Crichton, Saskatchewan Explained

Official Name:Crichton
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:CAN SK Wise Creek#Saskatchewan
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Crichton in Saskatchewan
Coordinates:49.7236°N -107.8758°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Saskatchewan
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Saskatchewan
Subdivision Type3:Census division
Subdivision Name3:4
Subdivision Type4:Rural Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Wise Creek
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1909
Established Title2:Incorporated (Village)
Established Date2:N/A
Established Title3:Incorporated (Town)
Established Date3:N/A
Leader Title1:Administrator
Leader Title2:Governing body
Leader Name2:Wise Creek No. 77
Population Total:1
Population As Of:2008
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:S0N 2G0
Area Code:306
Blank Name:Highways
Blank Info:Highway 13
Blank1 Name:Railways

Crichton is an unincorporated community within the Rural Municipality of Wise Creek No. 77, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located between Admiral and Cadillac on the historic Red Coat Trail, also known as Highway 13. Like so many towns along the Red Coat Trail, Crichton has become a ghost town with only one family remaining and many empty buildings scattered throughout the town site.

History

On July 25 to 29, 1913 a survey began by a man named David Townsend from Calgary, Alberta plotting out the new community. Residents of the community decided that the name of their community should be after Scottish poet and scholar, James Crichton born in Perthshire in 1560.

During its day as an incorporated settlement, Crichton had three grain elevators (all have been torn down), a school that has been moved to a nearby bible camp, a café and pool hall, a garage that still stands on main street, boarding house, a blacksmith shop, lumberyard, post office, livery barn, water tower (torn down in the 1960s), and a large warehouse attached to the general store. There were even a golf course and tennis courts built for the community, as well as a baseball diamond near the school site. Today Crichton has one resident, and a few scattered buildings sitting abandoned.

See also