Oliver Harris (1837-1922) and Ann Francis (1844-1929?) were both born in Devonshire, England. Each sailed to Canada as children, with their families. They married in 1865, in Ontario. In 1882, they took their 6 children – including Lucy (1867-1930) and William F. "Fred" (1868-1950) – and moved to a homestead in the Brandon Hills area of Manitoba. Mr. Harris and his son Fred homesteaded again in 1890, near what became North Portal and Mrs. Harris and other family members joined them in 1893, including Eva (b.1884) and Ella (b.1887?), both born after the family settled in Manitoba. In 1905, Oliver and Ann Harris retired from the farm to the village of North Portal.

Bill Heselton was born and raised in Moose Jaw. He worked for thirty years as a teacher and school administrator in Moose Jaw. Ann was born in The Hague, Holland and in 1952 her family moved to Moose Jaw. She managed a desktop publishing business. The Heseltons share a passion for history, and particularly collecting railway memorabilia. This led to the publication of a historical account of the electric railway in Moose Jaw, entitled “Not to exceed 10 miles per hour”: The story of the Moose Jaw Electric Railway 1910-1932 and Public Transportation in Moose Jaw to 2003. They have also published a book entitled Windows to the past: historical notes: Moose Jaw Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd. & building at 960 Home Street West, 1906 to 2010.

Joseph Hinde was born in Maryport, Cumberland, England on October 3,1862 to Robert and Ann (Shepherd) Hinde. As a young man, Joseph Hinde was employed as a coal merchant and furniture remover in Bournbrook, Birmingham, England. He was a member of the Fritchley Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Joseph Hinde married Martha "Pattie" S. Wake in Fritchley, Derbyshire, England on April 12, 1889. Martha Wake was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England on May 11, 1869 to Henry Thomas and Lydia (Carter) Wake, also members of the Society of Friends.

Between 1890 and 1908, Joseph and Martha Hinde had eight children: Edith Mary, Leonard W., Joseph Edward "Bob", Alfred Carter, Winifred, Henry "Harry" Wake, Elizabeth "Elsie" Linell, and Lydia "Daisie" Margaret.

Joseph Hinde and his family immigrated to Canada between 1911 and April, 1912. They settled in the Halcyonia district near Borden, Saskatchewan. The district already had several Quaker settlers, including Martha Hinde's brother Hugh Wake. Joseph Hinde was granted patent to a homestead at NE36-39-8-W3; his sons Leonard and Joseph Edward were granted patent to NW36-39-8-W3 and N26-39-8-W3, respectively. The family joined the membership of the Halcyonia Meeting of the Society of Friends.

The family later acquired additional land in the area that was more fertile and had a better water source. They named the land Valley Springs Ranch. The ranch expanded to include a livestock business, and was home to several members of the family until the mid-1980s. Martha Hinde died in Borden on August 14, 1953. Joseph Hinde died in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on March 16, 1955.

Edith Mary Hinde was born in Fritchley, Derbyshire, England on January 29, 1890. She and her brother Leonard immigrated to Canada in 1911, a year ahead of the rest of the family. Edith Hinde married Edward Cronyn McCheane in Borden on September 1, 1920. They moved to Saskatoon where Edward operated a commercial art studio and. They had one son, Gordon. Edward McCheane died in Saskatoon on June 12, 1946. After Edward's death, Edith returned to live at Valley Springs Ranch. She died in Borden on October 22, 1961.

Leonard W. Hinde was born in Fritchley, Derbyshire, England on March 21, 1891. He immigrated to Canada in 1911 with his sister Edith, and settled in the Halcyonia district near Borden. Leonard Hinde married Ruth Pearson Rogers in Thistledale, Saskatchewan on June 9, 1925. They moved to Saskatoon, and then to Ontario when Leonard joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. After the war, they resided in Norwich, Ontario. Leonard and Ruth Hinde had five children: a boy who died at birth, Allen, Kathleen and Leonard (all who died in a house fire in 1933) and Howard "Roger". Leonard Hinde died in Norwich on December 14, 1970. Ruth Hinde died in Norwich on February 2, 1976.

Joseph Edward "Bob" Hinde was born in Birmingham, England on January 19, 1895. He married Susanna Rempel in Borden, Saskatchewan on January 1, 1934. They helped to operate Valley Springs Ranch and later lived in Borden, and Saskatoon and Victoria, British Columbia. Bob and Susanna Hinde had four children: Mary, Roberta, Barry and David. Bob Hinde died in Victoria on May 28, 1978. Susanna Hinde died in Victoria on February 13, 2004.

Alfred Carter Hinde was born in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England on November 6, 1897. He died in Selly Oak on October 14, 1906.

Winifred Hinde was born in Birmingham, England on December 22, 1899. She married Merlin Chamness near West Branch, Iowa on February 12, 1920. They had five children: Harold, Olive, Martha, Mary and Lawrence. Merlin Chamness died in Phoenix, Arizona on February 22, 1964. Winifred Chamness died in Raymondsville, Texas on March 10, 1965.

