City honours early Black settlers with road renaming
The City of Regina has approved a plan to rename the Regina portion of Armour Road as Lafayette Road, recognising the Lafayette family as among the province’s earliest Black settlers. The change follows a formal request from family members and a committee process that ultimately secured city approval.
The family’s connection to Saskatchewan reaches back to the opening years of the 20th century. Family members say their ancestors came to the province around 1900, with one relative arriving in Regina in 1906.
"My grandfather came in 1906 to Regina. He thought he had sent money for property; however, when he arrived, no one was aware of any money having arrived here. So he travelled for the next few years out to the Rosetown area to begin homesteading," said Carol LaFayette-Boyd.
Descendants later uncovered documentation of the family’s early presence through a court file from 1907. That historical record helped support the renaming application and provided a tangible link between the family and the province’s early settler era.
Family reunion, pride and a complicated past
The decision to rename the road brought the family together. Members gathered outside the city for a reunion and a commemorative ceremony marking the change.
- Family members expressed pride and excitement at the recognition.
- The renaming commemorates the family’s long-standing ties to Saskatchewan dating from the early 1900s.
- Documentation from a 1907 court case helped establish the family’s early arrival in the province.
LaFayette-Boyd described both the pride and the challenges of tracing the family’s early history. She said an attempt to record family names when her great-grandfather Edward died left gaps in the official record, complicating efforts to trace lineage precisely.
The family’s surname — LaFayette — carries a historical narrative reaching beyond Saskatchewan. According to family accounts, the name links back to a figure named James LaFayette, described as a slave and a double spy during the British-American War. Family tradition holds that James worked with British General Cornwallis, conveyed information to General LaFayette and later gained freedom after intervention and payment by Virginia authorities.
LaFayette-Boyd and relatives acknowledge some uncertainty in the genealogical chain that connects the family to James LaFayette. They point to a relative named Ferry who lived in the United States as a possible bridge between the documented Saskatchewan branch and earlier American ancestors.
Local context and what comes next
The road renaming is a civic recognition that places the Lafayette family’s story into Regina’s physical landscape. It joins a broader municipal and provincial conversation about how public spaces reflect the city’s diverse history.
Officials confirmed the renaming was approved following the committee process; family members say the decision was met with strong emotion. The renamed portion will carry the Lafayette name as a permanent marker of the family’s presence in Saskatchewan.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original road name | Armour Road (Regina portion) |
| New road name | Lafayette Road |
| Family arrival | Documented presence around 1900; court record from 1907 |
The renaming highlights how local history and family memory intersect with civic decision-making. For the Lafayette family, the change is a reminder of endurance and contribution, while for the city it is a step toward recognising the varied threads that make up Regina’s past.
