Men standing in a carpentry shop surrounded by machinery and tools. Names on back of photo from left: Tom Hallett, carpenter; George Dixon, carpenter, ? Morrison; Walter Coppings, father-in-law; W.E. McClelland, chief engineer; Jack Smith, janitor; A.V. Copping, general foreman; Wm. Davies, machinist.

Elevated view of Department of Field Husbandry (later Crop Science) Building and College of Engineering Building.

View of Field Husbandry Building at centre; National Research Council Building at left and Engineering Building at right.

Bio/Historical Note: Field Husbandry changed its name to Crop Science in 1962.

View of Field Husbandry Building at centre; National Research Council Building at left and Engineering Building at right.

Bio/Historical Note: Field Husbandry changed its name to Crop Science in 1962.

Wiring of thermal couples from a straw gas retort. Wires and boxes sitting on a shelf in [Engineering] Building. In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances.

Bio/Historical Note: Prof. R.D. MacLaurin, head, Department of Chemistry, was interested in the production of gas from straw as a fuel for heating and for engines. Though he was not alone in the research field, MacLaurin built a small extraction plant in the late 1910s and operate a McLaughlin Motor Car using straw gas. The research was promising but far from a breakthrough. The volume of gas produced was small and the mileage between fill-ups low. The most significant aspect of the research was not scientific but financial. MacLaurin felt cheated when Walter C. Murray, University President, distributed provincial research funds to several campus projects. Though he had the largest share of the grant, MacLaurin felt he deserved it all. He alleged Murray had misappropriated funds. A battle ensued for the control of the University administration. Murray was able to maintain the confidence of the Board of Governors and MacLaurin and three of his supporters - Samuel Greenway, Extension director; Ira MacKay, professor of Law; and John L. Hogg, head, Physics - were dismissed. Research into straw gas was discontinued.

[R.D. MacLaurin] standing (left) in front of a vehicle with a large tank attached on top which reads "Straw Gas"; [F.H. Edmunds] sitting inside. Sign on running board reads: "McLaughlin Motor Car Model D45". A man walks toward camera in foreground; dog and Engineering Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Prof. R.D. MacLaurin, head, Department of Chemistry, was interested in the production of gas from straw as a fuel for heating and for engines. Though he was not alone in the research field, MacLaurin built a small extraction plant in the late 1910s and operate a McLaughlin Motor Car using straw gas. The research was promising but far from a breakthrough. The volume of gas produced was small and the mileage between fill-ups low. The most significant aspect of the research was not scientific but financial. MacLaurin felt cheated when Walter C. Murray, University President, distributed provincial research funds to several campus projects. Though he had the largest share of the grant, MacLaurin felt he deserved it all. He alleged Murray had misappropriated funds. A battle ensued for the control of the University administration. Murray was able to maintain the confidence of the Board of Governors and MacLaurin and three of his supporters - Samuel Greenway, Extension director; Ira MacKay, professor of Law; and John L. Hogg, head, Physics - were dismissed. Research into straw gas was discontinued.

[R.D. MacLaurin] standing (left) in front of a vehicle with a large tank attached on top which reads "Straw Gas". Three men sitting inside, possibly [F.H. Edmunds] in passenger seat. Sign on running board reads: "McLaughlin Motor Car Model D45". Engineering Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Prof. R.D. MacLaurin, head, Department of Chemistry, was interested in the production of gas from straw as a fuel for heating and for engines. Though he was not alone in the research field, MacLaurin built a small extraction plant in the late 1910s and operate a McLaughlin Motor Car using straw gas. The research was promising but far from a breakthrough. The volume of gas produced was small and the mileage between fill-ups low. The most significant aspect of the research was not scientific but financial. MacLaurin felt cheated when Walter C. Murray, University President, distributed provincial research funds to several campus projects. Though he had the largest share of the grant, MacLaurin felt he deserved it all. He alleged Murray had misappropriated funds. A battle ensued for the control of the University administration. Murray was able to maintain the confidence of the Board of Governors and MacLaurin and three of his supporters - Samuel Greenway, Extension director; Ira MacKay, professor of Law; and John L. Hogg, head, Physics - were dismissed. Research into straw gas was discontinued.

