CityOfHumboldt.ca
Title
Home Page -- The Official Web Site of Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Description
Humboldt History
Humboldt takes its name from Baron Alexander von Humboldt, a famous German naturalist and explorer. Of Prussian aristocracy, von Humboldt was born in Berlin in 1769 and traveled extensively in North and South America. Over 1,000 places carry his name, including rivers, mountains, glaciers, streets and cities; but, there is only one Humboldt in Canada.
Humboldt's beginnings date to 1875 when it was a mere dot on the Carlton Trail between Fort Qu'Appelle and Fort Carlton. When it became a stage depot and Dominion Telegraph Station in 1878, it was the central point between Fort Edmonton and Fort Garry. In those days a trip between these two points took two months by Red River Cart - in good weather. General Middleton and the North-West Mounted Police camped at Humboldt on their way to crush the Riel Rebellion in 1885. The Humboldt Telegraph Station operated until it was officially closed in 1923.
With the construction of the railway between Regina and Rosthern in the late 1800s, settlers began moving in. One of the first was Caspar Feltin, who in 1903 set up his homestead near Burton Lake, north of City. After the Benedictine Fathers arrived from Minnesota that same year, thousands of people followed and settled in Humboldt and District. The railroad arrived in 1904 adopting the name Humboldt for the new settlement from the old Humboldt Telegraph Station and Supply Depot situated some seven miles to the southwest.
