Head and shoulders image of Dr. George H. Ling, first professor of Mathematics, and first dean of Arts and Science from 1909-1939.

Bio/Historical Note: George Herbert Ling (1874-1942) was born in Wallacetown, Ontario and obtained BA, (Toronto), PhD (Columbia), and ad eundem (Saskatchewan) degrees. He was the lone professor of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Saskatchewan from 1910-1915. During this time he also took on secretarial duties. Ling was Dean of the College of Arts & Science from 1912-1939, director of summer school from 1919-1937, and remained with the mathematics department until 1939. Ling also served as Acting President of the University in 1919-1920. He helped make the summer school one of the best in Canada. Ling taught in summer sessions at Columbia, Cincinnati, New York, and California. He served as a Chairman of the Saskatchewan Educational Council, and was a member of many academic societies American Mathematical Society, Mathematical Association of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ling co-wrote a book on projective geometry, and contributed to scholastic journals. Well respected and much loved by students and associates, Ling believed that the Faculty of Arts & Science was the root of any university, and strived to strengthen these roots. Ling retired in 1938 was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree by the University in 1939. Ling died in Toronto in 1942.

Head and shoulders image of Duncan P. McColl, first University Registrar.

Bio/Historical Note: The first University employee was Duncan P. McColl, Registrar. This was one of two administrative positions named in the University Act of 1907. The other was President, which would not be filled for another year. McColl had been appointed Deputy Minister of Education in 1905 and would remain so until 1912. When he was named Registrar, the university was a concept — there were no buildings, faculty or staff. McColl was seen as an able administrator and quickly began the work of establishing convocation. This, in turn, elected the Senate which would create the Board of Governors. McColl resigned as Registrar in 1914 and was immediately named Secretary of the Board, where he served for another two decades. McColl was awarded an honourary degree from the U of S in 1928. Duncan McColl died in Vancouver in 1949.

Oval-shaped head and shoulders image of Douglas J. Thom, Regina lawyer and member of University Senate.

Bio/Historical Note: Douglas J. Thom was born in 1879 and educated in Ontario. He received his BA from the University of Toronto and studied law at Osgoode Hall. Thom was admitted to the bar in 1903 and was appointed King's Counsel in 1917. He served on the Regina Collegiate Board from 1913-1926 and was a member of the Board of Governors of Regina College from 1910-1934. He was president of the Civic Relief Fund and the first president of the Regina Community Chest. Thom was author of The Canadian Torrens System, a treatise which has since become a standard text in law libraries across Canada. A high school in Regina was named “Thom Collegiate” in 1963. Douglas Thom died in 1964.

Image showing the first sod turning for the College Building on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Dignitaries in attendance: E.L. Wetmore, University Chancellor; Archibald P. McNab, Thomas Edwin Perrett, James Clinkskill, Walter C. Murray, University President; George H. Ling, W.J. Bell, Augustus H. Ball, Joseph Wright Sifton, Ethan B. Hutcherson, William Rolston Sparling, Rev. Colin G. Young, A.H. Smith, Alexander R. Greig.

Bio/Historical Note: Designated as a provincial heritage property in 1982 and as a National Historic Site in 2001, the University of Saskatchewan's first building has long served as the architectural, intellectual and emotional cornerstone of the campus. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the College Building was originally intended ultimately to house the College of Agriculture; but from the start, served numerous purposes. As early as April 1910, the floor plan included space for milk testing, butter making, cheese making, grain work; a gymnasium; several classrooms; offices for the Registrar, Dean of Agriculture, Director of Extension, and President; the original "faculty club"; laboratories; the library; and quarters for the janitor. After a sod-turning ceremony on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910. It was constructed between 1910-1912 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. The building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, on 1 May 1913. The College Building serves as a memorial to much of the university's history: numerous plaques to individuals and organizations can be found in its interior, including memorial ribbons honouring members of the university community who served in the First World War. In 1997 the university created "Nobel Plaza" in front of the College Building, honouring two Nobel Laureates associated with the University: Gerhard Herzberg and Henry Taube. As the university grew, the College Building gradually became the administrative centre for the university. By the 1950s most of the original teaching facilities were taken over by new or expanded offices including those of the registrar, controller, alumni and news services, and presidential staff. The building became known as the Administration Building at this point, and later the "old Administration Building" to distinguish it from the new wing. This expansion continued through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the appointment of a university secretary and vice-presidents. While Convocation Hall became too small for regular Convocation ceremonies by 1930, it maintained its original, broader function as a venue for concerts, meetings, lectures, and other events. Parts of the building were declared to be unsafe in 1979, which led to the construction of the new wing of the Administration Building, opened in 1987. Most of the original building was closed, but Convocation Hall remained in use until 1997. The building was reopened and officially rededicated as the College Building in September 2005 after a major rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation was reported to be "one of the largest heritage conservation projects in Canada - second only to the work being done on Parliament Hill." In addition to senior administrative offices and Convocation Hall, it became home to the Museum of Antiquities and new gallery space for the University Art Collection. Upon completion in 2012 the University Board of Governors renamed the Administration Building the Peter MacKinnon Building, in honour of Peter MacKinnon, retiring University President and a driving force behind the project.

