Early settlement

The first settlers arrived in St. Louis around 1880 to 1882, although the present site was not permanently settled until 1897 by Louis Schmidt. These first settlers included the families of Boucher, Bremner, Boyer, Delorme, Vermette and Fiddler. Many other early pioneer families in the area included the Legares, Lepines, de Laviolettes, Bruces, Regniers, McDougalls, Richards, Ouelettes, etc. The Northwest Resistance at Batoche in 1885 was very influential in shaping the lives of the early settlers in the St. Louis area.

Churches and schools

Father Lecoq, the first missionary in 1884, helped build the first church and school in 1887, west of present-day St. Louis. New churches were required in 1906 and again in 1954. The original Emmanuel Church was constructed in 1931, with the current Church being built in 1977. The Daughters of Providence Sisters arrived from France in 1897 and a new convent and boarding home was built in 1919 which housed up to 76 students at one time. In 1971 the convent switched to only accepting female boarders, which remained in effect until its closure. St. Louis has been home to numerous schools over the years, St. Louis de Langevin, Oxford, Oxford High and the present-day Community School which opened at its current site in 1952. The Notre Dame College, for grades 9–12, was open from 1968 to 1974 and became home of the St. Louis Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre until its closure in 2005.

Crossing the river

In the early years, the only means of crossing the river was by ferry. The first ferry operated about one mile west of the village as early as 1876. In 1914, the railroad connected Watrous with Prince Albert and ran through St. Louis with the construction of the St. Louis Bridge. The traffic wings were only added in 1928, spelling the end of the ferry.

Becoming a village

In 1954 the hamlet of St. Louis was under the jurisdiction of the Rural Municipality No. 431. St. Louis became incorporated as a Village by the Province of Saskatchewan on May 19, 1959, with Earl Lefevre as the first overseer and Conrad Silde and Jack Nelson as councillors.

A changing community

St. Louis has seen the coming and going, throughout the years of many businesses. The Department of Highways, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the Railroads all were once very prominent in the Village, but with cutbacks and centralization these services are no longer available. St. Louis has modern sporting, meeting and business facilities, many community service clubs and continues to prosper.