 Grayburn was about 20 miles NW of Moose Jaw. It came into being when the Grand Trunk Railway was built from Moose Jaw to Riverhurst about 1912. Some of the first settlers in the district were the McBrides, Fergusons, Peevers, Englishes, and Grays. Grayburn was named after the Gray family. It was originally named Foregray.  It
had a general store-post office
built by Chas. Wyetta close to
the railway station. A short
time later it was moved closer
to the main road where it stood
from 1914-1974. The National
elevator was built after the
railroad came through, the Pool
elevator was added in 1928. A
one room school was built in
1921. The area north of the
track was surveyed for a town,
streets named, but little came
of it.
The
store was a gathering place for
all. The door was covered with
notices of farm sales, meetings
and community activities. It was
the spot where the events of the
day, weather and politics were
discussed and problems solved.
 Grayburn
seemed to reach a peak in
population in the 1930s. Those
living at the two elevators, the
railway station, the general
store and small garage totalled
some 20 persons.
Mr.
and Mrs. Cooper and daughter
Eileen came in 1915 from
Brandon, Man., and operated the
grocery store and post office
from 1915-1958, when they
retired to live in Moose Jaw.
The local business was continued
by Olive and Harold Souster; but
in due time, with the demise of
the small country point,
Grayburn store closed in
approximately 1966, ending an
era of rural community life.
   This
is all that remains of
Grayburn today, a pile of old
ties in a field, the remnants
of the Grand Trunk (later CNR)
track that ran through the
community.
|