Eleven two-horse teams hitched to ploughs break the sod as work commences on construction of the College Building.

Bio/Historical Note: Designated as a provincial heritage property in 1982 and as a National Historic Site in 2001, the University of Saskatchewan's first building has long served as the architectural, intellectual and emotional cornerstone of the campus. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the College Building was originally intended ultimately to house the College of Agriculture; but from the start, served numerous purposes. As early as April 1910, the floor plan included space for milk testing, butter making, cheese making, grain work; a gymnasium; several classrooms; offices for the registrar, dean of Agriculture, director of Extension, and president; the original "faculty club"; laboratories; the library; and quarters for the janitor. After a sod-turning ceremony on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910. It was constructed between 1910-1912 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. The building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, on 1 May 1913. The College Building serves as a memorial to much of the university's history: numerous plaques to individuals and organizations can be found in its interior, including memorial ribbons honouring members of the university community who served in the First World War. In 1997 the university created "Nobel Plaza" in front of the College Building, honouring two Nobel Laureates associated with the University: Gerhard Herzberg and Henry Taube. As the university grew, the College Building gradually became the administrative centre for the university. By the 1950s most of the original teaching facilities were taken over by new or expanded offices including those of the registrar, controller, alumni and news services, and presidential staff. The building became known as the Administration Building at this point, and later the "old Administration Building" to distinguish it from the new wing. This expansion continued through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the appointment of a university secretary and vice-presidents. While Convocation Hall became too small for regular Convocation ceremonies by 1930, it maintained its original, broader function as a venue for concerts, meetings, lectures, and other events. Parts of the building were declared to be unsafe in 1979, which led to the construction of the new wing of the Administration Building, opened in 1987. Most of the original building was closed, but Convocation Hall remained in use until 1997. The building was reopened and officially rededicated as the College Building in September 2005 after a major rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation was reported to be "one of the largest heritage conservation projects in Canada - second only to the work being done on Parliament Hill." In addition to senior administrative offices and Convocation Hall, it became home to the Museum of Antiquities and new gallery space for the University Art Collection. Upon completion in 2012 the University Board of Governors renamed the Administration Building the Peter MacKinnon Building, in honour of Peter MacKinnon, retiring University President and a driving force behind the project.

Indoor posed image of members of the Varsity football league champions. Names, back row: Dr. E.H. Oliver, J.L. Malcolm; Walter C. Murray (University President), Harold V. Mighton, George H. Ling (professor); Arthur Moxon (professor). Middle row: T.J. Williams, T.H. Wells, J.R. MacDonald (capt), James Barr Stirling, John Anderson Rae. Front row: H.G. Munro, R.H. MacDonald, Prof. Reginald Bateman (trainer), J.J. Moore, William Exton Lloyd.

Oval-shaped image of Edward L. Wetmore, first University Chancellor, seated in a chair, wearing an official gown.

Bio/Historical Note: Edward Ludlow Wetmore was born 24 March 1841 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Wetmore received a BA from the University of New Brunswick in 1859. He was called to the New Brunswick bar in 1864. From 1874-1876 he was mayor of Fredericton. Wetmore was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick and was Leader of the Opposition from 1883-1886. In 1886 Wetmore was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. In 1887 Wetmore was appointed puisne judge of the first Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories and from 1907-1912 he was appointed the first Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. In 1907 he became the first Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan and served in this position until 1917. He assisted the first president, Walter C. Murray, in setting the by-laws for the university. He attended the cornerstone laying of the Agriculture Building, done by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, to mark the beginning of the building of the University. An honourary Doctor of Civil Law degree, the first honourary degree awarded by the U of S, was awarded to Wetmore in 1919. Wetmore died 19 Jan. 1922 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Trowel presented to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, to commemorate the cornerstone ceremony for the College Building.

