Orkney Church

The Orkney Church is located 200 km west of Regina and 7 km northwest of the city of Yorkton. It is the oldest building in our study, dating from 1893-94. It was recognized as a municipal heritage site in 1982. A local community group manages the property. The church was built by Scottish immigrants from the Orkney Islands who were recruited to Canada as homesteaders by the York Farmers Colonization Company. The first members of the community arrived in what was then the District of Assiniboia, North West Territory, in 1882. English, Irish, and Scottish comprised a significant percentage of the population during this period. In fact, Census records in 1885 record more individuals of Scottish descent in the Assiniboia District than aboriginal persons. This reflected Canadian Government policy that favored settlement by Anglo-Saxons:

“The future citizen of the North-West of Canada will have Norse, Celtic and Saxon blood in his veins. His countenance, in the pure, dry, electric air, will be as fresh as the morning. His muscles will be iron, his nerves steel. Vigor will characterize his very action; for climate gives quality to the blood, strength to the muscles, power to the brain. Indolence is characteristic of people living in the tropics, and energy of those in temperate zones.” (The Prairie Lands of Canada: presented to the world as a new and inviting field of enterprise for the capitalist, and for new superior attractions and advantages as a home for immigrants compared with the western prairies of the United States)

The Orkney Church is unique in our study in that it is the only masonry building in our sample. Despite an abundance of fieldstone in much of the province, these Scottish settlers were apparently one of the few immigrant groups that had the expertise to take advantage of this resource. While the community first considered using lumber, estimates suggested that a stone structure would increase the cost by less than 20%. The Orkney Islands had a well-established tradition of masonry building and the community clearly recognized the advantages. The construction of the church was entrusted to an Orkney stonemason who had recently immigrated to the district. Lime for the mortar was quarried locally then burned, slaked and sieved on site. Fieldstone was hauled by wheelbarrow from nearby farms. The interior was finished with lathe and plaster and wainscoting. Construction of the 55m2 church was completed in six months at a total cost of $875.

The interior of the building was extensively renovated in 1982. At that time the structure was stabilized, the interior lathe and plaster replaced with gypsum board, and new doors and windows were installed following the profiles of the originals. In addition, the roof was repaired and the vestibule reconstructed. Despite this significant reconstruction, the fieldstone body of the Orkney Church plays a significant role in our study of ethno-cultural construction technologies.