The Sinclair History, as presented in “Trails Along the
Pipestone”, states that:
“The history of the Sinclair Church began with a man who had an idea,
and that idea remained with him for many years before it came to
fruition.”
That man was John Milton.
He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 25, 1865. In 1892 he
arrived in the Sinclair region and homesteaded on NE 10-6-29.
As the first settler in Sinclair, it was he who encouraged others to
come and settle here and begin a new life in a new town. Slowly they
arrived and began to build shops, houses, and schools, and farmers from
various parts of the world settled all around the vicinity and Sinclair
became an established fact.
Mr. Milton filled many roles in the new community. In 1898 he was
appointed post master and those duties remained in his family for 78
years. He soon offered a stock of groceries and other necessary
supplies. School classes were held in their home until a building was
erected. He was Vice President of the curling club.
But it was his role in establishing the Sinclair Presbyterian Church
that became his most enduring achievement.
Presbyterian Church and Sinclair School
Previous to 1904 services were conducted by the Reston minister. Rev.
McAlister. Rev. J. G. Stephens from Reston continued to hold services
in the Sinclair School and the Icelandic Hall from 1904 to 1908, when
connections were severed and Sinclair, Crescent and Broomhill were
formed into a Mission Field. The first managers of the Church were
appointed in 1908 when John Milton, J. H. McLandress, John Bulloch and
D. J. Brownlee were elected.
About this time John Milton, along with other Sinclair residents: James
and Thomas Smith, John Bulloch, Alex McDougall, Frank Stewart, Mrs.
Miller, John Doerr, Fred Payne, Bert Read, Jack and Ab. McCoy and Ed
Salaway, finally saw his idea take root when they decided that Sinclair
should have a church building. They called a meeting in the Icelandic
Hall and the town people turned out in force with an excellent
representation from the surrounding countryside as well.
A Mrs. Wiltshire read a statement at the opening of the new church,
which summed up the spirit of the enterprise:
“A brother of the Episcopalian tendencies moved that a Presbyterian
Church be built. It was seconded by a Methodist in all probability, so
totally unsectarian was the spirit of the meeting. It passed
unanimously, and a committee of diverse creeds, but of one mind was
appointed to undertake the work. And thus it was that the idea became a
living, breathing fact, and Sinclair Presbyterian Church a reality".
On Dec. 5, 1909 the church was opened and dedicated to divine worship.
Mr. C.K. Mathewson came as missionary for the first two years.
When the original Milton home was torn in the 1950’s, the site was
donated to the community by the C.P.R. as a gift to the first
born child in the community. That happened to have been the twins
Margaret and Christena Milton. The Milton Memorial” was built from the
materials salvaged from the old house.
The Village of Sinclair in the Early Days
Adapted from Trails Along the Pipestone, page
645, 651
|
