Description of Historic Place

The Home Quarter of the Wotherspoon Farm is a Municipal Heritage Property comprised of approximately 65 hectares in the Rural Municipality of Cana No. 214 near the City of Melville. The designation applies to two, two-storey houses, a garage, storage sheds, and the stone foundation of a barn, all located in the main yard of the farm.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the site lies in its association with the arrival and settlement of the Wotherspoon family. One of the first settlers in the district, John Wotherspoon settled on the homestead in 1902 after moving from Bruce County, Ontario. Soon after arriving, he erected a large barn with stone foundation to support a purebred shorthorn cattle operation for which the family would be noted. The present house, a wood-frame, two-storey residence, is typical of the second generation houses constructed by early-twentieth century settlers to replace small wood or sod structures. Other buildings on the site typify the range of buildings found on century-old farms in Saskatchewan, and include several original storage sheds and a one-room schoolhouse moved onto the property.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Cana No. 214 Bylaw No. 4-2007.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Home Quarter of the Wotherspoon Farm resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements associated with the establishment of the Wotherspoon family in the Melville district, such as the siting of the house, barn foundation and several outbuildings on their original locations; the stone foundation for the stone barn; and the form and exterior materials of the farmhouse.