Moose Jaw Slogans - Musk Style

By Richard Dowson Opinion/Commentary

Beginning in the late 1930s the Moose Jaw slogan was “The Friendly City”. It was a great slogan.

In the 2000s the slogan was changed to “Canada’s Most Notorious City”. The change was made to “… reflect its colorful and sometimes dark history, particularly during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s, when the city was known for rum-running, secret tunnels, and connections to legendary figures like Al Capone …”.

Capone was certainly ‘notorious’. It is believed his gang set up the St. Valantine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929 resulting in the deaths of seven members of Bugs Moran’s gang.

Another Notorious Connection – Elon Musk

Elon has deep roots in Moose Jaw – Deeper than Capone.

1 Harold Fletcher, Elon’s maternal great grandfather was a successful Moose Jaw businessman. Harold moved from England to Moose Jaw as a young man and initially worked with his brother plastering houses. In 1919 Harold established ‘Fletcher Agencies Ltd.’ at #210, Hammond Building, 310 Main Street North, Moose Jaw. The company sold insurance. Harold operated Fletcher Agencies Ltd. until 1945 when he left Moose Jaw for Montreal.

2 Elon’s maternal great-grandparents’ family settled at 1026 – 4th Avenue N.E. Moose Jaw. The kids probably went to Ross School. The family later moved to 911 Chestnut Avenue, Moose Jaw.

3 Elon’s maternal Grandmother, Winnifred Josephine ‘Wyn’ Fletcher, was born in 1914. She died at Canmore, Alberta in 2012 and is buried there.

4 Elon’s maternal grandmother Wyn worked at the Moose Jaw Times Herald after graduating from Central High School in 1930. (Peacock had not yet been built)

5 Elon’s maternal grandmother Wyn married Joshua Norman Haldeman in the family home at 911 Chestnut Avenue in the summer of 1942.

6 Elon’s Maternal Grandfather, Joshua Norman Haldeman, was born in Minnesota and grew up in the Waldeck-Herbert area of Saskatchewan. He was a successful Chiropractor in Regina in 1942.

7 Elon’s maternal grandfather, Joshua Norman Haldeman, was involved with Technocracy Incorporated from 1936 to 1941. The group “… prosed replacing partisan politicians and businessmen with scientists and engineers …”. (Wikipedia)

8 Elon’s Great-Uncle, Elmer Loch, the famous Montreal Canadien’s hockey player married to Elon’s maternal grandmother’s sister at 911 Chestnut Avenue in 1941.

9 Elon’s mother was born in Regina.

10 It is not known if any of Elon’s relatives were Rider fans.

Question

Is Moose Jaw the ‘Friendly City’? Or is it the ‘Most Notorious City’?

From my experience, both slogans fit.

Writer Richard Dowson is a retired educator.

He is known for his frequenting local coffee shops and other places seniors gather.

In a previous life he wrote comedy for CHED in Edmonton.

His views may or may not reflect the views of this publication.