| Summary: | Range cattle production was the first important agricultural induat17
in south western Saskatchewan. The open range was the foundation of the
cattle.industry in its early period ft expansion. The development of the
industry depended on the tree and unrestricted use of the grazing resources.
Range control was not practiced. When grass became scarce in one area,
the rancher moved his cattle to new pastures.
Establishment of the range cattle industry was followed by a growing
interest in more intensive agricultural settlement. In 1882 the main line
of the Canadian Pacific Railway passed through southern Saskatchewan and
provided facilities for agricultural settlement within limits on each side
ot the railroad. Subsequently, a number of branch lines were built "Which
provided a transportation network for the more general settlement of the
area.
The development of transportation facilities, in association with
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other factors, paved the way for a Large scale settlement movement which
began after 1900 and reached a peak in the period from 1910 to the beginning
of World War I. Settlement was effected in accordance with the land
policies developed by the Dominion government in the earlier period. The
Homestead Act allowed one quarter section of land to anyone who desired to
settle. After 1908 the Pro-emption Act provided an additional quarter
section. This settlement policy was obviously designed tor grain farming
insofar as any live stock enterprise on a quarter or halt-section area
constitutes an extremely limited scale of enterprise.
Increasing prices of grain up to the World War, and excessively high
prices during the war and post-war period gave stimulus to settlement and
the rapid breaking up of the land area, Favorable yields in most of the
earlier years of settlement allowed a general optimism as to the capacity
of the land when under cultivation. Two yea:r:s or rather severe drought in
1918 and 1919 indicated the probability that some of the so11s that had
been brought under cultivation might be subject to low productivity ill the
rucure, However, the continuance of moderately favourable yields and good
prices during the twenties promoted a continuance of settlement up to about
1930. The population for the area, as shown by census periods, reached
its maximum in 1931. This is indicated by Table 1 giving the population
figures tor Census divisions 3, 4, 7 and 8, which represent the general area
referred to in his study as south west Saskatchewan.
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