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| Geography |  Davidson is a friendly community where one can experience small town hospitality with all the amenities of city living. Davidson is the 'midway' point between Regina and Saskatoon. The town's history dates back to 1902, when the first settlers arrived in the district. Among the first settlers was a Colonel Davidson, an official of the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company and, consequently, the community was named after him. Because of Davidson's proximity to two major cities (as well as to Moose Jaw, 113 kilometres (kms) south), interest has been rekindled in industrial development in the community. Another factor in this renewed interest in Davidson is the recent development of the town's new industrial park. The park is situated on a 40-acre site immediately off Highway 11. Davidson is one of the top grain delivery points in rural Saskatchewan. Its three elevators have a storage capacity of over 19,000 tones. Because of it's location, Davidson has become a meeting place for organizations from major centers. The town offers excellent facilities for such meetings, or for the overnight traveler who wishes to avoid the early morning congestion of Regina and Saskatoon.
| | History | Davidson: One man's dream becomes a progressive reality. More than eight decades ago, a determined entrepreneur from Glencoe, Ontario made his dream come true. Andrew Davidson realized his ambition to 'settle and develop my native country' when he led the drive to promote a new central Saskatchewan community and its rich agricultural assets ¿ a community which would bear his name. Born and raised on an Ontario farm, Andrew Davidson decided at the age of 19 that his fortune lay not in his father's farm, but in the cut and thrust of American business. He traveled south and spent a year working as a lumberjack in the Wisconsin forests. After saving $800, he enrolled in a school of telegraphy. When he graduated, Davidson made his first connection with the booming railway business, at Blair, Minnesota. A hard worker and frugal man, Davidson amassed enough savings in his four years with the railway to invest in a general store, a grain a lumber business, and latter a bank in Minnesota. Eventually he became the mayor of Little Falls, Minnesota, having previously turned down offers of higher office on the national level. He was recognized as an outstanding personality, even by the military. Minnesota granted him a commission as Colonel in the National Guard, and Canada, not to be outdone, made him an honorary Colonel in Sr. Sam Hughes' headquarters in Ottawa. Other men would have been content with this fame, but Davidson's heart still lay in his native country. His dream of developing Canada's wide-open regions into bustling communities was still strong, and in 1902 he took his first step into its realization. He left Minnesota just after the turn of the century and was one of the first men to arrive at a tiny Saskatchewan settlement that was forming at the midway point of Saskatoon and Regina. He was one the first businessmen to recognize that the soil of western Canada was capable of growing the best wheat in the world, and sought to capitalize on that strength. At his own expense, approximately $15,000 dollars, Davidson organized a special excursion train, which traveled from Chicago to Saskatoon, via Davidson. On board were American bankers, entrepreneurs and newspapermen whom he had invited to make the journey, all expenses paid. Before the group even returned to Chicago, Davidson and his partners had sold more than 180,000 acres of land in the Davidson area. Eventually, the company would sell 1.2 million acres of land in and around the town site. Andrew Davidson knew how to promote a product. His marketing strategy included naming some streets after some former presidents of the United States, to make the community more attractive to American land buyers. Street signs soon proclaimed the names of Lincoln, Grant, Washington, and Garfield.
| | Economic Information | Promotion of the town didn't stop with the Americanization of its streets. In 1910, the 'Davidson's 5000 club' formed to promote the enlargement of the town site, prepared by a brochure that would spread the news of the great future for anyone who chose to live in Davidson. Growth was rapid. A few homesteaders arrived in 1902. A 1903 issue of the Regina leader reported several businesses and good accommodation to serve the land seekers and travelers. A 1904 census showed 98 men, women and children within a five-mile radius and the village was incorporated on March 7, that year. Activity at the depot was frantic. Additional agents, a larger depot, and more warehouse space were soon required to handle the influx of settlers, their effects, the lumber and supplies required to serve a trading area that included Watrous, Outlook, Elbow and Long Lake districts before the building of more railway branch lines. As early as 1904, Davidson was nicknamed the Midway Town because of the central location to three major centers. On November 15, 1906 it was incorporated as a town, with a population of 520. While it never reached the city status, the colonel had foreseen, Davidson was undeniably a bustling, booming town. In 1913, it became home to the first hospital of its kind in the province, with the cornerstone laid by the Duchess of Connaught. Today, Davidson is a vibrant community of more than 1,200. Because of its proximity to three major cities, Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw, it often serves as a meeting place for organizations from all three major centers. It offers excellent facilities, for business and group functions, or for the overnight traveler who wishes to avoid the morning traffic congestion between Saskatoon and Regina. Three main grain companies make the town one of their focal delivery, point in Saskatchewan. The elevators offer area farmers storage capacity of more than 1 million bushels.
