‘No man’s land’: Descendants of Saskatchewan’s first Black community proud of their history

The Shiloh Baptist Church, just outside Maidstone, Saskatchewan, is a provincial heritage site and also a poignant reminder of the province's first Black settlement.

The one-room Shiloh Baptist Church, constructed from hand-hewn poplar logs nestled in a small grove near a cemetery with 37 white crosses, is a poignant reminder of Saskatchewan’s first Black settlement.

There are still descendants of the Shiloh people, who moved 29 kilometres north of Maidstone, Sask., from Oklahoma in the early 1900s as part of the Great Migration of Black settlers from the United States, lured by the promise of free land and a better life.

Shiloh was an ancient city and sanctuary in ancient Israel, signifying spiritual refuge and community gathering.

“You’re coming over to this no man’s land. You have no idea and people have probably never seen Black people,” said Crystal Mayes, whose great-grandmother Mattie was born into slavery and made her way to Saskatchewan with her husband, Joseph.

“You’re coming from a farming background, but farming in Oklahoma isn’t like farming in Saskatchewan. Then you have to deal with the winters and make a way for yourself. It took an amazing amount of courage and determination and fortitude.”

In the early 1900s, an increase in discrimination in the American South led to an exodus of African Americans to communities in Alberta and near Maidstone. A dozen families made the move to Saskatchewan from Oklahoma for the promise of free land.

At its peak, about 50 families lived in the area.

“There was a lot of information coming from Canada that they were giving land away if you wanted to break it. They actually sent two people down to Saskatchewan to check out what it was like to see if it was real,” Mayes said.