Battleford
Town
Post office in downtown Battleford
Post office in downtown Battleford
Nicknames: 
"The Battlefords", "South Battleford"
Battleford is located in Saskatchewan
Battleford
Battleford
Coordinates: 52°44′18″N 108°18′55″W / 52.73833°N 108.31528°W / 52.73833; -108.31528
CountryCanada
ProvinceSaskatchewan
Census division12
Rural MunicipalityBattle River
Post office founded1877
Incorporated (town)1904
Government
 • MayorAmes Leslie
 • CAOLandon Chambers
 • Governing bodyBattleford Town Council
Area
 • Total23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total4,400
 • Density174.2/km2 (451/sq mi)
 • National population rank (out of 5,008)
867
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central Standard Time)
Postal code
S0M 0E0
Area code306
HighwaysHighway 4
WaterwaysNorth Saskatchewan
Battle River
Websitewww.battleford.ca
[1][2]

Battleford (2011 population 4,065) is a town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" by Saskatchewan residents, as well as on highway signage. Although there has been occasional talk of the two communities merging, as of 2023 they remain separate entities. The local economy is fuelled mainly by agriculture. Battleford is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Battle River No. 438, as well as by the city of North Battleford and a small section of the Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437.

The 1973 western Alien Thunder was partially filmed in Battleford.

History

Census Population
1901 609
1911 1,335
1921 1,229
1931 1,096
1941 1,336
1951 1,319
1961 1,627
1971 1,803
1981 3,565
1991 4,107
2001 3,820
2006 3,685
2011 4,065

The Battleford area was the site of numerous independent and Hudson's Bay Company fur trading houses dating from the 1770s.[3] William Holmes[4] operated a post for the North West Company just above the confluence of the Battle and Saskatchewan rivers in 1784.[5] At least three posts were in use between 1868 and 1914.[6] The town was founded in 1875 as a fur trading post and North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort. Its post office opened in 1877.[7] Between 1876 and 1883, Battleford was the territorial capital of the North-West Territories (now Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, northern Quebec, northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories) and the NWMP fort (Fort Battleford) located there played an important role in the 1885 North-West Rebellion. It is also the terminus of the historic Swift Current-Battleford Trail.

Looting of Battleford

On March 30, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, the town of Battleford was looted by a party of Cree people, who were short on food due to declining bison populations. When the Cree approached Battleford, the 500 residents[8] fled to the nearby North-West Mounted Police post, Fort Battleford. The Crees then took food and supplies from the abandoned stores and houses. Two people were murdered during the looting. Crooked Leg was accused of killing John Payne, and Man Without Blood was accused of killing a farmer named Tremont. They were convicted of murder and hanged later that year.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Battleford had a population of 4,400 living in 1,758 of its 1,877 total private dwellings, a change of -0.7% from its 2016 population of 4,429. With a land area of 23.26 km2 (8.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 189.2/km2 (489.9/sq mi) in 2021.[9]

Canada census – Battleford community profile
20212011
Population4,400 (-0.7% from 2016)4,065 (+10.3% from 2006)
Land area23.26 km2 (8.98 sq mi)23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi)
Population density189.2/km2 (490/sq mi)174.2/km2 (451/sq mi)
Median age41.6 (M: 40.4, F: 42.4)40.6 (M: 39.9, F: 41.1)
Private dwellings1,877 (total)  1,758 (occupied)1,652 (total) 
Median household income$91,000
References: 2021[10] 2011[11] earlier[12][13]

Historic buildings

National historic sites in Battleford include Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada,[14] Battleford Court House National Historic Site of Canada[15] and Old Government House / Saint-Charles Scholasticate National Historic Site of Canada. The Old Government House, built in 1878–1879, was destroyed by fire in 2003 and was the seat of Territorial Government from 1878 to 1883[16][17]

The Battleford Land Registry Office built between 1877 and 1878 is the last remaining building on Battleford's Government Ridge that dates from the Territorial era.[18] Other heritage buildings include the District Court House,[19] the Town Hall / Opera House,[20] the Former Land Titles Building,[21] the Station Building,[22] the Fred Light Museum (St. Vital School),[23] St. Vital Church,[24] Gardiner Church[25] and the Former Bank of Montreal Building.[26]

Local media

Newspaper

The local newspaper is The Battlefords News Optimist. It is published weekly on Thursday and has circulation in the surrounding area.

Radio

Three local radio stations serve the area; CJNB, CJCQ-FM ("Q98"), and CJHD-FM ("93.3 Beach Radio[27]"). Some Saskatoon radio stations can also be received.

Television

The Battlefords are served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station CFQC-DT Saskatoon.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battleford, Saskatchewan.
  1. ↑ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Archived from the original on 6 October 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  2. ↑ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  3. ↑ Voorhis, Ernest (1930). "Historic Forts of the French Regime and of the English Fur Trading Companies". Historic Forts of the French Regime and of the English Fur Trading Companies. Govt. of Canada. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  4. ↑ Ray, Arthur. "William Holmes". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Universite Laval. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  5. ↑ Morton, Arthur (1973). A History of the Canadian West. University of Toronto Press. pp. 337 ff. ISBN 0-8020-4033-0.
  6. ↑ Martz, Lawrence; et al. (2000). Atlas of Saskatchewan (CD ed.). Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan. Map of Trading Posts pre 1759 – post 1930.
  7. ↑ "Battleford". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  8. ↑ Henry Thomas McPhillips (1888), McPhillips' alphabetical and business directory of the district of Saskatchewan, N.W.T.: Together with brief historical sketches of Prince Albert, Battleford and the other settlements in the district, 1888 (p. 53), Prince Albert, NWT: Henry Thomas McPhillips
  9. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  10. ↑ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  11. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  12. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  13. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ Fort Battleford. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  15. ↑ Battleford Court House. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  16. ↑ Old Government House / Saint-Charles Scholasticate. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  17. ↑ Government House, Battleford. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  18. ↑ Battleford Land Registry Office. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  19. ↑ District Court House. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  20. ↑ Town Hall / Opera House. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  21. ↑ Former Land Titles Building. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  22. ↑ The Station Building. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  23. ↑ Fred Light Museum (St. Vital School). Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  24. ↑ St. Vital Church. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  25. ↑ Gardiner Church. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  26. ↑ Former Bank of Montreal Building. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  27. ↑ Staff, battlefordsNOW. "CJHD transitions to endless summers as 93.3 BEACH RADIO". battlefordsNOW. Retrieved 2023-08-27.

52°44′18″N 108°18′55″W / 52.73833°N 108.31528°W / 52.73833; -108.31528

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