OTTHON, Saskatchewan is located north of Melville on the Canadian National Railway line, 17 kilometers from Yorkton. The line was built in 1910 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. In 1919, due to the company鈥檚 financial difficulties, the Dominion Government took over the rail line, placing it under management of the Canadian National Railway. An interesting story appeared in The Yorkton Enterprise January 27, 1910. It tells of a petition that Otthon settlers sent to the GTP Company requesting that the station be called 鈥淥tthon鈥� since it was already the name of the area settlers鈥� post office and the two school districts of East Otthon and West Otthon. Some company officials wanted to name it 鈥淗ilton鈥� or 鈥淗illton.鈥� It appears that the settlers won out because of some political intervention. The area had been settled mostly by Hungarians who had arrived sixteen years before the railway. Otthon is the Hungarian equivalent for the English word 鈥渉ome.鈥�
Source of photo: Canadian National Western Depots by Charles Bohi.
This edition of History Corner originally appeared in the Oct. 28, 2009 edition of Yorkton This Week.
Terri Lefebvre Prince
