Editorial: Celebrating a Century of Progress
This weekend the community of Provost will mark 100 years of success.

Even though some settlers first came to this site before the village was incorporated and the official anniversary was actually back on January 24, it’s this weekend that you can congratulate yourself if you have ever lived in Provost or do now. For it’s a town with drive, energy, compassion, progress—and a general feeling of community.

In the Volume 1, Number 1 edition of this newspaper (then called The Provost Star; we too are celebrating our centennial this year) it was noted by the paper on its front page under a long column titled “Provost.” that “Two years ago the first resident of Provost crossed the plains in a prairie schooner, and erected the first building on the townsite. His descendant now number about 250 people.”

It was reported in that entire hand-set first edition, that even though the railroad did not reach the village until December 1909, a chartered bank had already been operating—and still is today along with two other financial institutions which reflects the growth and economic success of the town.

In the first year of farming at least 30,000 bushels of wheat were shipped out at 80 cents per bushel which reflected the main income at that time. Of course wheat and other grains and livestock now—along with oil and gas now generate many millions of dollars of value for the community and of course for the tax man which helps our great province and dominion. We have sent men and women to fight for our nation in two world wars, Korea and now Afghanistan in the cause of freedom and liberation. We have gone from the use of the telegraph 100 years ago—which was quite good technology at that time—to even better—the telephone and even video-phone and internet connections to reach all corners of the globe in a moment.

We have had excellent schools and inspiring teachers over the decades, good government from our village and town council which is evident as you look around yourself today. And the merchants over the last 100 years have worked hard to earn a living and supply a vast variety of goods from food to combines to clothing, computers, hardware, software—and more while other talented men and women supply a variety of needed services.

We too are blessed with a variety of churches, sports venues, medical staff and a hospital with roots dating back to the earliest days, many volunteer groups over the years, modern roads and communications, expert police service to maintain law and order, and more recently a museum to help record pieces of our history. And of course our same railway still transports all of the locally-grown grain to international markets.

We have been blessed over the past 100 years and feel assured that Provost will continue to be a “pattern of progress” into its next century.

Take a break from work—relax and enjoy the events this weekend. Celebrate a century of community life in a rural setting.
Happy birthday Provost!

Richard Holmes, Editor

Full editorial in June 16 edition of The Provost News.
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