RM of Newcombe named after early settler

By Joan Janzen

Many towns, villages and rural municipalities were named after early settlers who came to their regions. This was also the case for the RM of Newcombe located in the Glidden area. Details concerning Allan Newcombe’s arrival to Saskatchewan are recorded in the RM of Newcombe’s history book ‘As It Happened’.

Allan Simpson Newcombe, 1908. As It Happened ... History of the R.M. Of Newcombe No. 260

Allan Newcombe and a group of settlers left Boston on April 2, 1906 and arrived in Saskatoon four days later. The group of 21 men, seven or eight women and several children was the first group to charter a railway car to Canada from the United States. It was recorded that a band of musicians saw them off at the station. Additional settlers followed later.

Newcombe received his homestead at SE 1/4 10-27-22 on April 20, 1906. However in the fall of 1907 he returned to Saskatoon where his wife had passed away, and never returned to farm his land. His homestead was cancelled and received by Eldon B. Houser on May 1, 1908.

Nevertheless, because Newcombe was so well liked, and had brought so many settlers to the area, it was decided that the rural municipality would be named after him.