City of Regina Archives Photograph Collection, CORA-A-535

Title: Wascana Lake from the air
Date: 1931
Retrieval Number: CORA-A-535
Extent: 1 B&W Print; 11 cm x 7 cm
Scope and Content Note: Wascana Lake from the air. Legislative Buildings in foreground. Wascana Lake is empty.
Access Restrictions: None
Photographer: A.C.V. Hall
Parent fonds/collection: CORA Photograph Collection
Historical Note: The “Big Dig” in the 1930s was part of a work relief program for unemployed young men. It was very hard for young single men to receive any sort of relief during the Great Depression. Many men travelled from place to place looking for work, and their transient lifestyle disqualified them from local relief programs. The construction of the Albert Memorial Bridge and the deepening of Wascana Lake (which was empty due to the drought) provided employment for many young men in the Regina area. The lakebed was deepened by 2 feet, and the displaced earth was placed into two manmade islands.