MELFORT — A Melfort pioneer is being honoured with a virtual exhibit hosted by the Western Development Museum.
According to official records, Dr. Alfred Schmitz Shadd was the first Black person to settle in what’s now Saskatchewan, in 1896. He was a teacher in Kinistino, back then called Carrot River Settlement, to save up money for his last year of medical school. He then got his degree and returned in 1898 as a doctor, particising first in Kinistino and later in Melfort.
The exhibit is being done in partnership with the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum and the Melfort and District Museum (warning .pdf) to mark Black History month.
Kaiti Hannah, a curatorial associate with the Western Development Museum, said working with the two other museums was a wonderful opportunity.
“People like Dr. Shadd are too often overlooked when we talk about the history of the early settlement of Saskatchewan,” she said. “Remembering the diversity of Saskatchewan’s past is important to strengthening our communities in the present. It reminds us our province has always been diverse and that our provincial motto, ‘From Many Peoples, Strength,’ rings true.”
Shadd faced discrimination when he first come to the region. The family who was originally tasked with housing him refused to let a Black man live with them. Parents questioned his ability to teach based on his race. Yet he quickly proved himself as a skilled teacher who was well-liked by his students. He also used the medical education he had so far to help treat illnesses and illnesses.
In the spring of 1904, Shadd established his medical practice in Melfort.
“Dr. Shadd’s provision of medical care was only one aspect of the dedicated man’s pursuit of excellence that provided so much more,” said Garry Forsyth, a researcher with the Melfort and District Museum.
Shadd was on the 1905 planning committee for the construction of a new Anglican church in Melfort. He purchased the Prince Albert Advocate in 1908 and moved it to Melfort, renaming it The Carrot River Journal. He ran in the first Saskatchewan provincial election in 1905 for the Provincial Rights party and got 609 votes. He was defeated by Liberal Thomas Sanderson, who got 662 votes. He served on the Melfort town council from 1910 to 1911.
“His efforts gained him great respect from his peers,” Forsyth said. “People need to know this story. Having the Western Development Museum ask us to partner with them certainly means a bigger audience to hear that this Black doctor made a difference.”
