Birch Hills, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Birch Hills is a town located in 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...
. It is located southeast of Prince Albert
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
and the reserve of Muskoday First Nation
Muskoday First Nation
The Muskoday First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, composed of Cree and Saulteaux peoples. The First Nation has a registered population of 1552 people as of December 2007, of which approximately 560 members of the First Nation live on-reserve, and approximately 980 live...
. Directly to the west is the village of St. Louis
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...
, and to the east is Kinistino
Kinistino, Saskatchewan
- External links :...
. It is surrounded by, but not part of, Birch Hills Rural Municipality No. 460
Birch Hills No. 460, Saskatchewan
Birch Hills No. 460 is a rural municipality in north-central Saskatchewan, Canada within census division 15. It is located southeast of Prince Albert on Highway 3, and north of Saskatoon. The R.M. is within the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division No. 119....
.
The community takes its name from hills in the area, which were once heavily treed with birches that were used in manufacturing birch bark canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s during the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
era of the 18th century. The countryside around Birch Hills is part of the aspen parkland
Aspen parkland
Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections; the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area stretching from central Alberta, all across central Saskatchewan to...
biome.
Situated in an area settled primarily by Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Anglo-Metis
Anglo-Métis
A 19th-century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Orcadian, Scottish, or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers. Their first languages were generally those of their mothers: Cree, Saulteaux,...
peoples, Birch Hills became a village in 1907 and reached town status in 1960. Unlike many other agriculturally based towns it continues to grow due to its position as a satellite community of Prince Albert
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
.
Demographics
Notable people from Birch Hills
- Earl ThomsonEarl ThomsonEarl John "Tommy" Thompson was Canadian athlete, a specialist in the high hurdles....
won a gold medal for Canada at the 1920 Olympics in the hurdles. - Marshall JohnstonMarshall JohnstonLawrence "Marshall" Johnston is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played seven seasons in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars and California Golden Seals...
was an NHL player, scout, coach, and general manager. He is currently the Director of Professional Scouting for the Carolina HurricanesCarolina HurricanesThe Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
.
See also
- Birch Hills AirportBirch Hills AirportBirch Hills Airport, , is located adjacent to Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, Canada. The airport officially opened on June 5, 1994 and is equipped with radio controlled lighting, lighted wind sock, rotating beacon, security fence and a spray pad to accommodate spray planes. -External links:* on COPA's...
- Municipal airport - Jumping Lake, Saskatchewan - a lake a short distance south of Birch Hills.
| North: Muskoday First Nation Muskoday First Nation The Muskoday First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, composed of Cree and Saulteaux peoples. The First Nation has a registered population of 1552 people as of December 2007, of which approximately 560 members of the First Nation live on-reserve, and approximately 980 live... |
||
| West: St. Louis 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... |
Birch Hills | East: Weldon Weldon, Saskatchewan -Attractions:Weldon has modern amenities and services, and its population of approximately 250 enjoys a quiet, relaxed lifestyle reminiscent of another era. Many of the residents trace their lineage back to their Norwegian forebears who first established the community just after the turn of the... |
| South: Jumping Lake |