Courtesy, The Davidson Leader
| | Attractions | Davidson Coffee Pot
When Built: 1996
Dimensions: Height: 24 Feet (7.3 Metres)
Construction Materials: Sheet Metal
Location: Southwest corner of the junction of Highways 11 and 44
Reason for Building: 'To symbolize Davidson's friendliness and hospitality.' Davidson is known as the 'halfway' point between Regina and Saskatoon. As a result, Davidson often hosts meetings when groups from both cities need to get together.
Additional Information: Capable of holding 150,000 8-ounce cups of coffee. There are different murals painted on each side.
Arnold Park
Arnold Park is located downtown Davidson and is a great place for family events, weddings, and enjoying the day.
Davidson Swimming Pool
Outdoor heated pool
Change rooms & showers
Swimming lessons
Lifeguards on duty
Campground
R.V. hook up
Showers
Playground
Open mid May to mid September
Communiplex
Artificial skating ice (200 x 90)
4 sheet artificial curling ice
Kitchen facility
Lounge facility
Dressing rooms
Library
Internet access
Well equipped library for use by students and other members of the community
Golf Course
9 hole grass green
Clubhouse
| | Other Info | Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Davidson and Area Emergency Medical Services provides pre-hospital care to the communities of Davidson, Girvin, Craik, Aylesbury, Bladworth, Kenaston, Strongfield, and Loreburn. We also service the rural municipalities of Arm River, Willner, Craik, Loreburn, McCraney, including portions of Wood Creek, Rosedale, Sarnia, and Huron. Danielson Provincial Park is also included in our service area. Davidson EMS provides basic life support service 24 hours a day 7 days a week, using 2 ambulance units. EMS is dispatched by MD ambulance in Saskatoon through 9-1-1 using fleetnet portable radios. We also work very closely with the area First Responder teams, which are located in the communities of Davidson, Kenaston, Craik, Strongfield, and Loreburn. HHR employs 1 full-time EMS coordinator and 9 casual staff. There are four Emergency Medical Responders, four Emergency Medical Technicians, and one Paramedic. All are registered with Saskatchewan Health. The EMS coordinator works at the Davidson Health Centre and is part of the health care team at the centre. EMS responds to an average of 200 calls per year.
Davidson Fire and Rescue
The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department (DVFD) responds to fires and emergencies in the town of Davidson, the village of Girvin, and the Rural Municipalities of Arm River and Willner. DVFD also provides mutual aid to the Village of Bladworth, Town of Craik, and the R.M.s of Craik, McCraney, and Wood Creek. DVFD is equipped with the `jaws of life' and responds to all motor vehicle collisions in the area. The fire department consists of the fire chief, two deputy chiefs and seventeen firefighters. DVFD is dispatched by Prince Albert fire dispatch through 9-1-1 using fleetnet portable radios and pagers. A number of our firefighters are cross-trained to provide emergency medical care. The department responds to an average of 50 calls per year. Our apparatus include Engine 481 (625 g.p.m. pumper with 750 gallons of water), Engine 482 (500 g.p.m. pumper with 500 gallons of water), Tanker 481 (1900 gallons of water with 10 inch quick dump and 2000 gallon port-a-tank), and Rescue 481 (light rescue unit), which provides rescue/extrication services to the area.
Education
Davidson Elementary and High School
The town of Davidson provides education for 377 students in a Coop Pre-School program, a Kindergarten to Grade 6 School and a Grade 7 to Grade 12 High School employing approximately 20 teachers. Davidson also hosts a branch office of the Carlton Trail Regional College which can provide post secondary education in any fields with sufficient demand or through distance education systems. Carlton Trail Regional College offers a wide range of programming, including non-credit development courses, computer consulting, adult basic education, literacy, and credit vocational and technical programs. Carlton Trail Regional College is able to deliver university credit classes from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina where sufficient demand exists or through the Saskatchewan Communications Network.
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