Shepley Island is in lower left portion of the map indicated by the red marker.
Shepley Island is a 151 acres (61 ha) island, in the South Saskatchewan River just outside the southern boundaries of the city of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park.
Today there are no structures or building on the island. However, from 1943 to 1951 it was a sea cadet camp under the command of Lieutenant P.K. Wilton.
In the summer months in the 9 years the centre operated several thousand boys between 12 and 16 trained here during and shortly after WWII. Some of the boys who attended sea cadets at Shepley Island fondly remembered the experience. My own father and his twin brother attended as cadets when they were 15 years old. Like many prairie boys the whole idea of learning naval and boating skills was extremely appealing to them.
The popularity of the sea cadet program contributed to the sizable number of young Saskatchewan men recruited into the Royal Canadian Navy during and after WWII. My sister-in-law Leslie did a research project on Shepley Island in the early 1980s, commissioned by the Meewasin Valley Authority, and in the course of her interviews with former sea cadets who trained at Shepley Island she was struck by the comments of some cadets that the experience was one of the best of their lives.
On that note, we will end today’s Jane’s Walk, and hope to see you in person in the 2022 jane's Walks!
