Historical information about Canadian towns and villages (88)

The present site of the village was purchased by the CNR in 1911, around the time the railway line was built. By 1911, many homes and businesses had been established. When the village was incorporated in April 1912, it had over 100 residents.The name 'Briercrest' was originally given to the first post office, located on Captain Charles Jaques' farm in 1902. Mrs. Jaques chose the name, inspired by the wild roses growing on a nearby ridge, and it was later adopted for the village.Today, nearly 100 years later, the village remains an active part of the community, with businesses and organizations serving the area. The current population is about 155 residents.Located roughly 45 km southeast of Moose Jaw and 80 km southwest of Regina, Saskatchewan, the village is accessible via Highway #339 and a short-line railroad operated by Southern Rails Co-operative.

Wilcox, with a 2016 population of 264, is a village in Saskatchewan, Canada, located within the Rural Municipality of Bratt's Lake No. 129 and Census Division No. 6. It sits about 41 kilometers (25 miles) south of Regina. The village is home to the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a boarding school for students in grades 9-12, and the Notre Dame Hounds ice hockey team, which competes in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.The village’s history dates back to 1902 when a post office was established in what was then Assiniboia West, part of the North West Territories. Wilcox was incorporated as a village on April 20, 1907, shortly after Saskatchewan became a province in 1905. The first school, Wilcox School District #1633, was a one-room schoolhouse.According to the 2021 Census, Wilcox had a population of 261 living in 83 of its 93 private dwellings, reflecting a slight decrease of 1.1% from its 2016 population of 264. The village covers a land area of 1.43 km² (0.55 sq mi), resulting in a population density of 182.5 people per km² (472.7/sq mi). In 2016, Wilcox had seen a more significant population decrease of 28.4% from 2011, with a density of 178.4 people per km² (462.0/sq mi) over a land area of 1.48 km² (0.57 sq mi).

Leader is a town in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, located about 350 km (220 mi) east of Calgary, Alberta, near the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. As of 2016, the town had a population of 863. The area around Leader was historically a hunting ground for prehistoric humans, with a Midland Folsom point discovered and dated by the University of Saskatchewan to 8,000–9,000 years ago.Leader is situated in the traditional territory of the Nekaneet First Nation, who were signatories of Treaty 4. Large numbers of homesteaders, primarily German immigrants from Prussia or southern Russia, began settling in the area in 1907. In 1909, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment was established to help settlers prepare for the winter. By 1911, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased land for a new settlement, and the railway reached the area in 1913, leading to the incorporation of the village of Prussia that September.Hans Quittenbaum, a local storekeeper, was elected as the first Reeve of Prussia in 1913. Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, the village changed its name and replaced its German street names with numbers. The name 'Leader' was chosen after a contest won by two local girls, who were inspired by the arrival of the Regina Morning Leader newspaper. The name was officially changed to Leader on September 27, 1917, and it was incorporated as a town on November 1 of that year.In 1914, W.T. Smith, a local rancher, built North America's largest barn, known as the Smith Barn. The structure, measuring 400 ft × 128 ft × 60 ft, took 100 men five months to complete. After Smith’s death in 1918, the barn was dismantled in 1921, though the concrete foundation remains today.Leader’s population grew after World War II, peaking at 1,236 in 1966, but has since declined due to Saskatchewan’s broader trend of rural depopulation. In 1995, American aviator Steve Fossett landed near Leader after completing the first solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, having taken off from South Korea.In 2006, the town's residents gained media attention when they posed nude for a protest calendar to draw attention to the poor condition of Highway 32, which connects Leader to Swift Current. The provincial government allocated $44.4 million to rebuild the highway, and the project was completed in 2010.On October 17, 2017, a wildfire forced the evacuation of Leader’s residents to Kindersley. Fortunately, the fire was contained the next day without any injuries or structural damage, though some local farmers and the waste station were affected.In the 2021 Census, Leader's population had increased slightly to 881, with a population density of 524.4 people per km². Leader serves as the center of a retail trading area that includes three rural municipalities, with its economy focused on grain, cattle, agricultural services, and manufacturing. The town also benefits from tourism, with attractions like the Leader Bird Watching Trail, the Smith Barn site, and the nearby Great Sand Hills.

