Site #26: Original Marcelin Site
Standing here, you are at the birthplace of Marcelin. Founded in 1902, this was the original commercial and social hub for the French-Canadian and Polish families moving into the northern Riverlands. However, the town you see today is not here, but a half-mile to the west across Highway 40.
The Vision of Antoine Marcelin
The town is named after its founder, Antoine Marcelin, a French-Canadian pioneer who recognized the potential of this rolling parkland. According to the Riverlands Heritage Preservation Region archives, Marcelin established the first store and post office at this specific location, serving as the postmaster and drawing many French-speaking settlers to the district.
The Power of the Railway
In the early 1900s, the railway was the literal lifeline of the prairies. When the Canadian Northern Railway surveyed the line between Prince Albert and North Battleford, they bypassed the original settlement. As documented in the local history book Bridging the Years: Era of Blaine Lake and District 1790-1980, this forced the residents to relocate entire buildings to the new townsite adjacent to the tracks.
The Great Relocation
In a display of typical pioneer ingenuity, buildings were jacked up and hauled by teams of horses to the current townsite. By 1911, the “Original Marcelin” had been largely abandoned in favor of the new location (Site #27). Today, this site remains a quiet marker of that first era of settlement—a reminder of how the “Steel Ribbon” of the railway dictated the survival of prairie communities.