Ponteix

Ponteix
Town
Ponteix town hall
Ponteix Location of Ponteix in Saskatchewan
Coordinates: 49°27′N 107°17′W / 49.45°N 107.29°W
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Region	Saskatchewan
Census division	No. 3
Rural Municipality	Auvergne
Post office Founded	1908-10-01
Government
• Mayor	Shawn Larochelle
• Town Manager	Lynne Lemieux
• Governing body	Ponteix Town Council
• MLA Wood River	Yogi Huyghebaert
• MP Cypress Hills-Grasslands	David Anderson
Area
• Total	1.09 km^2 (0.42 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	605
• Density	556.0/km^2 (1,440/sq mi)
Time zone	CST
Postal code	S0N 1Z0
Area code(s)	306
Highways	Highway 13 Highway 612
Website	Official Website
[2][3]

Ponteix /ˈpɒntɛks/ is a town in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, 86 km (53 mi) southeast of Swift Current. It is located on Highway 628 just north of Highway 13

History

In 1908, Father Albert-Marie Royer from the Auvergne region in France established a parish and hamlet called Notre-Dame d’Auvergne north of Notukeu Creek. Five years later, the townsite was moved south of the creek when the Canadian Pacific Railway laid track south of the creek. After the move, the community was renamed Ponteix after Father Royer's former parish in France (Le Ponteix, commune of Aydat).^[4]

Demographics

According to the 2011 federal census, there were 605 residents in Ponteix of which 175 spoke both official languages (English and French).^[1]

Attractions

• Plesiosaur Statue: Near Ponteix was the site of a plesiosaur find in the early 1990s. In 1995 community members and students of Ponteix school contributed small articles to this plesiosaur statue before it was filled with cement and painted by the towns people in a ceremony commemorating the discovery of the original plesiosaurs bones.^[7]
• Notukeu Heritage Museum located in Ponteix features prehistoric artifacts.^[8]
• Notre Dame D'Auvergne Catholic Church a brick and concrete structure in Ponteix built in 1929 features twin steeples and houses a large wood carving of the Pieta.^[9] The Pieta statue came to Canada in 1909 and was saved when the 1916 church was destroyed by fire in 1923. A description of the oak statue in 1954 by Abbot Jerome Webber of St. Peter's Abbey claims it was made in France over four hundred years ago, was saved by peasants during the French Revolution and was once covered in pure gold.^[10]

Notable residents

Mark Lamb, a former professional hockey player and now assistant coach for the Dallas Stars was born in Ponteix.

See also

• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of towns in Saskatchewan

References

1. "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
2. National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved 2013-11-22.
3. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved 2013-11-22.
4. "Town of Ponteix website". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
5. "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
6. "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
7. "Big Things (Village of Ponteix, Saskatchewan)". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
8. "Museums Association of Saskatchewan (Notukeu Heritage Museum)". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
9. "Notre Dame D'Auvergne Catholic Church". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
10. "Saskatchewan’s Marian Shrines". Retrieved 2012-12-20.

Coordinates: 49°45′N 107°29′W / 49.750°N 107.483°W