HOW SAGE HILL HAPPENED

W.O. Mitchell, in 1951, led Saskatchewan's first residential creative writing course housed in several war-time buildings at Fort Qu'Appelle. After a hiatus of several years, the course reappeared in 1966 as part of the new Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts, which included band and choral music, drama and visual arts, at the Briercrest Bible School near Moose Jaw. In 1967, that program moved to Echo Valley Centre, a renovated TB sanitarium, and went from 350 to 1212 students attending 28 classes over a seven week period.

In 1974, to meet growing demands, fall and winter sessions were added in some areas and the summer program was expanded to twelve weeks. By 1976 the faculty numbered 122.