St. Louis, Saskatchewan

For other uses, see Saint Louis (disambiguation).
St. Louis
Village
St. Louis
Coordinates: 52°55′00″N 105°49′00″W / 52.91667°N 105.81667°W / 52.91667; -105.81667
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan
Rural Municipality St. Louis No. 431
Post office Founded as Boucher, Saskatchewan NWT 1888-02-01
Post office Founded as St. Louis, Saskatchewan NWT 1897-05-01
Government
 • Mayor Les Rancourt
 • M.P. Saskatoon-Humboldt Brad Trost
 • M.L.A. Batoche Delbert Kirsch
Area
 • Total 1.08 km2 (0.42 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 445
 • Density 416.6/km2 (1,079/sq mi)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
Postal code S0J 2C0
Website St. Louis, Saskatchewan
[1][2][3][4]

St. Louis is a Canadian village in the province of Saskatchewan, south of Prince Albert and northeast of Batoche. It was founded by Métis settlers in the late 19th century, and is the northernmost Southbranch Settlement, a series of communities which range from Fish Creek in the south along the South Saskatchewan River through Batoche and St. Laurent to St. Louis. St. Louis is within the boundaries of the rural municipality St. Louis No. 431. The village has a mayor to govern civic infrastructure and municipal policy. St. Louis is also within SARM Division No. 5 and Census Division No. 15, Saskatchewan. St. Louis is located in the aspen parkland biome.

History

St. Louis is home to a large archaeological site[5] of aboriginal artifacts predating those found at Wanuskewin near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Key discoveries at the site have included new species of wolf and buffalo approximately 25% larger than modern species and a bead that indicates decoration of clothing about 1000 years earlier than previously thought.[6]

St. Louis is just northeast of South Branch House, one of many small trading posts from fur trading days; this post was attacked and burnt by the Atsina in the 18th century in retaliation for the company's supplying their enemies the Cree and Assiniboine with guns and goods.

The first post office was founded under the name of Boucher, Saskatchewan NWT on 1 February 1888 with the first post master being Reverend Eugene Lecoq. The post master was succeeded by Jean Baptiste Boucher Sr who homesteaded at Sec.11, Twp.45, R.27, W2 which happened to also be the location of the post office.[7] In 1897-05-01 the post office changed names to St. Louis, Saskatchewan NWT.[8] Historically it was bordered by the Anglo-Métis settlements of Halcro and Red Deer Hill to the north.

Geography

The nearest community of size is Prince Albert a twenty-minute drive to the north. St. Louis is located at an intersection of Highway 2 north/south and Highway 25. The grid road Highway 782 continues westerly along the South Saskatchewan River to arrive at Duck Lake.

Demographics

Although English is the predominant language in the community now, there is still a large Métis and French population today.[11]

Area statistics

Attractions

Locally it is known also for the St. Louis Light, an allegedly paranormal phenomenon, the historic St. Louis Bridge and the picturesque beauty of the South Saskatchewan River.

A large bison sculpture of an extinct species that was 25% larger than modern bison is on display. The sculpture was the last work of Ralph Berg (1952-2004)[12] who created other monumental pieces in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.[13]

The community sponsors many events throughout the year. These include:

Infrastructure

As is the case with many small towns in Saskatchewan, the lack of economic growth is a concern. The province has announced that the original St. Louis Bridge will be closed down in the future and a new bridge will be constructed. The new bridge, however, will be located more than a mile from the edge of the village. Thus, many residents and businesses are concerned about the possible financial impact on the village.

St. Louis remains a vibrant community. It has:

Notable people from St. Louis

See also

Publications

  • Title Histoire de Saint-Louis, Saskatchewan et des environs Published [Saskatchewan : s.n.], 1980 (Saskatchewan? : Impr. La Prairie)

By the Committee of the Local History of St. Louis; under direction of Marie-Madeleine Tournier Also published in English under title: I remember: a history of St. Louis and surrounding areas Other Authors Tournier, Marie-Madeleine Saint Louis Local History Committee

  • Title I remember : a history of St. Louis and surrounding areas Published Saint Louis, Sask. : Saint Louis Local History Committee, 1980

Other Authors Saint Louis Local History Committee ISBN 0-88925-151-7[15]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters
  2. ↑ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home, Municipal Directory System
  3. ↑ Canadian Textiles Institute. (2005), CTI Determine your provincial constituency
  4. ↑ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005), Elections Canada On-line
  5. ↑ The St. Louis archeological find discussed.
  6. ↑ Press release and additional details regarding the archeological find
  7. ↑ Government of Canada National Archives ArchiviaNet Western Land Grants (2006-10-05), Western Land Grants (1870-1930), retrieved 2007-08-06
  8. ↑ Government of Canada National Archives ArchiviaNet Western Land Grants (2006-10-05), List itemPost Offices and Postmasters (– Scholar search), retrieved 2007-08-06 Archived October 6, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  10. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  11. ↑ "NHS Profile, St. Louis, VL, Saskatchewan, 2011 (The sum of the ancestries in this table is greater than the total population estimate because a person may report more than one ancestry (ethnic origin) in the National Household Survey.)". 2011. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  12. ↑ "Prehistoric Bison in St. Louis, Saskatchewan". Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  13. ↑ "Works by Ralph Berg (1952 - 2004)". Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  14. ↑ "The Canadian Tribute to Human Rights (Nelson Mandela Visit)". Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  15. ↑ WebPAC PRO © Innovative Interfaces, Inc., University of Saskatchewan Online Library Database, retrieved 2007-08-06

External links

 South Saskatchewan River-Halcro-Red Deer Hill
Duck Lake-MacDowall Hagen-Birch Hills
   St. Louis  
Hoey-Domremy

Coordinates: 52°55′N 105°49′W / 52.917°N 105.817°W / 52.917; -105.817 (St. Louis)

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