Rocanville Explained

Official Name:Town of Rocanville
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Saskatchewan#Canada
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Saskatchewan
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Type3:Census division
Subdivision Name3:5
Subdivision Type4:Rural Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Rocanville
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Ron Reed
Leader Title1:M.P. (Souris—Moose Mountain)
Leader Name1:Robert Kitchen
Leader Title2:M.L.A. (Moosomin)
Leader Name2:Kevin Weedmark
Established Title:Post office Founded
Established Date:1904
Established Title2:Town established
Established Date2:1904
Population As Of:2006
Population Total:869
Timezone:CST
Coordinates:50.385°N -101.692°W
Elevation M:519
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:S0A 3L0
Area Code:306
Website:rocanville.ca

Rocanville is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, and home to the largest oil can in the world.[1] It is home of the Nutrien Rocanville mine. Rocanville is also home of the Symons Oiler factory which produced over 1 million oil cans during the Second World War.[2] The town erected the giant oil can to commemorate the factory.

Rocanville is also known for crop circles that were discovered there in the fall of 1996.[3]

History

Settlement in the area dates back to the fur trade, beginning in 1785 with the building of Fort Espérance,[4] an archaeological site in Rocanville believed to contain the remains of two late 18th- and early 19th-century forts. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1944.

The first settlers of the current townsite arrived in the area in 1882 and 1883. The village was started by two brothers who built the first general store in the middle of what is now Main Street in 1902.[5]

Rocanville was incorporated as a village on March 24, 1904, a short time after the railroad reached the area and is named for the town's first postmaster, Rocan de Bastien, who served as overseer of the village.

It became a town on August 1, 1967.[6]

The Rocanville and District Museum Site, the Rocanville Farmers Building and the Symons Metalworks have all been designated as Municipal Heritage Properties under the provincial Heritage Property Act.[7]

Rocanville's potash mine produced its first train car load of potash on September 25, 1970. Upon opening, it was owned by the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, which has since merged with Agrium to become Nutrien. It is the largest of Nutrien's six potash mines in Saskatchewan.[8]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rocanville had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 2.36km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[9]

The town is governed by a mayor and five councillors.

Sports

The town of Rocanville is home to the Rocanville Tigers senior team in the Sask. East Hockey League. It also hosts minor hockey and baseball, along with curling.

Rocanville is the hometown of hockey coach Jessica Campbell, who was named the first full-time female assistant coach in National Hockey League history in July 2024.[10]

The local indoor pool is undergoing a significant refurbishment project and is expected to reopen in 2025.[11]

The town also has a golf course, the Rocanville Town and Country Golf Club.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6J4V_Worlds_Largest_Oil_Can_Rocanville_SK_Canada "World's Largest Oil Can, Rocanville, SK, Canada"
  2. McLennan, David "Rocanville" Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
  3. Deetken, Chad (1996) "Preliminary Report on Rocanville, Saskatchewan Crop Circle Formations" Mutual UFO Network
  4. Web site: III . Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Eastern Region . Métis Nation - Saskatchewan Eastern Region III . 2024-10-08 . Métis Nation - Saskatchewan Eastern Region III . en-CA.
  5. News: June 28, 2021 . Rocanville Museum’s unique collection needs you! . The World-Spectator.
  6. Web site: Town of Rocanville fonds - Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan . 2024-10-09 . search.saskarchives.com.
  7. ,,
  8. Web site: 2024-09-20 . Face of Nutrien workforce changing after 65 years of potash production in Sask. . 2024-10-08 . Regina . en.
  9. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan . . February 9, 2022 . April 1, 2022.
  10. Web site: 2024-10-08 . Saskatchewan's Jessica Campbell becomes first female assistant coach in NHL history . 2024-10-09 . Regina . en.
  11. Web site: Rocanville Pool to reopen in 2025 . 2024-10-09 . www.world-spectator.com.