Beechy is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in southwest Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, in the Coteau Hills area of the province, at the intersection of highways 342

Saskatchewan Highway 342

Highway 342 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from Highway 42 to Range Road 3183 near Plato and Highway 44. Highway 342 is about 122 km long....

 and 737

Saskatchewan Highway 737

Highway 737 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from Highway 342 to Highway 42 near Greenbrier. Highway 737 is about 35.5 km long....

. As of 2006

Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

, the village's population is 243 (down from the 2001 population of 295).

History

The Beechy area was first settled by ranchers in the early years of the 20th century, with Robert Cruikshank being acknowledged as the first settler in the area. Starting in the 1910s, the large-scale immigration of Europeans to the Canadian Prairies resulted in an increase in population for Beechy as well, attracting settlers who started ranching and farming in the area, which remains Beechy's primary activity today.

In 1919 the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 surveyed the Beechy area and determined it to be an ideal place for a marketplace. Work on the railroad was begun; news of the future railroad stop attracted merchants. The train first arrived on December 21, 1921.

The growth in population brought other much-needed services to this rural community, the first grain elevator was set up in 1922, and the first hospital a few years later. Originally, Beechy's health services consisted of just one medical practitioner, and the "hospital" was based out of a private residence, with extra rooms built on for wards. This hospital was used until 1966, when the RM of Victory

Victory No. 226, Saskatchewan

Victory No. 226 is a Rural Municipality in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It was settled in the early 1900s, around 1908, by Pioneer farming settlers. Victory No. 226 is primarily a grain farming area, although some farmers do keep livestock as well. RM Victory No. 226 includes the Village...

 opened Beechy Union Hospital.

In 1925, Beechy's population reached the required 100 residents to upgrade Beechy's status to "village".

Recreation

One of the first baseball teams in the area was formed in Beechy in 1911. Baseball is still played in the village today by the Beechy Breakers.

Beechy's first organized hockey team played during the winter of 1935-1936. After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, those Beechy residents who served overseas, which included the entire hockey team, returned to Beechy and created the Beechy Bombers hockey team. The first skating rink was built in 1952.

The first agricultural fair was held in the area in 1922. The agricultural society was organized in 1936 and granted its charter in 1945. The first racetrack was built in 1948, and the following year the first harness races were held.

The community hall was built in 2000, replacing the much older Legion Hall which was demolished and replaced with a monument.

The biggest event in Beechy is the Beechy Western Days rodeo, first held in 1968.

Beechy today

Like many of Canada's agricultural communities on the Prairies, population in Beechy has steadily been declining, due to the aging population, and farmers leaving their farms because they are no longer profitable. In 1991, the Beechy hospital was closed by the provincial government (the former hospital now serves as a clinic). Surrounding rural schools were closed too, however, schoolchildren in the RM of Victory are bussed to Beechy for their education.

Notable residents

Elwin Hermanson

Elwin Hermanson

Elwin Norris Hermanson is a Canadian politician, best known for being the first full-time leader of the Saskatchewan Party....

 - politician. Represented Beechy on the federal level as the Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Kindersley—Lloydminster

Kindersley—Lloydminster

Kindersley—Lloydminster was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada,that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1997...

 and was the Reform Party

Reform Party of Canada

The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....

 House Leader and then represented the area provincially, becoming the first leader of the Saskatchewan Party

Saskatchewan Party

The Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...

 and Leader of the Opposition until 2003 when he relinquished the leadership.

Herbert J. Swan

Herbert Junior Swan

Herbert Junior Swan was the 18th Speaker for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in Canada. He held this post from 1982 to 1986. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, Swan represented the riding of Rosetown-Elrose. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1991 and...

 - politician. Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

External links

• Village of Beechy website