Archives
Exciting News! City Archives is relocating to central, downtown location
We have an exciting announcement!
The City of Saskatoon Archives is on the move to new centralized location downtown!
We're moving from our current location at 224 Cardinal Crescent near the Saskatoon Airport - into our new permanent quarters at the old Post Office Building located at 202 - 4th Avenue North, right across the street from City Hall and the downtown Saskatoon Public Library. The new permanent locations for City Archives is also known as Civic Square East (CSE).
With our big move soon underway, starting April 8, 2024, City Archives will be closed for public inquiries until we fully re-open in June 2024.
- Until April 5, we will be able to provide some reference service by email or telephone inquiry only
- Once we start our time-consuming and careful pack up starting April 8, we will not be able to access our records, and our ability to answer questions will be severely limited until we fully re-open.
- We apologize in advance for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding as we undertake this large and sure to be exciting move!
To contact the City Archives, please email city.archives@saskatoon.ca.
April 3, 2024, News Release: Out with the old, into the new: City Archives on the move
Answering Questions About City Archives Moving to Civic Square East (CSE)
Q. Is the City Archives the only tenant for on the Main floor of Civic Square East?
A. Yes, at present City Archives is the only tenant.
Q. Did the City buy the old Post Office? If so is the Basement going to have to move?
A. The City has owned Civic Square East (the old post office building) for over 10 years and the Bassment leases their space. There are no plans for the Bassment to move.
Q. How much will the City Archives move cost?
A. Moving costs are not finalized at this time. However, City Archives is moving from a leased space to a City-owned facility and this will result in cost savings.
Q. Why would the City not preserve the old library and utilize it for its archival storage? Has someone bought the downtown central library already?
A. Yes. The existing central library has already been sold so using it for archives was not an option.
At the City of Saskatoon Archives, we work to preserve and provide access to the historical records of the City of Saskatoon, as well as to those of historically significant individuals and organizations in Saskatoon.
Archives Holdings
The archives contains records from the City of Saskatoon and its predecessor bodies dating back to 1902, and includes maps, plans, letters, reports, agreements, contracts, minutes, and directories documenting the history and growth of our city and the decisions made by the civic government and administration.
Our holdings database is available in-house only. Digital versions of our holdings are generally not available online. Finding aids for selected collections and series can be searched through the MemorySask database, hosted by the Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists.
Records available for research include:
- City Council and committee minutes (1902 - present)
- City bylaws (1903-1985)
- Engineering reports
- Fire Insurance Maps (1907-1963)
- Reports to Council
- Town of Sutherland records (1910-1956)
- Tax Assessment Rolls (selected, from 1906-1955)
- Aerial photographs (1927-1987)
- City maps, street and subdivision plans
- Building plans
- Burial records
- Voters lists (1909-1988)
- Henderson directories and telephone books (1909-2000)
- Municipal Manuals and annual reports
Private collections donated to the Archives include the Saskatoon Star Phoenix photograph collection of 400,000 photographs dating from 1946-1999, and records from organizations like the Meewasin Valley Authority, the 1989 and 1971 Canada Games, records donated by the families of Senator Sid Buckwold and Mayor John S. Mills, and others. For more information, contact the Archives.
Donating Records to the Archives
The City Archives accepts donations of historical records relating to Saskatoon and its people, for example:
- Photographs and documents relating to city staff, departments and officials, civic structures and facilities, and civic-related events;
- Records of businesses, families and individuals with strong ties to Saskatoon;
- Photographs of Saskatoon and its people
- Letters, diaries, and other material relevant to the history of Saskatoon and its people;
- Photographs relating to the Meewasin Valley Authority;
- Photographs from the 1989 Jeux Canada Games and the 1971 Canada Winter Games;
- Photographs and other records relating to city planning and to the growth and development of Saskatoon
- Photographs and records relating to the Town of Sutherland before 1956;
- Photographs and records relating to the RM of Cory and to the early history of Montgomery Place;
- Maps and aerial photographs of Saskatoon and area;
- Other related material
For more information about how you can help to improve the documentary heritage of our city, please contact us.