Henry "Harry" Wake Hinde was born in Birmingham, England on February 5, 1902. He helped to operate Valley Springs Ranch and managed the local community pasture. Harry Hinde married Mary Needler in Toronto, Ontario on July 3, 1964. Harry Hinde died in Saskatoon on February 21, 1981. Mary Hinde died in Saskatoon in December, 1999.

Elizabeth "Elsie" Linell Hinde was born in Birmingham, England on November 26, 1903. She attended Thistle Dale School. As a young woman, Elsie Hinde travelled to Iowa where she lived with her sister Winifred and family for a year. She later attended nursing school, which included employment as a nursing assistant at the Fort San and Saskatoon sanitaria in the early 1930s. Elsie Hinde returned to the family farm and helped in the operation of Valley Springs Ranch. She married Wesley Reginald Ingram, an employee of the ranch, on August 19, 1951. They raised two foster sons, James Olynik and David Horn, and their son David Wesley Ingram at the ranch. Elsie and Wesley Ingram retired from Valley Springs Ranch and moved to Borden in the 1980s. Elsie Ingram died in Hafford, Saskatchewan on December 8, 1995. Wesley Ingram died in Borden on February 4, 2003.

Lydia "Daisie" Margaret Hinde was born in Birmingham, England on June 13, 1908. In the early 1930s, she attended nursing school with her sister Elsie and was employed as a nursing assistant at the Fort San and Saskatoon sanitaria. Daisie Hinde married Eric Lund in Saskatoon on March 20, 1937. They had one daughter, Carol. Daisie and Eric Lund ranched and later took over operation of the community pasture near Borden from Harry Hinde. They retired from ranching and moved to Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Eric Lund died in Salmon Arm on December 22, 1998. Daisie Lund died in Salmon Arm on October 9, 2000.

Mary Katherine Hinde was born in Borden, Saskatchewan on October 25, 1934 to Joseph Edward "Bob" and Susanna Hinde. She married John "Jack" Mundell Crane in Saskatoon on May 21, 1960. They resided in Victoria, British Columbia where Mary Crane was a homemaker. Mary and Jack Crane had three children: Shauna, Deirdre and John. They divorced in 1993. Currently, Mary Crane continues (2008) to reside in Victoria.

Roberta Edith Hinde was born in Borden, Saskatchewan on December 10, 1935 to Joseph Edward "Bob" and Susanna Hinde. She married David William Revitt in Saskatoon on December 24, 1956. Their post-secondary studies took them to Nova Scotia, Toronto and London, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia. They have two children: Allegra and Jeffrey. Roberta and David Revitt continue (2008) to reside in Victoria.

Henry Thomas Wake was born in Whittlebury, England on April 29, 1831 to Henry and Ann (Coulson) Wake. He married Lydia Carter in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England on December 28, 1853. Lydia Carter was the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Linnell) Carter of Banbury.

Between 1855 and 1969, Henry Thomas and Lydia Wake had eight children: Elizabeth, Henry, Hugh, Ann, Mary, John, William and Martha. The family moved to Scotby, England and later to Cockermouth, Cumberland, England where Henry Thomas Wake was a bookseller. The Wakes belonged to the membership of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Lydia Wake died in Cockermouth in June, 1875.

Henry Thomas Wake's second marriage was to Hannah Sadler. Wake operated the Chestnut Bank Friends' School in Fritchley, Derbyshire, England. He died in Fritchley on January 1, 1914.

Martha "Pattie" S. Wake was born in Cockermouth on May 11, 1869 to Henry Thomas and Lydia Wake. She was educated at a boarding school for a short time following her mother's death in 1875; but returned home to be educated by her father at the Chestnut Bank Friends'School.

Martha Wake married Joseph Hinde in Fritchley on April 12, 1889. Joseph Hinde was born in Maryport, Cumberland, England on October 3, 1862 to Robert and Ann (Shepherd) Hinde. Between 1890 and 1908, Martha and Joseph Hinde had eight children: Edith Mary, Leonard W., Joseph Edward "Bob", Alfred Carter, Winifred, Henry "Harry" Wake, Elizabeth "Elsie" Linell, and Lydia "Daisie" Margaret. The family emigrated to Canada between 1911 and 1912, and settled in the Halcyonia district near Borden, Saskatchewan. They operated a family ranch, Valley Springs Ranch, where Martha resided until her death. She died in Borden on August 14, 1953; Joseph Hinde died in Saskatoon on March 16, 1955.

Hugh Wake was born in Plaistow, Essex, England on May 14, 1858 to Henry Thomas and Lydia Wake. He married Margaret Kelsall in Fritchley on February 9, 1885. Together they had eleven children: Peter, Ann, Joshua Kelsall, Arthur, Lydia, Henry, John, Margaret "Sissie", William "Billy" Oliver, Lavinia, and Philip.

In 1904, Hugh and Joshua Kelsall Wake emigrated to Canada and settled in the Thistledale district near Borden, Saskatchewan. They were granted patent to homesteads at NE2-40-8-W3 and NW2-40-8-W3, respectively. Margaret Wake and the remainder of the surviving children, with the exception of daughter Lydia, came to Canada in 1913 and settled in the area.

