Arcola, Saskatchewan Explained

Official Name:Arcola
Nickname:The Heritage Town, City of Angels
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Saskatchewan#Canada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Arcola in Saskatchewan
Coordinates:49.637°N -102.49°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Saskatchewan
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Type3:Census division
Subdivision Name3:1
Subdivision Type4:Rural Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Brock
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Scott Tessier
Leader Title1:Town CAO
Leader Name1:Rebecca Korchinski
Leader Title2:Governing body
Leader Name2:Arcola Town Council
Established Title:Post office Founded
Established Date:1889
Established Title2:Incorporated (Village)
Established Date2:1901
Established Title3:Incorporated (Town)
Established Date3:N/A
Area Total Km2:3.39
Population As Of:2016
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:657
Population Density Km2:193.7
Population Blank1 Title:National Population Rank (Out of 5,008)
Population Blank1:3,006th
Timezone:CST
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:S0C 0G0
Area Code:306
Blank Name:Highways
Blank Info:Highway 13 Highway 604
Blank1 Name:Waterways
Blank2 Name:Climate
Blank2 Info:Dfb
Website:https://www.townofarcola.ca/
Footnotes:[2] [3]

Arcola is a town in south-east Saskatchewan, Canada, approximately north and east of Estevan. Highway 13, Highway 604, and Arcola Airport provide access to the community.

Arcola served as the location for the Allan King film feature of W.O. Mitchell's Who Has Seen the Wind.[4]

History

From 1757 to the 1850s the Fort Ellice-Wood Mountain Trail was used by early fur traders, Metis, and First Nations as a supply route from the buffalo hunting grounds near Wood Mountain to Fort Ellice. Pemmican was one of the main goods brought back to Fort Ellice. The trail ran along the south side of Moose Mountain Upland, through what is today Arcola. The Palliser expedition in 1857 and the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), as part of the March West to deal with the Cypress Hills Massacre, in 1874 also went through this area. A plaque on the north side of town commemorates this trail. The route taken by the NWMP is commemorated by a series of highways through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta called the Red Coat Trail.

In 2003, Arcola celebrated its 100th anniversary, marking the fact that it predates the province by two years. Arcola is known as Saskatchewan's "Heritage Town" due to its many historical brick and wood-frame structures.[4] Settlers in the area originally built a community known as Clare, located two miles north-east of where Arcola exists today, but almost all the buildings of Clare were moved when the CPR announced in the early part of 1900 that the railroad would run south of town. Arcola was the "end point" of the southern branch line running west from Souris, Manitoba for four years, during which time it became an important hub for westward migration. At one point it was the 11th largest town in what is now the province of Saskatchewan, but was then known as Assiniboia. With flourishing settlement and economic growth, many thought Arcola would achieve city status. It was during this heyday, and using bricks made in the town's own brick plant, that many of today's heritage homes and buildings were erected.[4]

Heritage buildings

Arcola has several heritage properties registered on the Canadian Register of historic places.[5]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Arcola had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 3.46km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[6]

Education

Arcola School offers Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 and is part of South East Cornerstone Public School Division #209. This public school has an enrollment of 215 pupils. The Panthers are the school team.[7]

Parks and recreation

A fair and rodeo, town wide garage sale day, Robbie Burns' Night, Co-Op Equity Days, a snowmobile rally, fall supper, and Canada Day Celebrations are among the town's annual events.

The town is home to an art gallery and the Southeast Saskatchewan Photo Museum. A full range of stores and services are available including three antique shops, a hospital and medical clinic, a K-12 school and pottery studio, as well as full-service restaurants, a laundromat, and a motel. The skating and curling rinks were destroyed by fire in 2001. Following this, community fundraising and government grants were used to construct a new rink adjoining the Prairie Place Hall, creating a multi-use community facility called Prairie Place Complex.[8] Prairie Place Complex features, an ice rink, three sheet curling, a hall that seats 450 people, and ball diamonds.

The Arcola/Kisbey Combines of the senior men's Big 6 Hockey League[9] and the Arcola Threshers of the Saskota Baseball league[10] play at the Prairie Place Complex.

Notable people

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census Profile, 2016 Census . 8 February 2017. Statistics Canada . 31 December 2020.
  2. Web site: National Archives . Archivia Net . Post Offices and Postmasters . 4 September 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061006045957/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/post-offices/001001-100.01-e.php . 6 October 2006 .
  3. Web site: Government of Saskatchewan . MRD Home . Municipal Directory System . 4 September 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160115125115/http://www.mds.gov.sk.ca/apps/Pub/MDS/welcome.aspx . 15 January 2016 .
  4. Web site: Canada's Digital Collection . Pioneering Photography . 4 September 2013.
  5. Web site: Arcola, Saskatchewan . Canada's Historic Places . 4 September 2013.
  6. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan . . February 9, 2022 . April 1, 2022.
  7. Web site: Arcola School . South East Cornerstone School Division # 209 . 4 September 2013 . 7 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150107193904/http://www.cornerstonesd.ca/Pages/default.aspx . dead .
  8. Web site: Prairie Place Complex – Town of Arcola.
  9. Web site: Big Six Hockey League . Big Six Hockey . Big Six Hockey League . 26 August 2023.
  10. Web site: Saskota Baseball League - Teams.
  11. Speers Funeral Chapel, Memorial Notice - Gerald Peter McLellan. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  12. Web site: Prestin Ryan . 4 September 2013.