From Vault to Museum: Moving John Diefenbaker’s Piano Across Saskatchewan

Sometimes a move is so special, it goes down in history.

While Two Small Men mover Land Woodrow has worked on many long distance moves, one job in Saskatchewan will stay with him forever because of the cargo on board. It was yet another piano move, which was more than standard at this point. It needed to get from a university in Saskatoon to a residence in Prince Albert. But it wasn't just any piano and it wasn't just any residence.

The instrument had belonged to none other than former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

The piano had previously been sitting inside the University of Saskatchewan's high-security vault for precious artifacts. Born and raised in Prince Albert, Diefenbaker grew up with piano in his family home and held onto it when he became Canada’s 13th prime minister.

“At first, we were just told we were moving a piano from the university to a house in Prince Albert,” Landon said. “Then I looked up the delivery address and realized it was Diefenbaker’s home museum. That’s when it really hit.”

As a local of Saskatoon, Landon was obviously familiar with Diefenbaker and had learned about him back in school, but being tasked to handle one of his personal and prized possessions brought him up close and personal to the Canadian legend. The instrument was approximately 200 years old so it was both fragile and irreplaceable.

The moving crew was excited to work on this job but they knew that they had to stay calm and collected.

“We approached it the same way we would any other piano move,” Landon said. “That actually made it easier. If you think too much about the history, it can get daunting.”

The crew prepared more carefully than ever before. The vintage instrument was covered in layers of protective blankets and shrink wrap over and over again. This was to ensure there was enough padding as well as to safe guard against the cold winter weather.

When the piano was properly secured, it was carefully put on a four-wheeler where it was then brought to the moving truck. When they were ready, the drive to Prince Alber kicked off. While it normally takes less than two hours to drive from Saskatoon to Prince Albert in favourable conditions, it was indeed winter and the road conditions were less than ideal.

“When you’re hauling something like that, you slow right down,” he said. “If there’s an obstruction or rough patch, you drop to 80 or even 60 kilometres an hour. You just take your time.”

The way Landon explains it, pianos are not the worst thing to move. If they're properly strapped down and secured in the trunk, the trip can be easy and uneventful.

“I can make them 100 percent secure,” he said. “That peace of mind helps.”

This relocation involved three movers total: Landon, another piano moving expert and third member to help with grunt work. It was a small team but one that was focused on getting the job done.

They made it to Prince Albert in one piece and the piano went straight to the Diefenbaker home where it was placed in the dining room. The final steps of the move were guided by the museum's curators. Just being in Diefenbaker's home instilled the moving crew with a deep sense of Canadian history and pride.

“It showed up in mint condition,” Landon said. “They were ecstatic.”

Once everything was done Landon's personal curiosity got the best of him. He himself is a musician and so he really wanted to see if Diefenbaker's piano was still in tune. Miraculously, it was.

“That was pretty cool,” he said. “It’s one of those moves you don’t forget,” he said. “It was very inherently Canadian.”

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