Some interviews 15 years ago about the Balmoral Hotel, the liquor manufacturing warehouse on Livingstone Street and other buildings erected by Harry Bronfman on Third Avenue South — re: possible entrances to tunnels during Prohibition years in Saskatchewan:
Lorna Tressel who was office Manager at SIGN for 11 years, 1981 to 1992 said that there were stairs that led to the Balmoral Hotel on the north west wall, but this area had been bricked off. On the south east corner, there was a doorway that led to an opening going towards the railroad tracks. No one investigated this. People rarely went down the basement unless there were problems with the plumbing.
Delmar Zwirsky, who was an accountant at SIGN between 1989 to 1991. said that he had rarely been in the basement but had observed a bricked off space and was intrigued when told about rumours of tunnels. The atmosphere of the basement was such that no one wanted to linger there any longer than they had to.
Former City Engineer Matt Bernat who has worked for the City since 1968 says there hasn’t been a lot of work done on Livingstone Avenue. None of the workers have ever reported finding any unusual excavations when there was digging done. Old maps, unfortunately undated show sewage and water works plans, likely in the 1930s or 1940s.
In 2003, City employees, Stu McFadyen, Bill Hawkins, Jeffery Humble, and Darren Spelay all toured the basement of the former Mr. Ribs, a building constructed by Harry Bronfman in 1919. They were there to examine the property which was to be torn down. They kept in mind the rumours of tunnels, but did not observe any evidence of their existence.
We will continue our investigation of possible tunnels next week.
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton Archives,
Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
heritage@yorkton.ca
