Rural Municipality

​Rural Municipalities of Lajord #128 and Buck Lake #129 were formed and organized in 1910. Prior to this there were Fire Districts which in 1898 became Local Improvement Districts (LID) with an overseer or administrator appointed by the Provincial Government.
​In 2005 (Saskatchewan Centennial) there were 'homestead' maps produced for each municipality. You can peruse original settlers names and/or those that owned close to the time Gray celebrated it's 100-year anniversary in 2011. Note that each of the settlers designated on the Homestead map probably filed for the Homestead Application at least three years prior to the date referenced on the map - this is the length of time usually required to 'prove' the land.  
Lajord Reeves:
Mark Hill (1910), W.S. McIntosh (1911), W.A. Day (1912), H. H. Hansen (1913-16), Daniel B. English (1917-18), Fredrick Birthall (Bert) Lewis (1919-25 and 1935), Estley Blaine Moats (1926-34 and 1936-37), Ray Fahlman (1938-40), J.A. Downes (1941-45 and 1948), Thomas Franklin O'Brien (1946-47 and 1949-51), H.G. Euteneier (1952-60), Walter Reich (1961-62), J. Ron McMorris (1963-68), Everett Lloyd (John) Lafoy (1969-72), Earl W. MacKenzie (1973-79), Leonard Bechard (1980-88), Norman Desautels (1989-96), Larry Posehn (1997-98), Erwin Beitel (1999-2020), Armond Gervais (2021-Present)
Lajord Councillors:
Division #3; R.W. Smith (1910), John N. Beattie (1911-12), Fredrick Birthall (Bert) Lewis (1913-16), Ed Courneya (1917-18), Andrew Fleming Beattie (1919-20), Wayne E. LaFoy (1921-25), Walter Dunning (1926-50 and 1953-56), Wayne Ashbaugh (1951-52), Everett Lloyd (John) Lafoy (1957-68), Ross W. Houghtaling (1969-76), Greg Kelly (1977-2004), Todd Lewis (2005-Present)
Division #6; Henry Lewis (1910), Regan (1911), J.W. Clarke (1912-13), Daniel B. English (1914-16), C. Fahlman (1917-19), Charles Hollis Torville (1920-29), Virgil Bingaman (1930-37), Thomas Franklin O'Brien (1938-45), Wally  Clarke (1946-47), Charles Hollis Torville (1948-49 and 1952-61), Everett Lloyd (John) Lafoy (1950-51), Dallas Boesch (1962-65), Barry Frisk (1966-2003), Alex Banga (2004-09), Kris Boesch (2010-Present)
Bratt's Lake Reeves:
J. Bratt (1913-15), D. Kirby (1916-32), A.L. Hamdorf (1933-40), C. Zerfing (1940-66), J. Baker (1966-78), F.H. Gilchrist (1978-82), K.R. Andrews (1983-88), J.H. Dobson (1989-2000), J.B. Hamdorf (2001-20), Acting Reeve David Helstrom (2020), Randal Donovan (2020-Present)
Bratt's Lake Councillors:
Division #1: Patrick Baker (1979-2002), Ron Galbraith (2003-06), Randal Donovan (2007-20), Erwin Hanley (2020-Present)
Division #4: D.J. McQuoid (1950-88), C.R. Cross (1988-95), Douglas Myers (1996-97), David Helstrom (1998-Present)
​Section-Township-RangeW2
The Dominion Land Survey (DLS) of 1871 divided most of Western Canada (what was anticipated to be agricultural use) using a grid system of square mile plots. The DLS is the world's largest survey grid laid down in a single integrated system. To define the starting point the First Meridian was designated at 97°27′28.41″ West longitude (just west of Winnipeg - the western limit of settlement at the time - and went to Seventh, east of the Alberta/BC border) and the southern boundary was the 49th parallel.  'Correction lines' were placed every 24 miles (going north/south) to adjust for the curvature of the earth. So, there is a slight 'jog' along land locations heading north/south. Something else of note is that the DLS system contained road allowances - something other surveys at the time were not.
The Second Meridian was defined as 102° West (forms the northern part of the Saskatchewan/ Manitoba border). So, the land where we are located is all W2 (west of the Second Meridian). The Third Meridian is just east of Saskatoon and the Fourth Meridian is the Saskatchewan/ Alberta border.
Each section (one square mile) is numbered 1-36 - these numbers travel east to west for six miles (numbered 1-6) and then directly north of these, numbering 7-12 back towards the east. After the sixth row there is a 36 square mile 'township'. The north/south axis is designated by township number and the east/west is range. So, our land locations specify which quarter (NW, NE, SW or SE) or half (N, S, E or W) followed by section number, township number and range, ending with W2. For example, my ancestors homesteaded NW14-14-18W2.
Dominion Land Grant Information (information summarized from RM Homestead maps)
Land was allocated to;
  • Schools
    • received Section 11 and 29 in every township
    • proceeds from the sale of this land was used to finance education.
  • The Hudson's Bay Company
    • retained possession of 1/20th of the land
    • this included land around its trading posts
    • all of Section 8 (in every township)
    • all of Section 26 ( except the NE quarter) in every township.
  • Railways
    • received all odd-numbered sections (except Sections 11 and 29) in each township.
    • most of the railway land was within 24-mile distance of a rail line.
    • a lot of this land was sold as homesteads (by the railways). Funds raised were used to finance building the railroads.
A homestead
  • Consisted of 160 acres and could be located on any of the remaining surveyed lands designated for homesteads.
  • An Application for Entry form was submitted along with a $10.00 fee.
  • Eligible individuals were males aged 19 years or older and females who were the head of the family.
  • Applicants were required to 'prove up' their homestead. A list of obligations that were not easy to fulfill - extreme weather, lack of wells, mosquitoes - a lot of deterrents. Requirements were;
    • building a home worth at least $300.00
    • residing on the homestead for a period of time, usually six months of the year over at least three years
    • making improvement to the land by cultivating at least 30 acres of land
    • and planting a crop on a minimum number of acres.
    • when the homestead requirements were fulfilled, the settler was then eligible to apply for the "Land Grant" also know as the Patent or Title.
    • once the homestead had been 'proved', in most cases Letters Patent were issued.
    • settlers who were not British subjects by birth had to become naturalized before they could obtain the patent to their land - so within the three years it took to 'prove'.
  • Once the settler had received  the homestead patent, it then allowed them the option to purchase a quarter-section as a pre-emption or as a purchased homestead for $3.00/acre.
  • Under the Dominion Land Act of 1872, grazing leases could be granted to ranchers. In May of 1881, rental was fixed at $0.01/acre, the maximum range of time was set at 21 years and the maximum area at 100,000 acres. Five years later, the rental in some areas was increased to $0.02/acre.
  • Many early settlers purchased their land directly from the rail lines, colonization companies or the Hudson Bay company instead of, or in addition to, applying for a homestead.
  • Land Grants were also made to veterans of the North West Mounted Police, veterans of the North West Campaign of 1885 and to veterans of the South African (Boer) War.
Some reasons why a land grant may not exist in the Land Registry for a certain piece of land;
  • the land is owned by the Crown and not Granted
  • the grant may have been issued but never registered
  • the land may be covered by water
  • the original grant may have been lost.
Hamlet of Gray has present day info.