Saltcoats, Saskatchewan

Saltcoats is a town in east-central Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border in Canada. The town's population was 474 in 2011. It was built in the late 19th century, and its economy was driven by the railway. There is no longer a 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	Saltcoats No. 213
Post office established	December 1, 1888
Village organized	April 4, 1894
Town proclaimed	1910
Government
• Mayor	Grant McCallum
• Federal Electoral District MP	Gary Breitkreuz
• Provincial Constituency MLA	Bob Bjornerud
Area
• Land	1.35 km2 (0.52 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	474
• Density	352.2/km2 (912/sq mi)
• Summer (DST)	CST
Postal code	S0A 3R0
Area code	306
Website	Official website
[2][3]

History

The community was established in 1887, just before the arrival of the Manitoba and Northwestern Railway in 1888; a post office was opened when rail service began.^[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 when the railway arrived the name was 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 unfavourable 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]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saltcoats had a population of 473 living in 205 of its 227 total private dwellings, a change of -2.3% from its 2016 population of 484. With a land area of 1.35 km² (0.52 sq mi), it had a population density of 350.4/km² (907.5/sq mi) in 2021.^[8]

Government

Provincial representation

• Melville - Saltcoats Riding - Bob Bjornerud - Saskatchewan Party

Federal representation

• Yorkton Riding - Gary Breitkreuz - Conservative Party of Canada

Saltcoats & District Regional Park

Saltcoats & District Regional Park (51.0278°N 102.1561°W / 51.0278; -102.1561)^[9] is on the south side of Saltcoats and Anderson Lake.^[10] The area had been used since the 1880s as a park and, in 1963, it was established as a regional park. It occupies a quarter section of land and has a campground, sandy beach, boat launch, ball diamonds, picnic area, pavilion, and a concession stand.^[11][12]

Media

The Four-Town Journal covers Saltcoats and area.^{[citation needed]}

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)

See also

• List of towns in Saskatchewan