Abstract

Cannington Manor is a historic settlement site located in the Moose Mountain area of Southeastern Saskatchewan. The village achieved its fame through a group of English expatriates who came to Canada hoping to re-create an 'English rural life of leisure' as prosperous farmers. Known generally as 'the English group', these settlers devoted a great deal of time to pursuits such as music, art, and sport. Race days, fox hunts, tennis parties, and musical evenings created a body of legend surrounding the site. Cannington life wasn't all dances and tea parties, however. In addition to the wealthy English, Cannington's community included hard-working farming families from Britain, Ontario, Manitoba, and the Maritimes. Through a discussion of archaeological investigations conducted at the town site in 2000 and 2001, this presentation examines the ways in which these two groups of people got along and created Cannington Manor in the newly-developed west.