Because of the speed with which the prairies were opened and because of the distances involved, securing supplies could be a difficult, expensive process. Rural retail systems thus became very important considerations for grain growers. Most of the general stores were operated by independent merchants, many of whom extended credit to their farmer neighbours. Stores became important social centres, too, places where farmers and their wives gossiped, discussed their common problems, considered the political questions of the day or compared notes on crop conditions. In a number of rural communities, when a merchant charged too much or there were problems in supply, farmers came together to form cooperative stores. By the 1970s these initiatives had led to the development of an extensive cooperative retail system.
Some stores, in addition to selling produce, also offered accommodation to transients, and recreation in the form of a pool table. This photograph shows a store and boarding house in Mervin, Saskatchewan, in 1913. The proprietors, shown at the left, are Mr. and Mrs. Merderack.
