Rama, Saskatchewan Explained

Rama, Saskatchewan should not be confused with Rama, Ontario.

Official Name:Rama
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Saskatchewan
Pushpin Label Position:Left
Pushpin Label:Rama
Pushpin Map Alt:Village of Rama
Pushpin Map Caption:Rama in Saskatchewan
Coordinates:51.7578°N -103.0008°W
Coordinates Footnotes:[1]
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Saskatchewan
Subdivision Type2:Census division
Subdivision Name2:9
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:East Central
Subdivision Type4:Rural Municipality
Established Title:First Area Surveys
Established Date:1890
Established Title1:First Post Office
Established Date1:1908[2]
Established Title2:Incorporated (village)
Established Date2:December 18, 1919
Established Title3:First named
Established Date3:1907
Named For:Norwegian Ram
Founder:John Anderson Berge
Government Footnotes:[3]
Government Type:Mayor-Council
Governing Body:Rama Village Council
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Phillip Shewchuk
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Footnotes:[4]
Dunam Link:off
Area Total Km2:0.67
Area Total Ha:70.01
Area Total Acre:165.56
Area Land Km2:0.653
Area Land Sq Mi:0.252
Area Land Ha:65.3
Area Land Acre:161.359
Area Water Km2:0.017
Area Water Sq Mi:0.0064
Area Water Ha:1.6607
Area Water Acre:4.10368
Area Water Percent:2.37
Length Km:0.800
Length Mi:0.50
Width Km:0.870
Width Mi:0.54
Elevation M:553
Elevation Max M:563.5
Elevation Min M:549
Population As Of:2016
Population Urban:80
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CST (No DST)[5]
Utc Offset1 Dst:-6
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:S0A 3H0
Area Code Type:Area Codes
Area Code:306 / 639
Iso Code:CA-SK
Blank Name Sec1:Highways
Blank1 Name Sec1:Waterways & Rivers
Blank1 Info Sec1:Whitesand River, Spirit Creek
Blank2 Name Sec1:NTS Mapsheets
Blank2 Info Sec1:062M15 - Preeceville and 062M14 - Margo
Blank4 Name Sec1:UN/LOCODE
Blank4 Info Sec1:CA-RMA[6]
Blank5 Name Sec1:GNBC Code
Blank5 Info Sec1:HAIJI[7]
Blank2 Name Sec2:Federal Electoral District
Blank2 Info Sec2:Yorkton—Melville
Blank3 Name Sec2:Provincial Electoral District
Blank3 Info Sec2:Kelvington-Wadena

Rama (2016 population:) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Invermay No. 305 and Census Division No. 9. It is located 44 km west of Canora and 60 km east of Wadena at the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 754.

Rama is on the banks of a tributary of Spirit Creek, which is a tributary of the Whitesand River.[8] The Spirit Creek Dam and its reservoir are located just east of the Village.

History

Community name

The rail siding and passenger platform at what is now the village was named Rama in 1904 by Canadian Northern Railways. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool archives show the name was from the Rama area of Ontario.[9] The municipal corporation has been named Rama since its inception in 1919, but the name was not declared official by other levels of government until years later, in 1956.

While other names such as Silver Hill (1907) were discussed for the village or school district they were ultimately passed over and for simplicity's sake the decision was made to keep with the name already given to the train platform and siding there.

Rama is assigned a UN/LOCODE of CA-RMA.

Doukhobors

Until 1899 a large area directly to the east of Rama, around the north end of Good Spirit Lake, was reserved for the Doukhobors; this reserve was called the Good Spirit Lake Annex. It was part of the South Colony.[10] The people settled eight communal villages in this area of almost 170,000 acres.[11]

Decisions of the Canadian government in early 1907 caused almost all of these communal farm villages to be deserted for individual homesteads by 1918. The families moved on to southern British Columbia or to individual farmsteads.[12]

Homesteading and surveys

Rama incorporated as a village on December 18, 1919.[13] The first British-Canadian surveys in the Assiniboia district were completed in this area for the British crown by around 1879, by 1890 the provisional government began to encourage European immigration to the area.

At about the same time the site for Rama was being surveyed a large wave of immigrant homesteaders were coming to the province from all over the world.

The settlers that arrived to homestead in the area of Rama were largely of Eastern European origin.[14] Some of the first area families lived south of the town site. They were documented as the Landstad's, Murray's, Dean's, and Lockhart's all on or near the former Pelly Trail to the south of Rama. John Berge (and family) are listed as homesteaders in the area near the rail siding.

