The community of Rokeby sits on the land that was the territory of the Cree, Ojibwe and Anishinaabe people. The bison of The Great Plains reached the region and were an important part of the life of the Indigenous people of the region.
As European fur traders began to arrive, a new Indigenous nation was born, the Metis.
Today, Rokeby sits on Treat 4 land.
Rokeby itself was founded at the turn of the 20th century as new settlers came to take advantage of the cheap land available to them.
One of the most recognizable aspects of this small hamlet is the white community hall. At this hall, skiers will gather before heading out on the day-long derby tour through the RM of Wallace.
A unique story came out of Rokeby on June 5, 1934 when it was found that L.C. Foster, who had lived in the community since the previous year was actually Llewellyn C. Fletcher. Foster was the CCF candidate in the provincial election and he was pressed to reveal who he really was after suspicions arose. Before changing his name, Fletcher or Foster lived in Odessa, Ontario where he was a ministers son. After a nervous breakdown he left Ontario and settled in Saskatchewan. After he recovered, he took the name Foster. Due to the story, he would remove his candidacy in the election.
On June 28, 1954, the grain elevator in Rokeby was destroyed in a terrible fire. The origin of the fire was unknown but four local firemen and a pumper were called out at 11:30 p.m. to fight the fire and try to save the structure. They were unable to do so, nor save the sheds, one of which contained a 90 gallon tank of gasoline. They had no water to fight the fire, so it was a losing battle. The fire destroyed 20,000 bushels of grain.
On Oct. 24, 1957, a local farmer had a narrow escape with a train in the morning when his car collided with the CPR westbound train near the community. He had failed to see or hear the train within six feet of the railway crossing. He stepped on the gas and the engine clipped the train causing $200 in damages. The train crew was unaware of the collision until finding paint on the engine during a check.
