Why Come to Saskatchewan?

Something I've been wondering about - why did the Gilmours come to Saskatchewan? Of all the Canadian cities, why Saskatoon? When I next see Tom and my Dad, I'll ask them what they know about this.

Postscript - well, I did ask Tom; he's not sure why.

 

One possibility is that the boys may already have arranged work before they came out to Saskatoon -Tom says that during the period 1900-1912, Saskatoon was booming and may have been the fastest growing city in North America - certainly the fastest growing in the West. Perhaps it was this promise of jobs and prosperity that initially attracted the boys. As well, they may have been enticed by the promise of land in the Dominion Land Grants. 

There is an article in the Canadian Encyclopedia by J. Bumsted (available online) which gives an overview of Scottish migration to Canada. 

I loved the photo with the little verse "We're sailing west, we're sailing west...(presumably an advertisement inducing Scots to emigrate to Canada?) so much I have included it below.  

I wonder if the Gilmour boys saw such an ad and were persuaded to leave for a new life in a new land?

Scottish Immigrants Immigrants ready to leave Scotland for Canada, circa 1920 (Canapress).