Timeline

Timeline of notable events in Rama

Geography

Rama is located on the banks of a tributary of Spirit Creek[28] and is found at the junction of Highways 5 and 754[29] in Saskatchewan's aspen parkland region.[30] This area is part of the east central region of the province.[31]

Growing zones are geographical areas which are generally determined by the lowest sustained temperature in that area achieved during the year and other climate variables.[32] Rama and the surrounding area finds itself in Growing Zone 1b.[33]

Growing zone 1 is defined as having the lowest temperature achieved of below -45.6 °C or -50 °F with the first frost usually occurring by September 12 and the last frost of the spring on or about May 22.[34]

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture studies show the available Corn Heat Units in this area to be in the 1,401-1,800 range. While suitable for silage, these conditions are quite unfavorable to grow corn in.[35]

The soils in the community and the nearby farmland are generally black with a heavy clay base.[36] Growing seasons are short and high soil PH (alkalinity) are challenging growing conditions for many types crops, trees and plants. Despite these challenges, cereal crop production often exceeds other areas of the province. In the 1950s, the Canora area held nearly 500 country elevators within a 30 miles radius in order to handle all the grain produced from the region.

Climate

Being located in the middle of North America has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, Saskatchewan is located so far away from any large bodies of water (Great Lakes, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean) that any moderating effect these bodies of water would have on the temperature here is negligible. Because of this, Saskatchewan as a whole is considered to have a temperate continental climate. In the summer the days are very long and hot, in the winter the days become shorter and very cold, making for a temperature range that can exceed 65 °C or more.[37]

Hours of sunlight and frequently clear skies are an important feature of the climate here. Hours of sunlight typically exceeding 2,300 hours annually.[38]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rama had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 0.67km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[39]

In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Rama recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of 0.67km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[40]

Economy

Industry in the community consists mainly of 'family' or corporate farming with several small and medium-sized farming support businesses. While self-employment in farming is the generally accepted occupation in the area, Olysky and the Rama Co-Operative Assoc., as well as area farms, also provide employment opportunities to area residents and newcomers looking for work.

Tourism and recreation

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

Located in Rama is the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, an homage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France.

Many of these grottoes in Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta were created by Fr. Anthony Sylla and his parishioners.[41]

Sylla arrived in Saskatchewan in 1909 and by 1933 was in charge of the parish in Rama. By 1939 he began to establish the shrine and pilgrimage site. The shrine was largely completed during the next two years.[42] Updates, landscaping changes, and additions to the grounds have continued gradually until today.[43] Every year on August 14 and 15 (since 1941) St. Anthony's parish holds a 'Pilgrimage'. Mass is held in several languages, and a candlelight procession occurs. The shrine in Rama is located west of St. Anthony's church.[44]

Old-fashioned farming

Heritage horse drawn seeding and farming demonstrations are held in the village annually in the spring and fall (seeding and harvest). Teamsters hitch their horses up to vintage farm equipment such as discs, seeders, and ploughs as spectators watch horse powered farming.[45] [46]

The outdoors

Nearby the farmland gives way to many lakes and rivers fed by streams, swamps, and other wetlands. Ducks, geese and many other migratory birds congregate here and in the nearby Quill Lakes area during the spring and fall migrations. In the fall, hunters from the local area as well as visitors from other provinces, the United States, and around the world come to this area for the birds and many other game animals.[47]

Nearby parks and recreational opportunities include Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park,[48] Whitesand Regional Park,[49] Camp Whitesand,[50] and Leslie Beach.[51]

Winter and sports

Winter recreational activities include snowmobiling with an extensive network of groomed trails located nearby.[52] The surrounding area offers activities such as hockey, curling, Ukrainian Dance, figure skating, and softball to name a few. Rama is former home of the Rama Rams softball team and the Rama Rebels recreational hockey club.

