Bruno takes its name from Father Bruno Doerfler, who came to the area in 1902 with other German settlers from Minnesota. From 1911 to 1919 he served as Abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Saint Peter-Muenster, whose territory included Bruno and was also known as St. Peter's Colony.
Brick-making shaped the town early on. Bruno Clayworks, 4 km west of town, produced over one million bricks between 1905 and the 1960s. They were a distinctive sideways "T" shape that let rows interlock when rotated 180 degrees. Many buildings in the area were built with them, including the Old Fire Hall and Jail, a heritage building that now houses the Bruno Museum.
In 1919 the Ursuline Sisters opened a convent, and in 1922 St. Ursula's Academy was established. The building was expanded in the 1950s with an extension that included the chapel, and again in 1962 with a gymnasium and in 1977 with an infirmary wing. The academy graduated its last class in 1982, and eight stained glass windows from the chapel have since been moved to places in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Humboldt. In 2007 the facility became home to St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission, a Catholic post-secondary school of faith formation.
Today Bruno is the only community on the prairies to hold an annual cherry festival.
Written from Wikipedia’s article “Bruno, Saskatchewan” (CC BY-SA 4.0), and shared under the same licence.