Prelate is a small village in Saskatchewan, Canada, with a population of 116 according to the 2021 Census. It is part of the Rural Municipality of Happyland No. 231 and Census Division No. 8. Located just off Highway 32, Prelate is 12 kilometers east of Leader and 146 kilometers northwest of Swift Current.The village was first settled in 1908 and officially incorporated on October 25, 1913. One of its notable landmarks, St. Angela’s Convent and St. Angela’s Academy, was established in 1919. This boarding school for girls was operated by the Ursuline Sisters until its closure in 2007.In the 2021 Census, Prelate had a population of 116, living in 52 of its 60 private dwellings, representing a 24.7% decrease from its 2016 population of 154. The village has a land area of 0.82 square kilometers, resulting in a population density of 141.5 people per square kilometer. In the 2016 Census, Prelate recorded 154 residents living in 62 of its 77 private dwellings, a 19.5% increase from its 2011 population of 124. The village's land area at that time was 0.87 square kilometers, with a population density of 177.0 people per square kilometer.

Bangor, with a 2016 population of 38, is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, located within the Rural Municipality of Fertile Belt No. 183 and Census Division No. 5.The village was settled in 1902 by descendants of Welsh families who had originally migrated to Patagonia in 1860. After facing conflicts with Argentine authorities and a flood in 1899, about 250 of them moved again, this time to Saskatchewan, encouraged by David Lloyd George and Evan Jenkins, a fellow Welsh Patagonian who had settled in Canada earlier.Bangor was officially incorporated as a village on June 8, 1911. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway had planned to name the community Basco, but the Welsh settlers successfully petitioned to name it after Bangor, a town in Wales. According to the 2021 Census conducted by Statistics Canada, Bangor had a population of 40, an increase of 5.3% from 2016, with 11 of its 12 private dwellings occupied. The village spans an area of 1.57 km², resulting in a population density of 25.5 people per km².In the 2016 Census, Bangor’s population was recorded as 38, a 21.1% decrease from 2011 when the population was 46. With a land area of 1.65 km², the village had a population density of 23.0 people per km² at that time.

Robsart is an unincorporated hamlet in the Rural Municipality of Reno No. 51, located in Saskatchewan, Canada. As of the 2016 Census, it had a population of 20, doubling from 10 in 2011. Originally incorporated as a village in 1912, Robsart remained independent until it became an unincorporated community on January 1, 2002, under the jurisdiction of Reno No. 51. The hamlet lies 48 km southwest of Eastend at the junction of Highway 18 and Highway 13, also known as the Red Coat Trail, and is approximately 170 km southeast of Medicine Hat, Alberta, and 68 km south of Maple Creek.Robsart was established in 1910 when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased land in the area, naming it after Amy Robsart from Sir Walter Scott’s book 'Kenilworth'. Henry Abbott later bought the land and led the first settlers to the community. Rapid growth followed, with the establishment of a general store, feed mill, and 30 other businesses, including a dentist, jeweler, and surgeon. The completion of the CPR Stirling-Weyburn line brought further prosperity, and by 1917, Robsart had its own public hospital. Ten years after its founding, Robsart had a population of 350, a town hall, mayor, council, and over 50 businesses, earning it the optimistic slogan 'A town with a bright future.'However, by the late 1920s, Robsart’s fortunes began to decline. A grain elevator fire in 1929, followed by another fire in 1930 that destroyed much of the business core, marked the beginning of the downturn. The Great Depression, along with droughts, falling grain prices, and poor crop yields, further exacerbated the situation, leading to the closure of many businesses. Merchants, facing financial hardship, left in search of better opportunities. Although local residents and farmers attempted to revive the community by renovating the Robsart Community Hall in the 1980s, most businesses and homes were eventually boarded up. The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Pioneer elevators, which had been vital to the community, were demolished in 2000. On January 1, 2002, Robsart was formally dissolved as a village and became part of the Rural Municipality of Reno No. 51.In the early 1990s, former and current residents came together to create a community history book titled 'Our Side of The Hills'. Former mayor Archie Smiley contributed a revised version of an old poem called 'Ode to Robsart'.

