Vidora, Saskatchewan

Infobox Settlement
name = Vidora, Saskatchewan
official_name =
other_name =
native_name =
nickname =
settlement_type = Hamlet
motto = "The Place to Be" (1910s)


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pushpin_map_caption = Location of Vidora in Saskatchewan
latd= 49.194202
longd=-109.243394
pushpin_label_position = none
pushpin_mapsize =200
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = CAN
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = SK
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Southwest Saskatchewan
subdivision_type3 = Census division
subdivision_name3 = 4
subdivision_type4 = Rural Municipality
subdivision_name4 = Reno
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Former Mayor
leader_name =
leader_title1 = Administrator
leader_name1 = Lacelle Kim
leader_title2 = Governing body
leader_name2 = [http://www.mds.gov.sk.ca/apps/Pub/MDS/muniDetails.aspx?cat=10&mun=2527 Reno No. 51]
leader_title3 =
leader_name3 =
leader_title4 =
leader_name4 =
established_title = Established
established_date = 1910
established_title2 = Incorporated (Village)
established_date2 = 1917
established_title3 = Restructured (Hamlet)
established_date3 = 1990s
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population_as_of = 1920
population_footnotes =
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population_total = 200
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postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = S0N 2G0
area_code = 306
blank_name = Highways
blank_info = Highway 13
blank1_name = Waterways
blank1_info = Cypress Lake
website =
|footnotes = [Citation
last =National Archives
first =Archivia Net
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Post Offices and Postmasters
date =
year =
url =http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/post-offices/001001-100.01-e.php
accessdate = ] [Citation
last =Government of Saskatchewan
first =MRD Home
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Municipal Directory System
date =
year =
url =http://www.municipal.gov.sk.ca/index.html
accessdate = ] [Citation
last =Canadian Textiles Institute.
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =CTI Determine your provincial constituency
date =
year =2005
url =http://www.textiles.ca/eng/nonAuthProg/redirect.cfm?path=IssPolContacts&sectionID=7601.cfm
accessdate = ] [Citation
last =Commissioner of Canada Elections
first =Chief Electoral Officer of Canada
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Elections Canada On-line | Home
date =
year =2005
url =http://www.elections.ca/home.asp
accessdate = ]

Vidora is a Hamlet in Southwest Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located between Robsart and Consul on Highway 13 also known as the historic Red Coat Trail. Very little remains of the former village, only one home that is also used as a post office still stands as of 2008. There are many cement foundations still found scattered around the town site, including the remnants of the old vault to the former Municipality Office.

History

Like most towns in the southwest region of Saskatchewan, Vidora began as a small parcel of land owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Like many towns such as Govenlock and Senate, Vidora had a fair amount of bootleggers, that came into the area smuggling rum, and alcohol, during the prohibition days in Canada.

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway line came through Vidora around 1910. Many of the CPR's engineers and surveyors were housed at a local farm house during construction of the rail line. Living at the same house where two girls named "Vi" and "Dora", the engineers and surveyors decided to use the two names to name the land because of their great hospitality, thus giving the town it’s name "Vidora". After the land was named, settlers as well as bootleggers began to settle the area starting the hamlet of Vidora. By 1917, the hamlet was incorporated as a village, and now had its very own town Council, and mayor. After becoming a village, Vidora began to grow quite fast and prosperous. By 1920, the village business districts consist of more than twenty businesses, including businesses such as a post office, cafe, pool hall, main hall, banks, lumber yards, general stores and a hotel. Vidora even had it's very own electrical power plant, powering the whole town.

Vidora was also active socially, with church and school programs and annual summer fairs.

The Great Depression

Vidora’s future looked good but due to the Great Depression years followed by accompanying droughts, falling grain prices and poor crop yields. Beginning with a devastating fire in 1924 destroying many businesses including Vidora’s first store, post office, cafe, pool hall and main hall. Then in 1926 and 1928 more important businesses would also be wiped out by fire. In 1936. the CPR station closed and afterwards moved to Frontier. After in 1961 the Vidora General Store was moved to Robsart, then in 1969 the Rural municipal office was also moved to Consul as did the Vidora Community Hall in 1976. To mark the end of its long prosperous life, Vidora's five grain elevators closed and were torn down sometime in the 1970s or 1980s.

See also

* Prohibition in Canada
* List of places with fewer than ten residents
* List of communities in Saskatchewan
* Hamlets of Saskatchewan
* List of ghost towns in Canada
* Ghost towns in Saskatchewan

References

External links

* [http://www.ghosttownpix.com/sask/towns/vidora.shtml Saskatchewan Ghost Towns by Johnnie Bachusky]
* [http://www.ghosttownscanada.ca/ Ghost Towns Canada]
* [http://www.becquet.com/director/maps/index.htm Saskatchewan City & Town Maps]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~cansk/school/ Saskatchewan Gen Web - One Room School Project ]
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/post-offices/001001-100.01-e.php Post Offices and Postmasters - ArchiviaNet - Library and Archives Canada]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~cansk Saskatchewan Gen Web Region]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmaps/index.html Online Historical Map Digitization Project]
* [http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search/search_e.php GeoNames Query ]

Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
Northwest = Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
North =

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