Bio/Historical Note: After a sod-turning ceremony for the College Building on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910.

Arthur H. Smith, MA, member of University Senate from Moosomin, Saskatchewan.

Laying the foundation of the first 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.

Group of students standing in a field in front of tents known as the "College of Shacks."

Bio/Historical Note: Emmanuel College pre-dates the University of Saskatchewan by some thirty years. The College was founded at Prince Albert in 1879 by Rt. Rev. John McLean as a “training College for Native Helpers.” In 1883 by an Act of Parliament, Emmanuel College was incorporated as "The University of Saskatchewan.” When the provincial university was established in Saskatoon in 1909, the Synod decided to relinquish its title and opt for affiliation to the new university. Emmanuel sold its old site to the federal government, to be used for a penitentiary, and shipped all its belongings to Saskatoon in four boxcars. On unbroken prairie on the east side of the river, professors, students and carpenters began to construct a series of wooden buildings. This “College of Shacks” was moved between 1910 and 1912 to the campus. In 1913 Rugby Chapel, so named because it had been funded by the staff and students of Rugby School, England, was moved to the campus from Prince Albert. A stone clad, permanent college building was constructed between 1911 and 1912. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the building contained residential space for students and the principal, classrooms and a refectory in the basement. In 1916 the college was used as a military hospital for returned soldiers and in 1918, as a hospital during the outbreak of influenza. St. Chad College was established in Regina in 1907 for the training of divinity students. It amalgamated with Emmanuel College to form the College of Emmanuel & St. Chad, continuing as an affiliate college of the University of Saskatchewan. The Chapel of St. Chad was designed by Webster, Forrester and Scott of Saskatoon and constructed in 1965-1966. In 1962 the Emmanuel College Residence was built as an addition to Emmanuel College but a proposed walkway connecting the two was never completed. The Emmanuel and St. Chad buildings were vacated in 2005 when they joined the Saskatoon Theological Union, and the college moved into leased space in the Lutheran Seminary building. The college building and St. Chad chapel along with the neighboring Rugby Chapel were purchased by the university for $1.1 million in the fall of 2006 and Emmanuel and St. Chad space earmarked for the Graduate Students' Association (GSA). In 2012 its council announced the college would suspend operations the following year, while it would work to come up with a three-year restructuring plan. In 2013, however, the council said it would continue operating for the time being, by working with its partner schools in the Saskatoon Theological Union (STU) - St. Andrew’s College (United Church of Canada) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary. By this time the principal’s position had been eliminated, and the faculty was down to a single professor. Since 2014 it has been working on a plan to offer its licentiate of theology (LTh) mostly remotely, online, with the support of locally-based mentors and tutors—an offering intended as training for diaconal ministry or for locally-raised priests.

Close-up of the cornerstone laid by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada.

Bio/Historical Note: Many articles were placed in the cornerstone. These included a Bible, a Psalter and Hymnal in Cree syllabic, a scroll, the daily papers, a Waghorn's Guide and a telephone directory. Many university items were also added, such as calendars, pamphlets and reports, photographs of officials and of the grounds; plans and specifications of the buildings were included. More general items were: samples of market grades of wheat, a list of plants, an account of the past cultivation of the college farms, a sketch with the history of the Territories, and of the province, together with provincial and city pamphlets.
From The Daily Phoenix, 30 July 1910.

