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10. 910 Boyle:
Legacy of Pioneer Druggist
The first owner of 910 Boyle Street was Indian Head’s
pioneer druggist Alfred G. Orchard. Born in England,
he moved with his family to Newcastle, Ontario.
Though his father’s death meant quitting school at 14
to support his mother and siblings, Orchard found work
with a druggist and mentor who encouraged him to take
up the profession. After passing the necessary exams,
he travelled west in 1891, eager to start a practice. As it
happened, Dr. J. W. Kemp, also new to Indian Head, was
looking for a druggist.
The two young men not only became colleagues, but
“batched” together until their fiancées arrived from
Ontario and they were married in a double wedding
ceremony.
Orchard opened his drugstore in 1892 and built his fine
wood-frame home at 910 Boyle in 1905. In 1907, his
mother and siblings joined his growing family. In 1917,
the Orchards moved to Regina, where Alfred took up
optometry.
Monica and Glen Wotherspoon are the house’s fifth
owners. The original house, like many of that era,
included a verandah. The original trees now tower over
the stately home and Monica has made an art of finding
flowers and groundcover that thrive in shade. AK
A violent storm in July 2011 tore out several trees and
drastically altered the Wotherspoon’s front yard.
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