Saltcoats, Saskatchewan

Saltcoats is a small town in East Central Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border in Canada. The town's population was 474 in 2011. The town was built in the late 19th century, and its economy was driven by the railway. There is no longer passenger service to the town.

Saltcoats
Town
Saltcoats Location of Saltcoats in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Saltcoats Saltcoats (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 51°2′0″N 102°10′0″W
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Rural Municipality	213 , Saskatchewan
Post office established	1888-12-01
Village organized	April 4, 1894
Town proclaimed	1910
Government
• Mayor	Grant McCallum
• Federal Electoral District M.P.	Gary Breitkreuz
• Provincial Constituency M.L.A.	Bob Bjornerud
Area
• Land	1.35 km^2 (0.52 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	474
• Density	352.2/km^2 (912/sq mi)
• Summer (DST)	CST
Postal code	S0A 3R0
Area code(s)	306
Website	Official website
[2][3]

History

The community was established in 1887 ahead of the arrival of the Manitoba and Northwestern Railway in 1888 when the post office was opened.[4] In 1894, Saltcoats was the first village incorporated in the North-West Territories as they then were.[5] The town was originally named 'Stirling', but that was later changed to Saltcoats, after Saltcoats, Scotland, the birthplace of a major railway shareholder and the home port of Allen Steam-ship Lines which brought over many of the immigrants from the British Isles that settled in the region.[6]

In 1902, 208 Welsh settlers (44 families) fleeing unfavorable conditions in Welsh Patagonia came to Saltcoats, but within a generation their community lost its cultural cohesion and melted into the English-speaking cultural matrix.[7]

Government

Provincial Representation

• Melville - Saltcoats Riding - Bob Bjornerud - Saskatchewan Party

Federal Representation

• Yorkton Riding - Gary Breitkreuz - Conservative Party of Canada

Media

The Four-Town Journal covers Saltcoats and area.

Notable people

• The Honourable Gordon Barnhart: Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan (2007–2012)
• The Very Reverend Walter H. Farquharson: internationally noted hymnodist; former Moderator of the United Church of Canada
• Ron Liepert, Broadcaster, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Alberta Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament
• Joan McCusker: gold medallist in curling (1998 Winter Olympics)

References

1. "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
2. National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved 2014-08-21.
3. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved 2014-08-21.
4. David Maclennon, "Saltcoats, Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
5. Maclennon.
6. "SaskBiz Profile: Saltcoats, Saskatchewan".
7. Williams, Colin H. "Multicultural Canada — Welsh". Multicultural Canada Project, Simon Fraser University. Archived from the original on 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2007-07-01.