Notable people

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Atlas of Canada Toporama . April 28, 2014 .
  2. Web site: Collections Canada - Library and Archives Canada . April 28, 2014 .
  3. Web site: Sask municipal directory . April 28, 2014 .
  4. Web site: Rama, Saskatchewan (Code 4709056) and Saskatchewan (Code 47) (table) . July 15, 2014 .
  5. Web site: Time zones & daylight saving time . National Research Council Canada . 2014-07-16.
  6. Web site: UN LOCCODE list . April 28, 2014 .
  7. Web site: Natural Resources Canada - Search Place Names . May 3, 2014.
  8. Web site: Water Security Agency . May 6, 2014.
  9. Web site: Saskatchewan Towns and Villages . University Library, University of Saskatchewan . Text, Shortwave radio broadcast . February 7, 1940 . May 19, 2014 . Saskatchewan Wheat Pool . 177.
  10. Web site: The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan - DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT . May 2, 2014.
  11. Web site: Good Spirit Lake Annex Historical Tour . http://www.doukhobor.org/ . June 14, 2014.
  12. Web site: Doukhobor Historical Maps . June 14, 2014.
  13. Web site: Urban Municipality Incorporations . Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations . June 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141015042810/http://municipal.gov.sk.ca/Municipal-History/Urban-Incorporated-Dates . October 15, 2014.
  14. Web site: Ethnic Bloc Settlements 1850s - 1990s . Ancestry.com . June 14, 2014.
  15. Web site: North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance . May 3, 2014.
  16. Web site: Henry Kelsey (British Explorer) . May 3, 2014.
  17. Web site: An Overview of Doukhobor Settlement and Migration . May 3, 2014 . Kalmakoff, Jonathan J..
  18. Web site: Local of United Farmers of Canada, Sask. division formed . August 12, 2014 .
  19. Web site: Search Heritage Property Directory . November 24, 2017 .
  20. Web site: Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes Annual Pilgrimage . August 12, 2014 .
  21. Web site: Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of St. Michael's Parish . August 21, 2014.
  22. Web site: Stop the Hogs - Rama Odour Study. August 21, 2014.
  23. Web site: Angry farmers rendezvous in Rama, Sask. . August 12, 2014 .
  24. Web site: New Sign in Rama. August 12, 2014 .
  25. Web site: Sale of hog producer Big Sky to Olymel completed . August 12, 2014 .
  26. Web site: The Rama rink, a symbol of rural Saskatchewan, burned down on Saturday . October 28, 2016.
  27. Web site: The closure of STC was kind of a catastrophe to me . February 13, 2018.
  28. Web site: Spirit Creek . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 12 May 2022.
  29. Web site: Saskatchewan Road Map . tourismsaskatchewan.com . 2011 . July 6, 2014.
  30. Web site: University of Saskatchewan - Ecoregions of Saskatchewan . April 28, 2014 .
  31. Web site: Economic Development/East Central Saskatchewan/Canada/Enterprise Region. May 3, 2014.
  32. Web site: Frontline Forestry Research Applications - Technical Note 104 . Canadian Forestry Service - Sault Ste. Marie . June 9, 2014.
  33. Web site: Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada . https://web.archive.org/web/20090717031555/http://atlas.agr.gc.ca/agmaf/index_eng.html?#context=phz-zrp_en.xml&extent=-680016.92932048,248556.84072892,-411200.40781516,430590.07576402&layers=place37M,place25M,place15M,place5M,place1M,place500K,place250K;rivers25M,rivers15M,rivers5M,rivers1M,rivers500K,lakes37M,lakes25M,lakes15M,lakes5M,lakes1M,lakes500K,Roads25M,Roads15M,Roads5M,Roads1M,Roads500K,ferry500K,bndy5-37M,bndy1M,BndyLn1-5M;PlantHardinessZone2000; . dead . July 17, 2009 . May 7, 2014 .
  34. Web site: Hardiness Zones and Frost Dates . May 7, 2014.
  35. Web site: SASKATCHEWAN CORN HEAT UNIT MAPS . Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture . May 7, 2014.
  36. Web site: The Soils of Invermay Rural Municipality No. 305 . May 7, 2014.
  37. Web site: The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan - Climate Details . May 3, 2014.
  38. Web site: Annual Sunshine in Saskatchewan . May 3, 2014.
  39. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan . . February 9, 2022 . April 1, 2022.
  40. Web site: Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Saskatchewan) . . February 8, 2017 . May 30, 2020.
  41. Web site: Lourdes - The Global Phenomenon . May 7, 2014.
  42. Web site: OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE (OMI): ASSUMPTION PROVINCE . May 9, 2014.
  43. Web site: Shrine Rama - Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine 1939 . August 23, 2017.
  44. Web site: Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes . Tourism Saskatchewan . August 23, 2017.
  45. Web site: Horses help teamsters break ground and seed. . The Western Producer . May 7, 2014.
  46. Web site: Holding onto the reins of the past . Yorkton This Week . May 7, 2014.
  47. Web site: Quill Lakes International Bird Area Home . May 3, 2014.
  48. Web site: Good Spirit Lake . May 6, 2014.
  49. Web site: Whitesand Regional Park . May 6, 2014.
  50. Web site: Camp Whitesand . May 6, 2014.
  51. Web site: Leslie Beach Regional Park . May 6, 2014.
  52. Web site: Yorkton Sno Riders - Trail Information . May 3, 2014.