The fervour surrounding the upcoming royal wedding (in some quarters, at least) seems to be a good segue into recounting another royal event. On June 3, 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made a two-hour stop in Saskatoon as part of the first visit to Canada by a reigning British emporer.
It seems the ‘fervour’ surrounding Harry and Meghan is nothing compared to the gyrations and preparations for this event. A visit that lasted only about two hours was years in the making.
Saskatoon Mayor John S. Mills shot some great footage on 16mm film, now part of the Saskatoon Public Library archives. The film has just recently been digitized and posted to Youtube and is narrated by city archivist Jeff O’Brien. Regardless of whether you are a royal fan or not, it’s fun to watch this twelve minute video and see the changes to the city in the nearly eighty years since the visit.
The Prairie Fiddler 