Frontier, with a 2016 population of 372, is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, situated within the Rural Municipality of Frontier No. 19 and Census Division No. 4. Located along Highway 18, the village is served by the Frontier Airport, which lies 3.7 km south of the village.The Frontier post office was established in 1917, and the village was officially incorporated on July 10, 1930. According to the 2021 Census conducted by Statistics Canada, Frontier had a population of 364, a slight decrease of 2.2% from 2016. Of its 180 total private dwellings, 152 were occupied. The village covers a land area of 1.05 km², resulting in a population density of 346.7 people per km². In 2016, the population was 372, living in 159 of 186 dwellings, which reflected a 5.6% increase from 2011. At that time, with a smaller land area of 0.93 km², Frontier had a higher population density of 400.0 people per km².Frontier is home to the Frontier & District Golf Course, a 9-hole course that highlights the characteristics of Saskatchewan golf. Nearby attractions include Grasslands National Park - West Block, one of Canada's newer national parks located along the Montana border, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, the only interprovincial park in Canada, straddling the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Frontier School, part of the Chinook School Division, offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Piapot is a small hamlet in the Rural Municipality of Piapot No. 110, Saskatchewan, Canada. Recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada, Piapot had a population of 50 in the 2016 Census.The hamlet traces its origins back to the 1880s, when it served as a siding on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Once a bustling community, Piapot has gradually declined since the 1950s, now resembling a ghost town. Although the local hotel and saloon closed in 2006, they reopened in May 2008 as the Piapot Saloon and Guesthouse, embracing the area's western heritage. It offers a nostalgic escape with a gift shop and old-style saloon. The only other public business is the post office.In the 2021 Census, Piapot recorded a population of 40, a 20% decrease from 2016, with residents occupying 22 of its 29 private dwellings. Covering a land area of 0.74 km², the hamlet had a population density of 54.1 people per km² in 2021.

Tantallon, a village in Saskatchewan with a 2016 population of 91, is located in the Rural Municipality of Spy Hill No. 152 and Census Division No. 5. Nestled in the Qu'Appelle Valley along the Qu'Appelle River, it lies about 39 km east of Round Lake. The village celebrated its centennial in 2004.Founded in 1904, Tantallon was named after a homestead established by James Moffat Douglas, a Scottish Canadian MP and Senator, who thought the area resembled Tantallon Castle in Scotland.Tantallon features an ice rink and a senior’s centre. Its school closed due to declining enrollment, with students now traveling to Esterhazy for education.Incorporated as a village on June 17, 1904, Tantallon’s population in 2021 was 84, reflecting a 7.7% decline from 2016, when it had 91 residents. The village covers 0.84 km², with a population density of 100 people per km² in 2021, down from 108.3/km² in 2016.

According to an article from CBC, the village of Hyde, Saskatchewan, exists mostly in history books today, but landowner Hazel Morris is working to change that. Founded in the 1880s by George Audley Edward Hyde, the village was located between Grenfell and Neudorf in the Qu'Appelle Valley, east of Regina. Hyde, a British immigrant, built a thriving community with a post office, hotel, church, and more. However, by 1902, his mysterious source of wealth dried up, forcing him to leave. Hyde eventually moved to the West Coast, where he passed away in 1935.In 1999, Morris, originally from England, fell in love with the Qu'Appelle Valley and purchased the land where Hyde once stood. While managing her cattle operation, Morris became fascinated by the village's history and the enigma surrounding George Hyde's financial background. Now (in 2015) 81 years old, she is determined to restore Hyde's former home, despite challenges, and hopes to see the village come to life once again.