Weaver Park is a landmark in Lloydminster. It features a dog park and a camping area, it’s a draw for residents and tourists.
This led me to research the namesake, Harvey Clayton Weaver. The man who would eventually be inducted into the Lloydminster Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1976 was widely touted as a horticultural genius. He was notably ahead of his time in the plant game.
Weaver had a basic philosophy that still holds up, “Always leave a place at least as good as, if not better than, you found it.”
He was born in Ohio before homesteading near Swift Current in 1906, eventually re-establishing his family on a farm south of Lone Rock. He built his reputation as a registered seed grower. Then, he was featured in the April 23, 1936, issue of The Country Guide. Weaver received high praise claiming a weed would be lonesome on the Weaver Place.
“Weaver is one of the premier professional seed growers of this country. He is a first-class farmer, a first-class seed grower and a first-class citizen,” the article read. “He is always a little better than his word.”
It was clear earning such high praise from a recognized publication showed his talent for the field.
By 1946, Weaver and his wife Lydia began planting the groves of evergreens we still see today.
Weaver also experimented with growing fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, vegetables and of course the rest of his 160 acres was devoted to growing registered seed oats and crested wheat grass.
Eventually, Weaver’s land changed hands and became property of the city, but I’ll delve into that another time.
What interested me the most of Weaver was his mastery of Horticulture. He was praised in his time as being a genius.
To have dedicated your life to something and mastered it shows an unwavering amount of
discipline.
In the modern day, you might look at his former property and be happy to walk your dog on it or camp for the weekend but it’s important to remember the man behind the name.
Read more: Column: News and the betterment of the community
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