Local teen hosts walking tour, showcasing the history of downtown Yorkton

Ummi Umar, 16, has started her very own walking tour, covering downtown Yorkton's more historical attractions. (Fruzsina De Cloedt/CTV News)

A local teen is attracting interest with a new walking tour of Yorkton’s downtown, which delves into the city’s history and attractions.

Two visitors could be seen standing outside Yorkton’s Godfrey Dean Art Gallery. They were getting ready to explore downtown Yorkton through a new walking tour offered by the city.

Their guide, 16-year-old Ummi Umar, was in full gear. Notebook in hand, white City of Yorkton bucket hat on her head.

“My personal favorite stop, that I find the most interesting would be the Hudson’s Bay company store,” Ummi explained. “I find that the building is visually appealing, and I also [like] the fact that the building has been preserved, it looks exactly the same way as it was when it was first built.”

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Ummi quickly assured the group that the tour would include a stop by the old Bay building where more information would be shared.

“My wife saw [information about the tour] on Facebook, and we just thought it would be an interesting thing to do for a few hours,” Darel Kawa, one of the participants, told CTV News.

The idea to have a walking tour of Yorkton’s more historical sites isn’t new.

“The City of Yorkton already has a few publications out with tours. Some of them are of residential areas and some of them are of Broadway,” Ummi explained, “So I took those publications, I studied them, and I took bits and pieces from each publication and compiled them into a tour of my own.”

Her first tour was on July 30, and it sold out fast.

Ummi graduated Yorkton Regional High School this year and will continue her studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

She said that while she is interested in local history, she would like to pursue a career in medicine.

The first stop of the tour was the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, followed by City Hall. It then goes on to explore sixteen locations around downtown Yorkton. Ummi’s research shined through when she explains small details about each of the landmarks.

At one stop, she noted that one landmark is known to host ghostly activities. On 2nd Avenue, she pointed out the influence a local brick business had on the hotel and nearby buildings.

The two participants added their own observations and memories along the way. For example, the pair recalled that there used to be a building on the corner of 1st Avenue and Smith Street that burnt down.

Based on the stories and feedback she has been receiving; Ummi keeps polishing her tour.

“I find that already the first tour that I made is already drastically different from the tour that I’m using right now,” Ummi told CTV News. “I find it will also be drastically different from the tours that I’ll be using at the end.”

“I think that it’s all just about growth,” she added.

According to Lisa Washington, Yorkton’s community, culture and heritage manager, the tour is popular among residents. Ummi agreed that there is definitely interest said that the low turnout on Wednesday was surprising.

“I think it’s a very good idea,” shared Kawa. “I think we residents should be involved in learning about our city and our community.”

The Discover Downtown walking tour is offered free of charge, and it runs until Aug. 27.