Hopkins Lake, on the north west border of the city, is probably the oldest heritage site in Yorkton.

To more recent residents of the city, the area is popularly known as Jaycee Beach. But it has always been Hopkins Lake, the place kids used to go to catch frogs, watch the birds , build tree houses and generally do the things adventurous kids do when they were not under the eyes of their parents.

But back to the historic importance of the lake: it was named after William P. Hopkins, one of the original four men who wintered on the lake during the winter of 1882-83.

William Hopkins and his brother Edward left their home in England and set out for Canada in 1882. They spent some time in Winnipeg and then went to Brandon, the end of the steel.

From there they travelled by ox cart to Fort Ellice, where they met up with C. J. McFarline and other settlers who were coming to the new settlement called York Colony.

The settlers started to build at the colony, but most decided to go back to York (now Toronto) for the winter. William and Edward Hopkins, William Meredith and C. J. McFarline stayed behind to look after the 30 head of oxen and the one horse.

The four men came to the small lake and built a shanty of logs and sod, which was certainly not weather proof. Not familiar with the extreme cold of the prairies, they were not suitably clothed.

Their food was very basic and not plentiful. With the assistance of the local band of Indians they learned survival measures, but all in all they put in a very uncomfortable winter.

Undaunted by the challenge of locating in this area, the four men applied for homesteads.

William P. Hopkins' homestead was located just north of the present York Road and west of Gladstone Avenue. The north end of the lake, on which they wintered, extended onto his homestead and the lake became known as Hopkins Lake.

Mr. Hopkins was one of the 60 members of the Home Guard in York settlement during the Rebellion.

Mr. Hopkins moved into Yorkton in 1891 and was appointed postmaster in 1892. The post office was located in his home at Front Street and Third Avenue South. In 1907 the post office was moved to Broadway at Fourth Avenue. His home was located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Smith Street.

When Yorkton was incorporated, he became the first mayor and served until 1903.

He retired in 1916, spending time in California, but returning to Yorkton frequently to visit family. Mr. Hopkins died in Ontario in 1945.

One of Mr. Hopkins' business partners in the new community of Yorkton was William Dunlop, another early pioneer.

William D. Dunlop was in turn rancher, implement dealer, merchant, grain merchant and later alderman and mayor. He is enshrined in the history of Yorkton by the naming of Dunlop Street and the Dunlop Block, situated at the corner of Second Avenue and Broadway Street.

William Dunlop was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1859. At the age of 17 he was operating a grain warehouse near his home in Moorsefield, Ontario.

Lured by the tales of the west, in 1882 he came to Fort Qu'Appelle and settled at Edgeley, near the Fort.

He decided to start ranching and purchased 25 head of poor grade cattle, which were shipped from Winnipeg. However he had to travel to Devil's Lake (now known as Good Spirit Lake), a hundred mile journey, for hay.

While at Devil's Lake, he met Donald Gunn, who persuaded him to move his ranch to Devil's Lake. He carried on a successful ranching operation there until 1890 when he was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Constituency of Yorkton.

He sold his ranch and moved to Yorkton and took a job with the Massey Harris Company. Later he obtained agencies for other implement companies and ran a successful farm machinery business.

He bought land at the corner of Second Avenue and Broadway Street, where he erected the Dunlop Block in 1903. He opened a general store in partnership with Howard Bradbrooke and William Hopkins.

His business flourished and he opened a branch store in Buchanan. As well as running the general store, he also bought grain.

Later he formed a partnership with Eli Poulter and together they operated the largest store in Yorkton.

He was active in the community and the Yorkton Board of Trade. Along with his commercial ventures in Yorkton, he carried on a successful farming operation. He became an alderman in 1903 and served as mayor from 1905 to 1907.

The Hudson Bay Railroad was of special interest to him and he felt some day that it would become an important artery of trade for the province.

Mr. Dunlop died in January of 1943 at the age of 83.