Beyond These Walls -- Legislative Assembly Building, Regina SK CAN - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This sign of history is located in the first floor vestibule of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina. This is the entrance that all members of the public must use in order to access this building.

Because guided tours are given and people need something to look at while waiting for the tour, the government of Saskatchewan has erected three signs of history to entertain and inform. This waymarked sign shares some of the history of interesting things to see in the gardens outside of this building.

The sign reads as follows:

"BEYOND THESE WALLS

Wascana Wonder

Premier Walter Scott took a great deal of criticism for deciding to build the Legislative Building on the south side of West Ghana Creek, so far from the city. But his decision led to the creation of one of the most defining aspects of our capital. Now 100 years, 300 species of birds and wildlife, 200,000 trees and shrubs, millions of flowers and many magical memories later, we can thank him for acquiring the land for a park that would eventually become Wascana Centre, one of the largest urban oases on earth (Nearly three times the size of Central Park!)

Lions and Buffalo and Fossils, Oh My!

Seeing as most of us aren’t dinosaur height, here’s a rare closer look at some of the intricate carvings high up on the Legislative Building. Speaking of dinosaurs, the Tyndall limestone covering the building is 450 million years old and if you look closely you will find fossils.

Watching from Above

Perched high above the main door is perhaps the Legislative Building’s most striking stone carving: guardians paying homage to our provinces First Nations and pioneers. This pediment, commissioned for $1500 and completed in 1914, was sculpted by the Bromsgrove Guild, who also crafted the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The People’s Place

This palace of the prairies has been at the center of our highs and lows as a province, enduring a cyclone, drought, the Great Depression and demonstrations, all the while remaining the go to place to celebrate royal visits, Grey Cups, Canada Day and weddings. Lots of weddings!

Officially, it is a Saskatchewan Legislative and Executive Building. To those of us who live here and love it, it will always be “The Leg” (pronounced “Ledge”).

Lest We Forget

West of the Legislative Building, the Saskatchewan War Memorial, completed in 1995, honours the 5,348 men and women from our province killed in the First World War. A second dedication in 2005 includes the names of some 5,000 Saskatchewan people who gave their lives in the Second World War, the Korean War and during military training and peacetime operations.

Two memorial statue stand tall there, as well. Built in 1926 by this 28th Battalion, a First World War Canadian soldier remembers the fallen of WWI, with the second plaque added to it in 1986 to honor members of the 1st Battalion, Regina Rifle Regiment who perished in WWII. A nursing sister statue unveiled in 2007, remembers those who tirelessly cared for our soldiers.

Look for London

Trafalgar fountain on the east side of the Legislative Building is one of a pair of fountains given to Canada that splashed in London’s Trafalgar Square from 1845 to 1939. In 1963, the fountain, made of red granite from Scotland, was dedicated to the founding of the North-West Mounted Police at Regina in 1882 and to the members who contributed to the orderly settlement of the western plains. The other fountain lives in Ottawa.

Just off Albert Street at the 19th Avenue Wascana Centre entrance is a monument to free speech and assembly. Speakers corner, dedicated in 1966, features two large lanterns from the original speakers corner in London’s Hyde Park and 10 gas lamps from a street near the UK Parliament. Unfortunately, birch trees transplanted here from Runnymede Meadow, where King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, had to be removed. They just couldn’t handle our winter."

Group that erected the marker: Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 2405 Legislative WaySaskatchewan Canada

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

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Date Logged Log   03/12/2023 Benchmark Blasterz visited it