Bio/Historical Note: Designated as a provincial heritage property in 1982 and as a National Historic Site in 2001, the University of Saskatchewan's first building has long served as the architectural, intellectual and emotional cornerstone of the campus. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the College Building was originally intended ultimately to house the College of Agriculture; but from the start, served numerous purposes. As early as April 1910, the floor plan included space for milk testing, butter making, cheese making, grain work; a gymnasium; several classrooms; offices for the registrar, dean of Agriculture, director of Extension, and president; the original "faculty club"; laboratories; the library; and quarters for the janitor. After a sod-turning ceremony on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910. It was constructed between 1910-1912 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. The building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, on 1 May 1913. The College Building serves as a memorial to much of the university's history: numerous plaques to individuals and organizations can be found in its interior, including memorial ribbons honouring members of the university community who served in the First World War. In 1997 the university created "Nobel Plaza" in front of the College Building, honouring two Nobel Laureates associated with the University: Gerhard Herzberg and Henry Taube. As the university grew, the College Building gradually became the administrative centre for the university. By the 1950s most of the original teaching facilities were taken over by new or expanded offices including those of the registrar, controller, alumni and news services, and presidential staff. The building became known as the Administration Building at this point, and later the "old Administration Building" to distinguish it from the new wing. This expansion continued through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the appointment of a university secretary and vice-presidents. While Convocation Hall became too small for regular Convocation ceremonies by 1930, it maintained its original, broader function as a venue for concerts, meetings, lectures, and other events. Parts of the building were declared to be unsafe in 1979, which led to the construction of the new wing of the Administration Building, opened in 1987. Most of the original building was closed, but Convocation Hall remained in use until 1997. The building was reopened and officially rededicated as the College Building in September 2005 after a major rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation was reported to be "one of the largest heritage conservation projects in Canada - second only to the work being done on Parliament Hill." In addition to senior administrative offices and Convocation Hall, it became home to the Museum of Antiquities and new gallery space for the University Art Collection. Upon completion in 2012 the University Board of Governors renamed the Administration Building the Peter MacKinnon Building, in honour of Peter MacKinnon, retiring University President and a driving force behind the project.

Crew of nine men and two horses pose for the camera. Part of South Saskatchewan riverbank has been excavated with wood framed structure under construction. CPR bridge in background. Stamped signature of A.R. Greig on back of photograph. "Septic tank on river bank" written on back.

The three Murray daughters, Christina, Lucy, and Jean standing with their mother, Mrs. Christina Murray, on a railway station platform. Buildings in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Christina Cameron was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1866. She enrolled in the honours course in English, French and German at the University of New Brunswick in 1890 and graduated four years later, winning the Alumni Gold Medal as the most distinguished student in classics. She next attended Normal School and subsequently accepted a teaching post in its Model School. In 1895 she married Walter Charles Murray, who had been a former classmate in high school. The couple settled in Halifax for the next fourteen years. In 1909 Christina Murray brought her household, including three daughters, west to join Dr. Murray in Saskatoon where he had accepted the post of first President of the newly created University of Saskatchewan. Over the next four decades Mrs. Murray was to maintain an active role in both the university and the local community serving on the executive of a number of organizations. In honour of her many years of service the University granted her an honourary Doctor of Laws degree in 1938. She died at Saskatoon on 4 July 1947.

Bio/Historical Note: The three daughters of Walter C. Murray and Christina Cameron Murray were Christina Cameron Murray (1896-1948), Jean E. Murray (1901-1981) and Lucy Murray (1902-1967).

Head and shoulders image of F. Hedley Auld , Director of Extension.

Bio/Historical Note: Francis Hedley Auld was born in 1881 in Prince Edward Island and attended Prince of Wales College at Charlottetown. Upon graduation in 1899, he taught public school briefly. In 1902 Auld moved to western Canada, intending to settle in Edmonton, Alberta. He visited his brother who taught in Abernethy, Saskatchewan, and met the Honourable William R. Motherwell. A general store job did not last long, as Motherwell secured employment for him in the provincial government's Dairy Branch. Auld was the first director of Extension at the University of Saskatchewan (1910–1912). On 31 January 1911 Auld met with 42 women in Regina, and the Saskatchewan Homemakers clubs were initiated. These clubs provided networking on homemaking, temperance issues, gardening, health, and poultry raising. Auld returned to the province's civil service in 1914, rejoining the Provincial Department of Agriculture. In 1916 Auld became Deputy Minister of Agriculture, serving until 1946. He was elected to the University of Saskatchewan Senate in 1944. He became the fifth Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan from 1947-1965. From 1950-1951 Auld was Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Past Grand Masters. Auld was also a member of the Board of Governors of St. Andrew's College. In 1936 an honourary Doctor of Laws degree was awarded to Auld by the U of S. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), was awarded to Auld in 1946. Auld died on 15 February 1967 at age 95. In 1973 he was inducted posthumously into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame.