Matador 1
This site is dedicated to the families of the Matador Co-op Farm. It is located on part of what once was the Matador Ranch, just east of Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada. The ranch was originally operated by the Matador Land and Cattle Company of Texas, but that is another story with its own history.
The idea for co-operative farming was a vision of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party, a left-wing socialist party first elected in Saskatchewan in 1944. This vision fit in very well with the end of the World War II in 1945. Thousands of troops were returning home from overseas duty and these veterans needed jobs and homes. At the same time, the Federal Government was offering grants to returning veterans to take up farming. The Saskatchewan Government seized the opportunity to introduce their vision of co-operative farming in Saskatchewan at this time.
Some of the history of the Matador can be found in newspaper archives, as well as the Archives of Saskatchewan. However, there is no single document that captures the history of the farm in any detail. Much of the information is not documented, but for those children that grew up on the Matador, they likely have a wealth of information to contribute.
As one who grew up on the Matador, I can document some of the information as told to me by my parents and from my own experiences, but that is only a very small segment of its history. We left the Matador Co-op Farm at the end of 1959, so my information basically stops there.
The purpose of this web site is to encourage others who grew up on the farm to contribute their stories, pictures, and their history. I am personally willing to organize all this information and create a single document on the Matador history.
This is a work in progress so it will take some time to put this together. I really need the help of former residents so please contact me through the Contact Us page if you have information that you would like to share.
Gary McClelland