In 1936, when P.R. and Sadie Johnson bought the King's Hotel in Redvers, the place was closed and boarded up.   No sooner had the couple cleaned the place up and reopened the hotel for business, then a disaster - or perhaps a windfall - occurred.   On May 2, 1936, one mile west of town, a freight train jumped the rails.   Twenty-three cars left the track, killing one of the many hobos who rode the rails during the Depression years.   Within hours, scores of railway men from the eastern and western divisional points (Souris, Manitoba and Arcola) arrived to clear the track.   As a result, the King's Hotel was full to capacity for several days, with many of the railway men sleeping on the floor.   The Johnson's hotel business was off to a good start.

Historical information courtesy of Joan Champ