The history of Calder goes back to 1888, when a number of Icelanders and others settled just to the south of the present village, calling it the "Lögberg" district or "Lögberg of the Northwest Territories". By the year 1897, the Icelanders and their other neighbours were quite comfortably settled when a group of Ruthenians from the Austrianprovinces of Bukovina and Galicia arrived by rail between 1897 and 1898 at Saltcoats. Government agents escorted the new settlers to quarter sections of land where they homesteaded within a five to 10 mile radius of the present site of Calder. Additional Romanianimmigrants from Bucovina continued to homestead remaining sections south of Calder between 1899 and 1905.
In the fall of 1910, the Canadian Northern Railway came through and called the site "Third Siding West of Shellmouth". The rail reached the homestead of Mike Rohatensky before halting construction for the winter months. A railway loop was built in Calder where the train turned and journeyed back to Russell.
A petition to incorporate as a village was signed by 13 local business leaders in October 1910. Calder incorporated as a village on January 18, 1911.[5] It was named after MLAJames Alexander Calder. The first elections to form a village council were held on January 6, 1911.
In 1929, the Calder Electric Company brought electric power to the village and several street lamps were erected.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Calder had a population of 81 living in 44 of its 62 total private dwellings, a change of -10% from its 2016 population of 90. With a land area of 0.75 km2 (0.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 108.0/km2 (279.7/sq mi) in 2021.[8]
In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Calder recorded a population of 90 living in 54 of its 67 total private dwellings, a -7.8% change from its 2011 population of 97. With a land area of 0.75 km2 (0.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 120.0/km2 (310.8/sq mi) in 2016.[9]
Education
In 1891, Rothbury School was built followed by Minerva School in 1895. These schools to the south of the Icelandic settlement were too great a distance for the Ukrainians to attend. Thus, they applied for schools closer by. The first one to be built in the immediate five-mile radius was Chernawka School, erected in 1906, 1½ miles east of the village site. It was named after a village in Bucovina. Mostetz School was built in 1907, named after homesteader Henry Mostoway and Torsk School was erected about the same time.
It wasn't until after the railway came through and the village of Calder was incorporated in 1911, that Calder School District #515 was established. A lean-to was built onto a poolroom on Main Street and in this makeshift schoolroom was where first classes were held with Miss Fannie Brown as teacher. In 1912 a two-story school was erected. In 1914 the school was closed due to a small poxepidemic and in 1917 the school was closed for three months due to the influenza epidemic. High school grades weren't offered until 1922. In 1929 a third room was added, which became the room for the high school grades.
By the year 1954, rural schools were facing closure and some of these students were then bussed into Calder. Thus, a new school was built in 1961 to accommodate the increasing attendance. Two of the buildings from the old school on Main Street were moved to the current Calder School premises to become classrooms. Also, at this time, Calder School became part of the Kamsack School Unit.
From 1961 to 1966, seven classrooms were in operation. In 1967, Grades 10, 11 and 12 transferred to the Yorkton Regional High School. It wasn't until the 1998 that the Grade 9 classes were transferred to school in Yorkton. Currently the school teaches grades K-8.
Calder celebrated the Province of Saskatchewan's Centennial
July 30 – 31st,2005 were the village introduced the official flag, which the design had been part of the Calder School's students as a competition. Over 600 current and previous residents in attendance.
In July 2011 the village held its 100th anniversary.
