The question is often asked as to why Lloydminster was established in the middle of the wide open prairie and not along a river or lake as had older communities. The answer is summed up in one word - railways.
The town site of Lloydminster was laid out in anticipation of the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway, the right of way already having been surveyed.
The railway was two years late arriving and in 1905 when it did arrive there were some shenanigans when Canadian Northern announced that the station would be located almost two miles west.
Rev. Lloyd and others rose up in indignation and the station was moved to the northwest corner of the town site - a location which proved to be so close to the border that the station was in Alberta but part of the platform was in Saskatchewan.
In the postcard below, the label says, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan but everything except the two cream cans on the left of the platform is in Alberta.
The picture below is of the new Canadian Pacific Railway Stationhouse, built when that railway arrived in 1927. It was a fine example of the architecture of its kind. Note the "widows walk" on the second floor.
Photos courtesy of the Doug Aston Collection