One of the fanciest ornaments in early Moose Jaw was the 10 foot high white and gold drinking fountain crowned with a statue of a classical goddess which stood on High Street West alongside the Bank of Commerce.
In 1905, when the newly organized local branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) talked about erecting a fountain “for persons only,” farmers of the area offered to support the venture provided the proposed fountain incorporated a trough where they could water their horses when in Moose Jaw.
The WCTU acquiesced and set about raising $300 — the cost of the fountain. Local businesses were canvassed and subscription sheets circulated around town and in every school district in the Moose Jaw rural area. Other monies came from ice cream parties held on band concert night on the Town Square (now the parking lot opposite the Times Herald).
City council agreed to support the project by paying freight charges and the costs of installation, but argued over the proposed location.
Initially, there was talk of erecting the fountain in the centre of the intersection of Main and High Streets. It was to be illuminated and since Main Street was still a dirt road, the entire intersection was to be cemented to eliminate the mud problem. These plans fell through, and the fountain was erected in July 1907 on High Street West alongside the Bank of Commerce.
The fountain was more than just the best decorated horse trough in the West. A small water basin for thirsty canines was inset on its west side; on the south side facing High Street, a much larger basin held water for horses; and on the north side there was a tap for people, complete with tin cup on a chain which would have blown the top of today’s health-conscious populace.
Moose Javians admired their new fountain and thought it gave a lot of class to High Street. In a letter to the Times editor, one resident wrote:
“To any person with any eye for beauty, there is striking contrast in our city today. On High Street in a convenient spot a beautifully decorated fountain has been erected which is not only an ornament, but also a great benefit to man and beast. To turn from the fountain and look down the same street as well as many other streets, the weeds of all kinds are the most striking objects both from their variety and rank growth. They are rapidly coming to maturity and soon will send their seeds to the four winds.
“Surely the city council would immediately send out a man with a hoe or a scythe to cut down this harvest of ugliness … and to see that it is done sooner and better than last year.”
A team of horses pulling a Winnipeg Oil Company tank wagon took fright at the appearance of a Canadian Pacific Railway switch engine on the spur track at the rear of the Canadian Fruit Co. warehouse, 32 Manitoba Street West (lately occupied by Supreme Basics). The frantic horses beyond control of the driver, raced east on Manitoba Street, jumped the curb in front of the Sherman Theatre (site of Capone’s Hideaway Motel), and bolted up the sidewalk, scattering pedestrians right and left.
At the Union bank building on the southeast corner of Main and River Streets, the horses, still hauling the heavy tank wagon, left the sidewalk and continued up Main Street in the southbound traffic lane, knocking a passing team off the road, nearly demolishing a popcorn wagon and almost wrecking several parked cars.
At the intersection of High and Main, the tank wagon was thrown on its side as it bumped over the street railway tracks. Without losing momentum, the runaway turned west on High Street and then appeared to head for the sidewalk and the large windows of the Grayson Block behind the Bank of Commerce. In an effort to get between a parked automobile and the WCTU fountain, the horses, still dragging their load, were thrown from their feet, and the fountain snapped off level with the sidewalk, the cast-iron goddess almost striking Fire Chief Baines who happened to be passing by.
While the fire chief and a pedestrian calmed the frantic horses, the water geyser was allowed to flow for a good half hour to wash the leaking gasoline from the overturned tank into the city’s sewer system.
Eventually the drinking fountain was righted and continued to be a popular landmark for man and beast for another decade.
