History of Martensville
Most Saskatchewan towns began around an elevator
and railway for grain handling – Martensville began
around a school for the area children. In 1953, a local
farmer, Dave Martens succeeded in getting permission
from the Saskatchewan Government to move an unused
one room school onto property donated by another local
farmer, Jake Gerbrandt Sr. This property is presently the
site of the Martensville Civic Centre.
The school was attractive to Dave and Helen Martens
people wanting to move out of Saskatoon. They began to
purchase property from Mr. Martens (north of present day
Main Street) and eventually, Mr. Gerbrandt (south of Main
Street). By 1961, the population scattered on Mr. Martens
land was sufficient to form a hamlet. With steady increases,
the population grew enough to become incorporated as a
village in 1966, a town in 1969 and a city in 2009.
The first business in Martensville was the Avenue A Service
Station. It was named this because it was situated on the
old, gravelled #12 highway which was an extension of
Saskatoon’s Avenue A (Idylwyld Drive). This highway is now
Centennial Drive and the service road south of the city. This
business began around 1938 and the original building burned
down in 1958. The present day Martensville Restaurant at the
north end of Centennial Drive is situated in its replacement.
Jake Gerbrandt Sr and Mennonite churches were two of Martensville’s first buildings.
his wife Justina
In 1954, a building was moved onto Mr. Gerbrandt’s land to
become the Bergthaler Mennonite Church. In 1959, Saskatoon’s old North Park one
room School was moved to the hamlet to become the Martensville Mennonite Mission
Church.
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