VILLAGE HISTORY

Riverhurst had its beginnings in 1914. The first site was on land owned by H.E. Billings. However, the railway was not able to come to an agreement with Billings as to the price of the site, so arrangements were made to purchase the quarter directly east. The land was bought and surveyed in 1914. That fall all the settlers on Billings’ land moved over to the new townsite and put their buildings on the lots they had purchased.

Riverhurst was named at a special meeting of settlers in July, 1915. Before the coming of the railway there were two rural post offices in the area - Riverside and Boldenhurst. They took the “river” from Riverside and the “hurst” from Boldenhurst to make Riverhurst. On June 22, 1916, the hamlet of Riverhurst was incorporated into a village.

The population of Riverhurst peaked in 1922 at 400. After the railway was built through Lucky Lake on the west side of the river in 1919, the village gradually declined. The depression of the thirties was another factor as people moved elsewhere hoping to find something better.