St. Louis, Saskatchewan

For other uses, see Saint Louis (disambiguation).

St. Louis
Village
St. Louis
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Rural Municipality	St. Louis No. 431
Post office Founded as Boucher, Saskatchewan NWT	1888-02-01
Post office Founded as St. Louis, Saskatchewan NWT	1897-05-01
Government
• Mayor	Les Rancourt
• M.P. Saskatoon-Humboldt	Brad Trost
• M.L.A. Batoche	Delbert Kirsch
Area
• Total	1.08 km2 (0.42 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	445
• Density	416.6/km2 (1,079/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Postal code	S0J 2C0
Website	St. Louis, Saskatchewan

St. Louis is a Canadian village in the province of Saskatchewan, south of Prince Albert and northeast of Batoche. It was founded by Métis settlers in the late 19th century, and is the northernmost Southbranch Settlement, a series of communities which range from Fish Creek in the south along the South Saskatchewan River through Batoche and St. Laurent to St. Louis. St. Louis is within the boundaries of the rural municipality St. Louis No. 431. The village has a mayor to govern civic infrastructure and municipal policy. St. Louis is also within SARM Division No. 5 and Census Division No. 15, Saskatchewan. St. Louis is located in the aspen parkland biome.

History

St. Louis is home to a large archaeological site of aboriginal artifacts predating those found at Wanuskewin near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Key discoveries at the site have included new species of wolf and buffalo approximately 25% larger than modern species and a bead that indicates decoration of clothing about 1000 years earlier than previously thought.

St. Louis is just northeast of South Branch House, one of many small trading posts from fur trading days; this post was attacked and burnt by the Atsina in the 18th century in retaliation for the company's supplying their enemies the Cree and Assiniboine with guns and goods.

The first post office was founded under the name of Boucher, Saskatchewan NWT on 1 February 1888 with the first post master being Reverend Eugene Lecoq. The post master was succeeded by Jean Baptiste Boucher Sr who homesteaded at Sec.11, Twp.45, R.27, W2 which happened to also be the location of the post office. In 1897-05-01 the post office changed names to St. Louis, Saskatchewan NWT. Historically it was bordered by the Anglo-Métis settlements of Halcro and Red Deer Hill to the north.

Geography

The nearest community of size is Prince Albert a twenty-minute drive to the north. St. Louis is located at an intersection of Highway 2 north/south and Highway 25. The grid road Highway 782 continues westerly along the South Saskatchewan River to arrive at Duck Lake.

Demographics

Although English is the predominant language in the community now, there is still a large Métis and French population today.

Area statistics

• Lat (DMS) 52° 55' 00" N
• Long (DMS) 105° 49' 00" W
• Dominion Land Survey Section 11 - Township 45 - Range 27 West of the 2nd Meridian
• Time zone (cst) UTC−6

Attractions

Locally it is known also for the St. Louis Light, an allegedly paranormal phenomenon, the historic St. Louis Bridge and the picturesque beauty of the South Saskatchewan River.

A large bison sculpture of an extinct species that was 25% larger than modern bison is on display. The sculpture was the last work of Ralph Berg (1952-2004) who created other monumental pieces in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The community sponsors many events throughout the year. These include:

• an annual community barbecue
• New Years fireworks and hot chocolate
• a community garage sale day

Infrastructure

As is the case with many small towns in Saskatchewan, the lack of economic growth is a concern. The province has announced that the original St. Louis Bridge will be closed down in the future and a new bridge will be constructed. The new bridge, however, will be located more than a mile from the edge of the village. Thus, many residents and businesses are concerned about the possible financial impact on the village.

St. Louis remains a vibrant community. It has:

• an elementary school
• a high school
• a gas station / corner store (closed down now)
• a financial institution (Affinity Credit Union)
• a bar
• a successful locally-owned greenhouse "Obsession Greenhouses"
• a health spa
• a car wash
• 2 retirement homes
• an alcohol treatment centre
• a local butcher shop
• a picnic ground and several campsites (Free!)
• the French Cultural Centre
• hockey rink
• curling rink
• eBay store
• A grocery store (under construction)

Notable people from St. Louis

• Howard Adams, 1960s Métis Marxist academic and writer who taught at the University of California, Berkeley and wrote Prison of Grass: Canada from a Native Point of View
• John B. Boucher, Métis senator, who attracted attention to the Métis cause by publicly tying a ceinture fléchée on Nelson Mandela during his visit to Canada in the 1990s.
• Maxime Lepine, Métis friend of Louis Riel's, Northwest Rebellion participant and counsellor in the Exovedate
• Louis Schmidt, French Métis bureaucrat, intellectual and community leader who supported his friend Louis Riel in the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70 but stayed in Prince Albert and backed the government in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885
• Marcel Lussier, Saskatchewan provincial and Canadian karate champion
• Rich Pilon, retired NHL hockey player
• Joey Tetarenko, NHL hockey player

See also

• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Rivers School Division

Publications

• Title Histoire de Saint-Louis, Saskatchewan et des environs Published [Saskatchewan : s.n.], 1980 (Saskatchewan? : Impr. La Prairie)

By the Committee of the Local History of St. Louis; under direction of Marie-Madeleine Tournier Also published in English under title: I remember: a history of St. Louis and surrounding areas Other Authors Tournier, Marie-Madeleine Saint Louis Local History Committee

• Title I remember : a history of St. Louis and surrounding areas Published Saint Louis, Sask. : Saint Louis Local History Committee, 1980

Other Authors Saint Louis Local History Committee ISBN 0-88925-151-7

External links

• Village of St. Louis - official website
• An article describing the St. Louis Ghost Train
• Big Things in Saskatchewan - St. Louis Bison Sculpture
• Saskatchewan Gen Web - One Room School Project
• St. Louis, Saskatchewan on Google Maps