In March of 1919, students at Nutana Collegiate (called Saskatoon Collegiate Institute until 1923) announced they would establish a memorial for the 29 alumni soldiers who died in the First World War. Principal Alfred J. Pyke instead suggested creating a Memorial Art Gallery that consisted exclusively of paintings by Canadian artists. They purchased one painting by a different artist for each fallen soldier.
John William Beatty's The North Country was acquired between 1925 - 1927 and dedicated to Private Grenville Carson Hopkins. Grenville attended Saskatoon Collegiate Institute from 1911 to 1915. He enlisted on 22 March 1917 and after only one night in the trenches was killed at Passchendaele on 14 November 1917.
