Founded in 1912, the 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...

 of Vanguard, Saskatchewan is located in the southwest corner of 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....

 on Highway 43

Saskatchewan Highway 43

Highway 43 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from Highway 4 until Highway 2. Highway 43 is about 131 km long.-Communities:*Neville, km 10*Pambrun, km 23*Vanguard, km 35...

 close to Notekeu Creek. It is located in the rural municipality

Rural municipality

A rural municipality, often abbreviated RM, is a form of municipality in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, perhaps best comparable to counties or townships in the western United States...

 of Whiska Creek. Its prime economic driver is agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

: chick peas; lentils; red, spring, hard and durum wheats are grown here.

Education

Vanguard is the home of Vanguard Community School with specialist teachers, low student-teacher ratio, and an enrollment of approximately 90.

Attractions

Nearby communities are Pambrun

Pambrun, Saskatchewan

Pambrum is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, near Swift Current....

 (home of Millar College of the Bible

Millar College of the Bible

Millar College of the Bible is a post secondary institution established in 1944 in Pambrun, Saskatchewan, Canada....

), Gravelbourg

Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan

-Education:The town has for the past four decades been noteworthy for College Mathieu, a francophone boarding school for boys and girls who wish to acquire or retain fluency in French...

 (renowned for its French heritage and cathedral), Swift Current (the regional "headquarters"), Hodgeville

Hodgeville, Saskatchewan

Hodgeville is a village in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, located approximately 34 km south of the Trans Canada Highway, 97 km southeast of Swift Current. It has a population of approximately 175 . The town was incorporated in June, 1921.-Demographics:In 2006, Hodgeville had a...

 ("home" of the Saskatchewan flag) and Ponteix

Ponteix, Saskatchewan

-External links:...

 (close to Notekeu Regional Park). Vanguard is close to Cypress Hills

Cypress Hills

The Cypress Hills are a region of hills in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada.The highest point in Saskatchewan at is located at Lookout Point in the Cypress Hills.-Name:...

 inter-provincial park, Grasslands National Park

Grasslands National Park

Grasslands National Park is one of Canada's newer national parks, located in southern Saskatchewan, and one of 43 parks and park reserves in Canada's national park system...

, the Canada-U.S. border, and Lac Pelletier regional park

Regional park

Regional park is a term used for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.-Definition:...

.

History

In 1910, the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 purchased the land which became the village of Vanguard from Latimer Young. The origin of the name Vanguard may be attributed to it having been on the vanguard of the railway in 1912 ; however, Vanguard is also a proud name in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 tradition. Lord Horatio Nelson had a Vanguard; the last dreadnought battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

 (scrapped in 1960) was also called the Vanguard. Recent publications state that the inspiration for the name of the village came from the HMS Vanguard which was commissioned in 1909 and exploded in 1917, killing 843 of the 845 men aboard. Regardless of the true origin of the name, the north-south streets in Vanguard reflect the naval heritage, being named Armada

Spanish Armada

This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...

, Victory, Triumph

Triumph

-Business:* Triumph , a defunct German motorcycle manufacturer* Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd., a British bicycle brand* Triumph Engineering Co Ltd, a defunct British motorcycle manufacturer* Triumph Group, an aerospace manufacturing and repair company...

, Drake and Nelson Streets. The east-west streets are named in honor of the province (Saskatchewan Ave.), the landscape in which Vanguard is situated (Prairie Ave.), the rail heritage (Railway Ave.) and the hopeful spirit in which Vanguard was established (Progress Ave.). Vanguard is bisected by Division St. and the main street is called "Dominion".

Notable people

Author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, broadcaster

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

, and journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 James Minifie (1900–1974) called Vanguard home. He worked for the New York Herald Tribune

New York Herald Tribune

The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...

 and was the Washington correspondent

Correspondent

A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...

 for the CBC

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

. Knowlton Nash

Knowlton Nash

Cyril Knowlton Nash, OC, O.Ont , commonly known as Knowlton Nash, is a journalist, author, and former long-serving senior anchorman of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National...

 described Mr. Minifie as: "a man passionately dedicated to improving the quality of journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 [whose] overwhelming desire was accuracy in reporting". Woodrow Lloyd, former premier

Premier

Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...

 of Saskatchewan, was a principal in Vanguard. NHL goaltender, Al Rollins

Al Rollins

Elwin Ira Rollins was a professional Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Playing career:...

, was born in Vanguard.

Demographics

On July 3–4, 2000, Vanguard was deluged by 13 inches (330.2 mm) of rain in a seven hour "perfect storm". Under the able guidance of long-serving mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

, Dorothy Saunderson, Vanguard has recovered from the devastation of the resulting flood and remains a viable community renowned for its low cost of living, negligible crime rate, stargazing and bird watching opportunites, clean air and sunshine.

External links