In the spring of 1910, when the sod was turned on the site of the present College Building, there was on the prairie but one clump of half a dozen poplars. The university of today, large, complex, handsome, is the result of human imagination – and money and work and the will to make it happen. To remember the prairie before the building began is a good way to recognize the importance of human agency in remaking our world. This essay is a brief account of the decisions that led to the building of the university of today.

Originally known as the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization, VIDO was established at the University of Saskatchewan in 1975. VIDO is a research organization of the University of Saskatchewan that operates with financial support from the Government of Canada, the government of Saskatchewan, livestock industry councils and agencies, foundations and human and animal health companies. VIDO worked to find cures for common infectious diseases in cattle, swine and poultry. VIDO scientists carved out an international reputation for their pioneering work in the 1980's on vaccines aimed at combating shipping fever and a disease which produces pneumonia and arthritis in cattle. In addition to the 2,500,000 sq ft facility on campus, VIDO-InterVac also operates a 160-acre research station. The laboratory took on its current name, International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), in March 2003. In October 2003 a large expansion was completed. In March 2004, VIDO received funding for the construction one of the world's largest and most advanced biosafety level 3 facilities, the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), for research into emerging and reemerging human and animal diseases. In 2020, VIDO-InterVac began developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was established with a grant provided by the Devonian Group of Charitable Foundations of Calgary, and with supplementary funding from the provincial governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the University, and subsequently a great many livestock and poultry organizations. VIDO represented a new and unique model for funding practical goal-oriented research, and established an international reputation by developing several new vaccines to prevent neonatal diarrhea, or scours, in newborn calves (Vicogen, Ecostar, Ecostar 2RC); Haemophilus somnus infection of cattle (Somnu-Star and Somu-Star Ph); shipping fever pneumonia in cattle (Pneumo-Star); pneumonia in pigs (Pleuro-Star); and adenovirus infection in turkeys (Hevlan-TC). It also developed new management and disease prevention programs for cattle and swine. In 2003, VIDO changed its name and opened an expansion to its building that now provides 80,000 square feet of ultramodern laboratory space for a staff of 145 researchers. It uses the most modern research tools of genomics and bioinformatics to develop new vaccines and vaccine delivery technology.

Stephen Acres

The original Victoria School, now known as the Little Stone Schoolhouse (LSS), was built in 1887 by Alexander Marr, known for owning the Marr residence, currently the oldest residential building in Saskatoon. The LSS building was not only Saskatoon’s first school and library, it was also its first public building. In the evenings, various community events were held here, such as dances, meetings and various religious events. The one-room school house was used until a two room school house was constructed in 1905, followed by an even larger Victoria School in 1909, officially assuming the role of the original Victoria School. In 1911 the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire raised funds to preserve and relocate the building to the University of Saskatchewan campus. The school was carefully dismantled and moved. Almost 50 years later, in 1967, the Saskatoon Council of Women raised money to renovate the building and officially opened the LSS as a museum. Later that year the LSS was declared a Municipal Heritage Site and eventually Provincial Heritage Property in 1982. The Little Stone Schoolhouse continues to play an important role in the Saskatoon community and on the University of Saskatchewan campus. The U of S took over the operation of the building in 1981 and the Diefenbaker Canada Centre has ensured the continued appreciation of this historical landmark. The main Little Stone Schoolhouse program focuses on a historical introduction and the docent roleplaying as a school teacher.