Returned men, taking a short course, stand in front of the Engineering Building; winter scene.

Returned men, taking a short course, stand in front of the Engineering Building; winter scene.

View of first Engineering Building.

Architectural sketch of Engineering Building with proposed extension drawn in with pen.

Bio/Historical Note: The modern day Engineering Building was built on the foundations of the original Engineering Building which was destroyed by fire 13 March 1925. Construction began the following June with an expected completion date of 1 November 1926. Gentil J.K. Verbeke of Saskatoon designed the new building, which was initially budgeted at $277,150. In reality the project would run well into February 1926 and eventually cost $304,169.65. The still uncompleted Engineering Building was occupied by the college in January 1926. Similar in design to its predecessor, the new Engineering Building featured a few noteworthy improvements. These included skylights for the top floor and individual lights for the draughting tables, a smoking lounge for students, and a new library and reading room. The new building contained 89,000 gross square feet of space, and also housed the dean and assistant dean’s offices, about 15 staff offices, drafting rooms, several lecture rooms, laboratories and postgraduate student offices. In 1939 the west wing of the new building was extended northward to house the Mechanical Engineering laboratories and the welding shop. An extension of the tractor lab was completed on 7 February 1941 for $33,188.60. The extension was designed by Gentil J.K. Verbeke and was built by Shannon Bros. Construction. A full addition to the west wing also designed by Verbeke was completed in 1946 by W. C. Wells Contractors for $31,890. The official opening of the west wing took place on 10 February 1948. In 1949 a World War II Air Force hangar was adjoined to the building to provide “temporary” space for the college. In the fall of 1961 the Evan A. Hardy Laboratory was completed as part of greater construction on the building. The laboratory project included extensive space for the Department of Agricultural Engineering, the Agricultural Engineering Research and Development Section and the Divisions of Hydrology and Control Systems. The project was completed in 1963 for $611,761; it was constructed by W.C. Wells Construction. The lab was designed by architect J. K. Verbeke while the further addition was designed by the architectural firm of Webster, Forrester and Scott. In the late 1970s the Engineering Building would undergo drastic renovations.

Looking north at a former Royal Canadian Air Force hut located at rear of Engineering Building. College (Administration) Building at upper right.

Winter scene of Engineering Building; Rutherford Rink visible at right. Apparatus on the roof of the Engineering building was used for wind experiments.

Group of men picking carrots in a field. Buildings in background (l to r): Power House, Engineering Building, and Livestock Pavilion.

Bio/Historical Note: This field was where the Physical Education building was later located in the 1940s. During World War II and for some years after crops were grown on campus.

Internal framing being erected for the new Engineering Building.

Bio/Historical Note: The original Engineering Building was designed to house the Agricultural Engineering Department, though it would eventually be home to the Department of Field Husbandry as well. The redbrick exterior was largely constructed during the summer of 1911 while the interior work was completed during the winter of 1911-12. The Engineering Building was designed by the original campus architects, David Brown and Hugh Vallance, and made allowances for the great variety of work within the field of agricultural engineering: the lower floor was designed for use in blacksmithing, cement work, engine construction and heavy farm machinery. The second floor contained a lecture room as well as room for woodwork, carpentry, pumps and farm-barn equipment. The third floor was devoted to a draughting room and light farm equipment. The main entrance to the building opened into the blacksmith’s forge. In 1913 a second wing was built with Brown and Vallance again serving as chief architects, as they would again in 1920. By December 1923 a final addition, designed by Saskatoon architect J. K. Verbeke, was completed by Bennett & White Construction for $8,800. At approximately 3 a.m. on the morning of Friday, 13 March 1925, a fire broke out in the north end of the building's Tractor Laboratory. In less than three hours everything but the Ceramic Lab had been completely destroyed. The fire came as a shock to many, as the entire building had been subjected to a rigorous fire inspection only a day prior to the blaze. Plans for a new Engineering Building to be constructed on the original foundation were promptly issued, and other building projects, including the long-anticipated Arts Building, were postponed.