Hugh and Margaret Wake resided in the Thistledale district until their deaths. Hugh Wake died in Borden on January 31, 1934; Margaret Wake died in Borden on November 18, 1944.

William Cronyn McCheane was born in Birmingham, England on January 26, 1841. He was a member of the Fritchley Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers). William McCheane married Caroline Mettam in Birmingham on April 2, 1869. Caroline Mettam was born in Taddington, Derbyshire, England on September 18, 1841 to James and Mary Mettam. William and Caroline McCheane had six children: Lydia, Catherine (died 1894), Hannah Mary, John, William, and Edward Cronyn.

William McCheane and his son John emigrated to Canada in 1903 and settled in a district near Borden, Saskatchewan. William named the district Halcyonia. He was granted patent to a homestead at NW14-40-8-W3. He returned to England, bringing the rest of the family to Halcyonia in 1904. William McCheane operated the first post office in the district. He established the Halcyonia Meeting of the Society of Friends, and held meetings in his house until a meeting house was built around 1915. William McCheane remained in the Halcyonia district until his death in Borden on December 6, 1923.

Edward Cronyn McCheane was born in England on January 16, 1883 to William Cronyn and Caroline (Mettam) McCheane. He was accepted as a member of the Fritchley Meeting of the Society of Friends in 1883. He emigrated to Canada with his family and settled in the Halcyonia district near Borden. Edward McCheane married Edith Mary Hinde in Borden on September 1, 1920. Edward and Edith McCheane resided in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where Edward ran a commercial art studio. They had one son, Gordon Edward. Edward McCheane died in Saskatoon on June 12, 1946. Edith McCheane returned to her family's ranch where she lived until her death in Borden on October 22, 1961.

The brothers David L. Hodgson and Gordon K. Hodgson resided in Kitscoty, Alberta.

A detailed scrapbook/history of the Hovdestad Family in the Stewart Valley/Swift Current area of Saskatchewan can be found at: https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/family/hovdestad-family-history-6144489

Walter L. Joyner was born in Gloucestershire, England. He emigrated to Canada and spent a number of years in the retail industry in Quebec and Ontario. In 1911, he took a trip west to explore possible sites for a retail store. In his opinion, the best choices were Fort Edmonton and Moose Jaw. He chose Moose Jaw. He returned in 1912 and purchased the business of J.M. MacLeod (or M.J. MacLeod in some sources) on the west side of Main Street between Manitoba and River.
The building had been built by M. McBride in 1892 after the previous structure had been destroyed by fire. Another source says the building was constructed by William Chalmers (other sources refer to a James Chalmers) in the 1880's and it survived the fire of 1891. The date of purchase is unclear but at some point , a second floor was added to Chalmers’ building and both were joined to became what Moose Javians knew as Joyner’s - Chalmers’ half in the north and McBride’s half was the south portion. A third, one story section south of McBride’s portion was also incorporated into the business at some point.
Walter Joyner reopened the store on June 13, 1912 and during the next few days sold much of the existing stock of merchandise at sale prices. After using these funds to pay MacLeod, he had little left for operational or personal expenses. His personal contacts with eastern suppliers allowed him to obtain merchandise on credit until his cash flow improved. It was one of the largest family owned and operated department stores in Western Canada. The store was nicknamed “The People’s Popular Purchasing Place”.
His wife, Ellis Virginia Joyner arrived in late June 1912 with their four children. Two daughters, Maude and Alice and two sons, Charles and Frank both served overseas during the First World War, but Charles was killed. Frank returned and later took over the store from his father. Walter died in 1944, followed by his wife in 1948.
Frank Edward Joyner was born in Ottawa in 1897. He took over the family business from his father and operated it for many years. He served on the Moose Jaw City Council and was involved with numerous charitable, sports, business and veterans organizations including the Boy Scouts and St. John Ambulance. He and his wife Lillian had two daughters and a son, Ted, who took over the business from Frank. Frank Joyner died in 1983.
Ted Joyner operated the business until ca. May 1994 when he sold the stock and fixtures (with the exception of the cash cable car mentioned below). His wife Kathy and daughter Kelly were also involved in the family business. Their son Jay studied law and engineering.

In the days of malls and retail franchises, Joyner’s Department Store was one of the largest remaining family department stores in Canada. Joyner’s also became one of the largest Canadian distributors of blue jeans, selling in smaller quantities to smaller stores who could not afford the bulk purchases of major chains.
Joyner’s became a tourist attraction in later years as it had one of only two working electric cable cash carrier systems in Canada. Small metal boxes would be attached to a cable by floor staff to carry cash and sales receipts from each department to a central counter. Change and customers receipts would return the same way. Installed by Walter Joyner ca. 1915, it continued to operate while other businesses switched to pneumatic systems and later to cash registers.
Joyner recognized the importance of the cable cash carrier system to Moose Jaw heritage so it was not sold and remained in the building and was used by later occupants.
The building and contents were among the businesses destroyed in the January 1, 2004 fire that burned the southwest corner of Main and River Streets.