Tucked away in a corner of the ground floor of Yorkton City Hall sits a high-backed, richly carved oak chair. If this historic chair could talk, what a great story it could tell.

In 1917 Mayor James Peaker presided over the Town of Yorkton council meetings sitting in this regal throne-like chair.

It looked impressive, but was likely very uncomfortable during long drawn-out council meetings. At the end of his three-year term in 1919, the council of the day presented him with the chair. After his death in 1931 the chair was taken to Leaside, Ontario, by his son Larry.

The chair was then given to Howard Talbot, the mayor of Leaside. The following years were not kind to the chair, and it was in the process of being carted off to the garbage dump when it was spotted by Edward Harding of Leaside, who recognized its worth and took possession of it.

He restored the chair and presented it to the town council of Leaside.

When the chair was restored, it was discovered that a plaque was attached to the chair, with the following inscription: "Presented to James E. Peaker, Esquire, Mayor 17-18-19 by the council of Yorkton".

Though the town of Leaside had previously been known as Yorkton, there was no record of a Mayor Peaker during those years.

Someone remembered that there was a Yorkton in Saskatchewan, and a letter was sent to the council here telling them about the chair and inquiring about a mayor by that name.

A reply was immediately sent back to Leaside, stating that indeed Mr. Peaker was mayor of Yorkton during those years, and that his daughter, Mrs. E. E. Crossthwaite, was anxious to have it back as a remembrance of her father.

Subsequently the chair arrived back in Yorkton and on October 4, 1967, Mrs. Crossthwaite presented the chair to the City of Yorkton in remembrance of her father.

The chair was accepted on behalf of the city by Mayor William Fichtner, who spoke of the contribution Mr. Peaker made to council, the school board and the business community of Yorkton.

The presentation of the chair to Yorkton City Council coincided with the 100th anniversary of the year of Mr. Peaker's birth, and the 50th anniversary of his first term as mayor the Yorkton.

And so the chair sits today in City Hall, a historic reminder of the contributions of the many people who gave of their time and talents to make Yorkton a great place to live, work and raise our families.