This Sunday the Saskatchewan Roughriders play host to the B.C. Lions in the CFL West semi-final at Mosaic Stadium. If they can defeat the Leos they will advance to the CFL West Final against the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Nov. 21.
Doing so, and possibly even upending the Stamps to reach the Grey Cup in Edmonton the following week would be a great way for the Green & White to cap off their 100th anniversary season.
Numerous events have been held in 2010 to commemorate that milestone, from the nostaligic (ie. playing a July game against the Edmonton Eskimos in retro black-and-red uniforms to recall the team’s origins as the Regina Rugby Club) to the sublime (ie installing massive Rider logos on the sides of two Regina office buildings, and the Canadian Mint issuing a Rider loonie).
Local art galleries and museums even got into the act. All season, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has hosted a display of memorabilia called Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Team the Fans Built. On Labour Day weekend, the Cumberland Gallery at the Legislature and the Dunlop Gallery both launched exhibitions. In a review of Green is the Colour: The Art of Rider Pride at the Dunlop, I noted that while the quality of the work was uneven, the status of the Riders as a socio-cultural phenomenon in the province was unquestionable, and that made the team a legit subject for artistic scrutiny.
The same can be said from an academic angle. Which brings me to the subject of this post — a special issue of Saskatchewan History magazine published by the Sask Archives Board to commemorate the Rider centennial (that’s the cover above).
In a press release, provincial archivist Linda McIntyre says “Saskatchewan History has been published for more than 60 years as part of our Archives’ outreach initiatives. In an effort to reach a broader audience, we have created a thematic edition of historical research articles about the Rider centennial. The issue celebrates the Riders as a valued part of our Saskatchewan community and our history.”
I haven’t seen the magazine yet. But I will be getting a copy shortly. A complimentary one, in fact, as I have an article in it about a poem my late aunt Florence Jaques wrote in 1951 that the Leader-Post published concerning the heated rivalry that year between the Glenn Dobbs’-led Riders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who were then quarterbacked by the equally legendary “Indian Jack” Jacobs.
Packed with a mix of scholarly research papers (U of S historian Bill Waiser is another contributor), and personal reminiscences, along with dozens of wonderful archival photos dating back to the 1930s, the magazine offers an alternative take on the Riders and their storied 100-year history.
Priced at $10, the magazine is available in Regina at the archive office (3303 Hillsdale St.) along with the Cumberland Gallery. In Saskatoon, copies can be purchased at McNally Robinson, Mendel Art Gallery and the Western Development Museum. Copies are also available at the Yorkton WDM, and Cross Country Foods in Balgonie.
Each issue has an entry form for a draw that will be made for a DVD of the Partners in Motion documentary On Roughriders: A Century of Saskatchewan Roughrider Football and a replica jersey that was used during the filming.
For more info contact Archives’ Production Coordinator Nadine Charabin at (306) 933-8321 or ncharabin@archives.gov.sk.ca.
Nov. 10 Update: Just had an email from the Archives Board that the magazine won’t actually be available for sale for another week to ten days. It’s also likely that more outlets will be added where you can pick the magazine up.