Weyburn, Saskatchewan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Weyburn is a city in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on the Souris River 110 kilometres (68 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is 70 km (43 mi) north of the border with the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek.
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[edit] Demographics
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The city had a population of 9,433 in 2006, having declined from 9,534 in 2001.[1]
According to the Canada 2006 Census[2]:
| • Population: | 9,433 (-1.1% from 2001) |
| • Land area: | 15.78 km² (6.09 sq mi) |
| • Population density: | 597.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,548 /sq mi) |
| • Median age: | 39.8 (males: 38.1, females: 41.4) |
| • Total private dwellings: | 4,267 |
| • Dwellings occupied by permanent residents: | 4,046 |
| • Mean household income: | $38,469 |
[edit] History
The Canadian Pacific Railway reached the future site of Weyburn from Brandon, Manitoba in 1892 and the Soo Line from North Portal on the US border in 1893.[3] A post office opened in 1895 and a land office in 1899 in anticipation of the land rush which soon ensued.[4] Weyburn was legally constituted a village in 1900, a town in 1903 and as a city in 1913.[5]
[edit] Facilities
Today the city's facilities include:
- 220 stores and services;
- four elementary schools, two junior high schools and one high school; and the Southeast Regional College;
- public library;
- Weyburn General Hospital;
- municipal police and fire departments;
- some 15 churches;
- two radio stations
- a weekly newspaper, the Weyburn Review, established in 1909.[6]
[edit] Sports
Weyburn is the home of the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). The Red Wings have been Canadian Junior A Hockey League Champions on two occasions, in 1984 and 2005. Weyburn is also home to the Beavers of the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL.ca), A collegiate summer baseball league located in the prairie provinces of Canada.
[edit] Noteworthy Weyburnites
Weyburn was the birthplace of acclaimed Canadian writers W. O. Mitchell, Guy Gavriel Kay and Mark Steven Morton, and former National Hockey League player Dave "Tiger" Williams. It was also home to Canadian politician Tommy Douglas who is credited with the establishment of Medicare in Canada. In 2005, Douglas was voted the Greatest Canadian in a nationwide poll on Canadian Broadcasting Corporations "The Greatest Canadian". British medical researcher Dr Humphry Osmond is also a former resident of Weyburn. It is also the birthplace of the former Premier of Prince Edward Island, Pat Binns.
[edit] Economy
Weyburn is the largest inland grain gathering point in Canada. Well over half a million tons of grain pass through the Weyburn terminals each and every year. Weyburn is also home to the world's only curling museum, the Turner Curling Museum. Weyburn is also home to the Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital (which was closed as a health care facility and sold in 2006). When opened in 1921, it was the largest building in Canada and was considered on the cutting edge of experimental treatments for people with mental disabilities. The facility had a reputation of leading the way in therapeutic programming. At its peak, the facility was home to approximately 2,500 patients. The history of the facility is explored in the documentary Weyburn: An Archaeology of Madness.[7]
[edit] Infrastructure
Weyburn, the opportunity city,has also been dubbed the Soo Line City due its connection with Chicago on the Soo Line of the Canadian Pacific Railway CPR.[8] The city of 9,433 [9] people is situated on Sk Hwy 35, Sk Hwy 39, and Sk Hwy 13.[10] The small towns of Exon and Converge have been absorbed into the city of Weyburn today.[11] The Pasqua branch or the Souris, Arcola, Weyburn, Regina CPR branch, Portal Section CPR on the Soo Line, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Shaunavon, Lethbridge section CPR, The Brandon, Marfield, Carlyle, Lampman, Radville, Willow Bunch sectionCNR, and the Regina, Weyburn, Radville, Estevan, Northgate section CNR have all run through Weyburn.[12] Weyburn is located astride the Williston geological Basin which contains oil deposits, and several wells operate in the vicinity. [10] Weyburn features roadside attractions of a large Lighthouse Water Tower, Wheat sheaves and Prairie Lily.[13] Weyburn is situated near the upper delta of the 470 mile long Souris River. The Souris River continues southeast through North Dakota eventually meeting the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. [8] In the 1800s this area was known as an extension of the Greater Yellow Grass Marsh.
Extensive flood control programs have created reservoirs, parks and waterfowl centres along the Souris River.
– [10]
Between 1988 to 1995, the Rafferty-Alameda Project was constructed to alleviate spring flooding problems created by the Souris River.[14]
[edit] Notes
- ^ David McLennon, "Weyburn," Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 1 December 2007.
- ^ 2006 Community Profile
- ^ McLennon.
- ^ McLennon.
- ^ McLennon.
- ^ McLennon.
- ^ Weyburn - An Archaeology of Madness
- ^ a b Weyburn Writer's Association (2006). Hey, seeds!. Our Roots Nos Racines. University of Calgary, Université Laval. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ 2006 Community Profiles - Census Subdivision. Statistics Canada. Government of Canada (04/02/2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ a b c Canadian Rural Partnership - Rural Development - Public - Private Partnerships in Rural and Northern Canada Study - Appendix C - List of Projects. Government of Canada (2005-09-26). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ Adamson, J (Wednesday, 05-Nov-2003). Saskatchewan, Canada, Rand McNally 1924 Indexed Pocket Map Tourists' and Shippers' Guide<. Online Historical Map Digitization Project. Ancestry / Rootsweb. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ Adamson, J (Wednesday, 05-Nov-2003). Canadian Maps: May 1948 Waghorn's Guide. Post Offices in Man. Sask. Alta. and West Ontario.. Online Historical Map Digitization Project. Rootsweb. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ Donnan, Richard (1999 - 2006). Lighthouse Water Tower Weyburn, Saskatchewan. LARGE CANADIAN ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Water Control - Saskatchewan Dams and Reservoirs. Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
[edit] External links
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| Northwest: Yellow Grass | North: Regina | |
| West: Assiniboia | Weyburn | East: Carlyle |
| Southeast: Estevan |
