse in the RM of Corman Park near Saskatoon’s southeastern city limits is getting a little TLC this spring.
The RM of Corman Park Council voted at its meeting on Monday, February 26 to approve a $2800 grant to the Floral Community Centre to replace the eavestroughs on the near-century-old hall. The building and land are owned by the Floral Community Centre association, a volunteer group made up of area residents.
“The building itself likely dates from about the 1930s,” said Floral Community Centre President Lucy Chuback. “It operated as a one-room school until the early 1960s, when it was converted to a community centre and it’s been kept up and operated by volunteers ever since.”
While there are some small reminders of its former life as a schoolhouse, the extensive renovations over the decades reflect its current purpose.
“We use it for community gatherings, and rent it out for special events like family reunions and weddings to help pay the bills to keep it going,” she continued. “People pay a small fee to be members of the community association and everybody chips in to maintain the ball diamonds, picnic area and the grounds, and to keep it painted and cleaned up.”
The community association’s big social gathering is a Canada Day event every July 1.
Chuback noted the Floral Community Centre is “a busy place” that hosts many events, including the Saskatoon 4H Beef Club and light Horse Club. The softball diamond on the hall grounds is slated to be used by the newly-formed minor ball association in Corman Park this spring.
“It’s a beautiful place,” said Chuback. “And it’s really the focal point for the community. There are several families who’ve been in this district for generations; we have grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original homesteaders in our group.”
The Floral Community Centre is one of seven small rural halls, most of them former one-room school houses, operated by local volunteer associations in the RM of Corman Park. The others include: Merrill Hills Community Centre (southwest of Saskatoon), South Corman Park School Log Cabin, Bergheim Community Centre (west of Saskatoon on Fleury Road near the border with the RM of Aberdeen), Penner School (near Wanuskewin Heritage Park), Neuhorst Community Centre, and Henrietta Community Hall (west of Langham near the North Saskatchewan River).
Over the years, the RM of Corman Park has contributed grants from its municipal reserve (MR) funds to community associations for capital expenses related to maintaining these buildings.
The Floral Community Centre has benefited from that funding. In 2013, a grant of $1,000 was approved to replace the windows and a new metal roof was installed in 2015 with the help of a $7,798 grant. However, the latest grant for the eavestroughs will come from the RM’s budget for donations rather than the municipal reserve fund. The RM was informed that because the land is owned by the community association, and not owned by the municipality, it is ineligible for MR funding. The RM is currently investigating its options for future funding.
Floral School District #688 was formed about 1901 by farm families in the area. In addition to a school, the Floral district also boasted a post office, a church and a grain elevator. While the elevator (built in 1927 and demolished in 2003) and post office are long gone, the church is still standing and maintained by volunteers. The original one-room schoolhouse was replaced by the existing building about 90 years ago.
LINK TO GORDIE HOWE
Floral’s greatest claim to fame is as the birthplace of hockey legend Gordie Howe, the greatest NHL player of his era. Howe was born March 31, 1928 in a small farmhouse on the family homestead. He moved with his parents and siblings to Saskatoon while he was still an infant. He grew up in Saskatoon and played for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1971. He later played professional hockey with his sons Marty Howe and Mark Howe. He held many NHL records that were not broken until Wayne Gretzky came along. He played his last professional game at the age of 69.
An historic cairn marking the original homestead of Gordie’s parents, Albert and Katherine Howe, is located nearby. It was erected by the RM of Corman Park and dedicated on June 10, 2019, three years to the day after Gordie Howe passed away. Members of the Howe family, including Gordie’s sister, grandson and great-grandson, were at the unveiling ceremony. The road leading to the marker was re-named Gordie Howe Road