Mary and Reginald Beatty
Reginald Beatty is often called the “founding father” of Melfort.
Beatty started west from Ontario in 1872 as part of a survey team,
and then as a clerk with the Hudson Bay Company. As a fur trader in
the Northwest Territories (later Saskatchewan), he befriended many
Indigenous people and learnt fur trapping and the Cree language.
Beatty’s attitude and willingness to learn earned him the respect and
trust of many Indigenous people and received the name O-ge-mas-
es (Little Clerk) from Chief Kinistin because of his size and age. Life
was difficult in the early years for the Beattys (Reginald, Mary, and
their children) when they settled on the banks of Stoney Creek (later
Melfort). By late summer of 1884 with the help of Reginald’s brother Fred, they had built a two-story house,
small barn, shed, and acquired some livestock They also managed to break a fireguard, a plot of 6 and ½
acres, and a vegetable patch. In April 1885 the fear of Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont’s uprising led Beatty to
move his family and livestock closer to Fort a la Corne for safety. During the uprising, Beatty acted as liaison
with the Aboriginals, and carried dispatches and inventory abandoned by the postmaster. On May 13 the
Beatty family returned home to find it untouched except for some moccasin tracks in the house. For nine
years, the Beatty home stood alone in the empty prairies, the only visitors local Aboriginal friends and the
occasional traveler. Their isolation ended in 1891 when word-of-mouth about Stoney Creek's ideal location
brought more homesteaders.
James and Sarah Cameron
James Cameron left Lucknow Ontario in 1881 with a team of horses, $100.00, and the
blessings of his parents to settle in North Dakota, where he met Sarah Vaughn. He and
Sarah married in 1888 and had 2 children. The Cameron family moved after hearing
about rich Canadian land and left for Prince Albert in 1891. For their first winter the
Camerons shared a house with the Aikenheads, but once spring arrived the family built
their homestead the "Cameron Quarter". James and Sarah greatly respected the
Aboriginals in the area and had many dealings with them. In order to clear their land the
Camerons hired Aboriginal people who would camp on the farm while working. Many
times Sarah Cameron would be startled to find a worker standing behind her in the
kitchen patiently waiting for some milk or meat. After 15 years of farming, the family
decided to move into Melfort where James opened a real estate office.
Robert and William Wood
(William Wood sitting by wheel. Robert Wood center, holding hat) Brothers,
Robert and William Wood moved from Dundee, Scotland to Prince Albert in 1892
before traveling to the Pleasant Valley settlement. Robert led a busy life, he was
among the first to break land in the Pleasant Valley, taught at the Rothwell School
in 1898, and then in 1906 he partnered with Reginald Beatty in a Real Estate
and Insurance business. He also found time to marry Ivy Fox and had three
children. Older brother William was also an active man. When he first arrived in
the area he homesteaded with Peter Stewart. He also became very involved in
local business, he operated a grocery and general store, became manager of the
Fraser Stores at Melfort and Pathlow, and later joined the staff of the Melfort
Grain Growers' store. In 1902, he married Esther Steven Grainger and had two
daughters; Jean Golder and Edna Mae. Mae was the first baby born in the Lady
Minto Hospital in Melfort.