Togo was originally called Pelly Siding because of the
nearby Pelly Trail, part of the Hudson Bay Trail that ran from Fort Ellis,
Manitoba, to Fort Pelly. Not many are familiar with Pelly Siding, if asked
where it was, they most likely would point you in the direction of present-day
Pelly.
Today a tiny section of the Old Pelly Trail still remains;
it’s located a quarter mile west of Togo. Those who stop to see these grooves
of history can maybe catch a glimpse of the pioneers who had dreams of a better
life in Canada. In the early part of the century, when the railroads were built
across the Northwest Territories, settlements were established. Pelly
Siding was located on the Canadian Northern Railways (CNR) main line that ran
from Winnipeg to Edmonton.
In 1906 the Russo-Japanese war was raging and two names
stood out, Admiral Togo of the Japanese fleet and General Makaroff of Russia.
In 1906 Pelly Siding was incorporated as a village and renamed Togo after the
Japanese admiral, and the next town to the east on the CNR line was named
Makaroff in honour of the Russian general.
Togo was the hub of this agricultural area. It had grain
elevators, postal service, medical services, hardware and general stores, a
bakery and financial institution. It was a bustling community that experienced
tremendous growth with the daily arrival of immigrants from other parts of the
world seeking their fortune.
One of those immigrants was Reginald John Marsden Parker,
who came to Canada at the age of 17 from Liskeard, Cornwall, England. He gained
employment in the area as a hired farm hand and at the age of 19 began the
operation of his own farm. In 1945 after being involved for many years with the
politics of Saskatchewan, Reginald Parker was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor
of the province.
Another person who made a big impact on the village in his
day was Mr. J.H Abercrombie who built the first foundation, which became a
drugstore, which operated from 1906 – 1949. The building was later used for
many things, such as a residence…a bank whose manager G.K.Stone came from
Roblin Manitoba twice a week until a permanent bank was built.
In the early years, when there were so few settlers, the
drugstore had also provided a place to sit around a warm fire and exchange
their stories and make plans for the future of the village. Many of the
descendants of the original settlers of the Togo area still live in and around
the community. They fondly recall an era that played an integral role that wove
the tapestry of Togo today.
Togo has a slower pace of life than it did a century ago,
but some things still remain, as they do in many small prairie towns: the local
hotel, the curling and skating rink, the post office, the coffee shop, and the
people with a character that is unique to those living on the prairies.
