Val Marie, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
History
The first European investigation of the area was conducted by the Palliser ExpeditionPalliser Expedition
The British North American Exploring Expedition, commonly called the Palliser Expedition, explored and surveyed the open prairies and rugged wilderness of western Canada from 1857 to 1860. The purpose was to explore possible routes for the Canadian Pacific Railway and discover new species of plants...
(1857–1859), supported by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the British Government, and led by John Palliser, a wealthy Irish landowner. He was accompanied by geologist James Hector, and various cartographers and botanists. They studied the natural resources and agricultural potential of the Palliser area – including Val Marie – and reported the place as dismally dry, prone to drought, and unfit for habitation. The dismissive conclusions slowed settlement in the area for decades.
Artifacts of native civilization are significant. In 1877, Tatanka Iyotake – Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
– crossed from the USA into Canada along the Frenchman River
Frenchman River
Frenchman River, or Frenchman Creek, is a river in Saskatchewan, Canada and Montana, United States. It is a tributary of the Milk River, itself a tributary of the Missouri.The river is approximately long....
(which flows through Val Marie) after his victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn.
The village of Val Marie – Valley of Mary – was founded in 1910 by Father Passaplan, Louis Denniel, and the brothers François and Léon Pinel. Most of the early settlers were ranchers and farmers from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. By 1939, two irrigation reservoirs were built near Val Marie by the PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency) in coordination with Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...
. Over 10000 acres (40.5 km²) are irrigated through the system which provides some stabilization through droughts which plague the area.
Originally settled by French ranchers, the village remained largely ethnically French and by the 1950s had 450 people. Amenities then included 3 petrol stations, a hospital, convent, bakery, several cafes, bank, and stores. The population declined significantly with low commodity prices and droughts in the 1980s. English is now universally spoken – the last person mono-lingually French died in 1981. By 2000 the population had dropped below 150, and many stores and businesses had closed. The Grasslands National Park has attracted some new people into the area, but emigration and an aging population has resulted in continued net loss. According to Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
, the village population was reduced by 21 people in the past 10 years. Val Marie now has 137 people in 79 dwellings. Val Marie has a few services, including a bank, a gas station, a hotel/bar, a cafe, a country inn/restaurant, and even a community owned grocery store. Most of these businesses are open restricted hours. The nearest full-service centre is the city of Swift Current, located 100 kilometres north.
Grasslands National Park 10 kilometres west of Val Marie, Saskatchewan is the only place in Canada where black-tailed prairie dog
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog , is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen aboveground in...
colonies are found. In 2006, plains bison
Plains Bison
The Plains Bison or Common bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American Bison, the other being the Wood Bison . Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Plains Bison consists of a northern and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three...
were re-introduced into the park. Hiking in the badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
and viewing wildlife in the park are primary visiting activities.
On August 14, 2004, Grasslands – Where Heaven Meets Earth, a site-specific art
Site-specific art
Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork...
performance, was held in the community and park. The event was a collaboration of Canadian artists including Bill Coleman, Edward Poitras, Gordon Monahan
Gordon Monahan
Gordon Monahan is a Canadian pianist and composer of experimental music. He has been active since at least 1978. Along with his own work, he has performed works by other composers such as John Cage, James Tenney, Udo Kasemets and Roberto Paci Dalò...
, and Margie Gillis
Margie Gillis
Margie Gillis, CM, CQ is a Canadian solo dancer and choreographer whose most commonly known dance style is modern.Born in Acton Vale, Quebec, the daughter of Gene Gillis, an Olympic skier, and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier. Her brother, Jere Gillis played professional hockey...
.
Climate
Located within Palliser's TrianglePalliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a largely semi-arid steppe region in the Prairie Provinces of Western Canada that was determined to be unsuitable for agriculture because of its unfavourable climate. The soil in this area is dark brown or black in color and is very nutrient-rich....
, Val Marie has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk). Val Marie has a weather station with daily records since 1937. It can be a harsh climate, cold and windswept in the winter and often very dry for prolonged periods, broken sometimes by extremely intense rainfalls during the summer. Val Marie is sometimes the national hotspot in Canada on a given summer day. Val Marie gets more days of sunlight per year than anywhere else in Canada.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Val Marie is −49.4 (−57 F) on January 20, 1954. The hottest is 41.1 (106 F) on July 4, 1937, which came close to being broken on July 23, 2007, when the temperature rose to 40.6°C (105 F).
The record one-day rainfall is 86.4 mm (3.5 inches) on July 3, 2000. The record one-day snowfall is 45.7 cm (18 inches) on April 2, 1940.
Notable Val Marieans
- Will James – Quebec cowboy novelist/artist; lived in area 1910-1913
- Ron MikshaRon MikshaRon Miksha is an American-Canadian beekeeper, scientist, and Canadian author.-Biography:Miksha was born in a farm house in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, one of ten children in a poor rural...
– author; geophysicist; lived in Val Marie 1976 - 1987 - Bryan TrottierBryan TrottierBryan John Trottier is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, two with the Penguins and one as an assistant coach with the...
– won Calder Memorial, Hart Trophy, Stanley Cup; former NHL player/coach
Further reading
- Wallace StegnerWallace StegnerWallace Earle Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist, often called "The Dean of Western Writers"...
: Wolf Willow, 1955 - Wayne Lynch: Married to the Wind: A Study of the Prairie Grasslands, 1984
- Jean Stav: A Barefoot Boy from Val Marie, 2000
- Ron MikshaRon MikshaRon Miksha is an American-Canadian beekeeper, scientist, and Canadian author.-Biography:Miksha was born in a farm house in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, one of ten children in a poor rural...
: Bad Beekeeping, 2004 - Habeeb SalloumHabeeb SalloumHabeeb Salloum is a prominent Arab-Canadian freelance writer. Habeeb centers his writings on Canada, travel and the culinary arts, Arab and world history, with a specific focus on cooking and tourism. Currently, he has authored and co-authored seven books. He is currently completing four...
: Bison Delights: Middle Eastern Western Cookbook, 2010