By the year 1897, the Icelanders and their other neighbours were quite comfortably settled when a group of Ruthenians from the Austrian provinces of Bukovina and Galicia arrived by rail between 1897 and 1898 at Saltcoats.

Government agents escorted the new settlers to quarter sections of land where they homesteaded within a five to 10 mile radius of the present site of Calder.

Additional Romanian immigrants from Bucovina continued to homestead remaining sections south of Calder between 1899 and 1905.

In the fall of 1910, the Canadian Northern Railway came through and called the site "Third Siding West of Shellmouth".

The rail reached the homestead of Mike Rohatensky before halting construction for the winter months.

A railway loop was built in Calder where the train turned and journeyed back to Russell.

The first one to be built in the immediate five-mile radius was Chernawka School, erected in 1906, 1½ miles east of the village site.

A lean-to was built onto a poolroom on Main Street and in this makeshift schoolroom was where first classes were held with Miss Fannie Brown as teacher.