Recognizing rich and diverse social history and cultural heritage of Saskatoon's 20th Street, in 2012, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Saskatchewan decided to tap into the rich memory landscape of this neighbourhood before it would become fully transformed into yet another trendy urban juncture. The intention was to document the vibrant social history of 20th Street through the oral history project presented here.

The “Oral History of 20th Street” is a multiyear community-based and student-led research project conducted at the University of Saskatchewan by the students enrolled in a third year Anthropology course titled "Oral History and Storytelling: Anthropological Perspectives." Over the course of two years (2012-2013), as part of their training in the methodology of oral history, students connected to 20th Street through various field activities. As an element of their work, they interviewed a number of individuals living and working on 20th Street or in its vicinity. As a result of their research, students not only recorded, transcribed and documented the life histories and conversations they held with people of this neighbourhood, but altogether preserved an important slice of local cultural memory that effectively profiles the rich social history of this rapidly transforming urban area. Unique and distinct, these stories are brought together in this online public history exhibit, as patches of a rich quilt of history representing in many ways the disappearing social landscape.

Given the vast human experience of 20th Street, the project aimed to record as diverse a group of local voices as possible, to preserve and present this unique cultural and social mosaic for which 20th Street has been known. Amongst those who shared their voices and perspectives on 20th Street are store managers and bankers, the unemployed and homeless, politicians and priests, former drug dealers and prostitutes, restaurant owners and former bakers, policemen and health region officials, directors of local non-government organizations and activists in neighbourhood association. Each voice tells yet another different story of 20th Street and each story has its rightful place in the mesh of area representations. Recorded and documented by student researchers, each story offers a unique perspective on 20th Street and, altogether, they offer a moving testimony to how rich the social history of 20th Street has been in any given period of its existence.

With the chance to listen to the stories and read the transcripts of such unique group of people, the visitors to this site thus have an opportunity to go beyond their own imaginings of what 20th Street might be about.

We invite you to explore this rich quilt of stories and, if you have a special connection to 20th Street, to perhaps contribute to this project with your own story.

The online archives and exhibit profile all stories recorded by the researchers. While most stories are freely accessible in this exhibit, several stories remain outside of public domain due to restricted use conditions. If you are interested in accessing such stories for your research needs, please contact the project coordinators.