The Saskatchewan Legislative Building, which survived the cyclone, was built from solid limestone a few years earlier. He had to look no further than another Prairie castle located directly across the lake from his new location. He resolved to use the most durable building materials to withstand the unforgiving Saskatchewan Prairie cyclones.
In his early sixties, with the children all grown, Darke set out to build his Annie her fortress. If it weren’t for this natural disaster, this castle would probably never have been built. Legend has it that his beloved wife Annie was so shaken by that event that she pleaded with him to build a home where she could feel safe again. It is a little known fact that the original Darke residence, located where the Hotel Saskatchewan stands today, was damaged during the devastating cyclone of 1912, which tore a path through downtown Regina. The history surrounding this castle is as intriguing as its original owner. Most local residents today may remember going there to pay their last respects to a family member or refer to it simply as the old Helmsing place. He donated $85,000 and raised another $40,000 more in 1910 to help establish Regina College, which would later become the University of Regina.ĭarke’s private life, however, has been less documented and, over the years, the castle he built has sadly been almost forgotten by all. Darke’s philanthropic work was equally impressive. His real estate holdings were so profitable that it allowed him to sell his cattle business in 1906 to focus on land development.ĭarke’s achievements are well documented : not only did he become the youngest mayor of Regina at the age of 35 (a record that still stands today), but he also was elected to the House of Commons in 1925. Darke bought out Balderson in 1894 and, with his business flourishing, took his earnings and purchased several blocks of land in town from the Canadian Pacific Railway. The two men raised livestock on a farm outside of Regina and would later purchase a butcher shop, which eventually supplied meat to the Residential schools and the North West Mounted Police. Before returning to Regina, he partnered with fellow Islander Pople Balderson. He returned briefly, in 1892 to wed Annie Elizabeth McKinnon. Born in 1863 on a farm outside Charlottetown, PEI, Darke moved out west to seek his fortune in 1891.
His story, from humble farm boy beginnings to wealthy philanthropist, is a fairy tale in itself. The original occupant was real estate magnate Francis Nicholson Darke. The story of Stone Hall Castle is a tale of two men, born over a century apart, connected by their construction of a stone fortress and their passion for real estate and living their lives to the fullest.
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