Battleford | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Post office in downtown Battleford | |
| Nicknames: "The Battlefords", "South Battleford" | |
  Battleford | |
| Coordinates:52°44′18″N108°18′55″W / 52.73833°N 108.31528°W /52.73833; -108.31528[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Census division | 12 |
| Post office founded | 1877 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1904 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ames Leslie |
| • Governing body | Battleford Town Council |
| • Fed. riding | Battlefords—Lloydminster |
| • Prov. riding | The Battlefords |
| Area | |
| • Land | 23.26 km2 (8.98 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2.14 km2 (0.83 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 4,400 |
| • Density | 189.2/km2 (490/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3,651 |
| • Urban density | 1,705.8/km2 (4,418/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| Postal code | S0M 0E0 |
| Area code | 306 |
| Highways | Highway 4 |
| Waterways | |
| Website | www |
| [3][4] | |
Battleford (2021 population 4,400) is a town located across theNorth Saskatchewan River from the city ofNorth Battleford, inSaskatchewan, Canada.
Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "the Battlefords". Although there has been occasional talk of the two communities merging, they remain separate entities. The local economy is fuelled mainly by agriculture.
The Battleford area, dating from the 1770s, was the site offur trading houses of numerous independent companies as well as theHudson's Bay Company (that opened its Battleford, or Battle River post circa 1868[5]).[6] William Holmes[7] operated atrading post for theNorth West Company just above the confluence of the Battle and Saskatchewan rivers in 1784.[8] At least three posts were in use between 1868 and 1914.[9]
The town itself was founded in 1875 as afur trading post andNorth-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort. Its post office opened in 1877.[10] Between 1876 and 1883, Battleford was the territorialcapital of the North-West Territories (nowAlberta,Saskatchewan,Nunavut, northernQuebec, northernOntario and theNorthwest Territories) and the NWMP fort (Fort Battleford) located there played an important role in the 1885North-West Rebellion. It is also the terminus of the historicSwift Current-Battleford Trail.
In 1883, theBattleford Industrial School opened. Aresidential school forFirst Nations children in Battleford, it operated from 1883 to 1914. It was the first residential school operated by theGovernment of Canada with the aim of assimilating Indigenous people into the society of the settlers. The school was one of three industrial schools opened by the Government of Canada in the early 1880s.[11]: 57 The senior officials of theDepartment of Indian Affairs arranged for various religious denominations to administer and operate the schools.[12] The federal government delegated responsibility for the Battleford school to an Anglican minister.[11]: 57
In 1888, theCanadian Pacific Railway was completed in the area. In 1892, Hudson's Bay Company opened a new store in Battleford, which closed in 1910.[5]
On March 30, 1885, during theNorth-West Rebellion, the town of Battleford was looted by a party ofCree, who were short on food due to decliningbison populations. When the Cree approached Battleford, the 500 residents[13] fled to the nearbyNorth-West Mounted Police post,Fort Battleford. The Crees then took food and supplies from the abandoned stores and houses. Two people died 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 andhanged later that year.
Battleford is located along the North Saskatchewan River near the mouth of theBattle River.[14] It is bordered by theRural Municipality of Battle River No. 438, as well as by the city of North Battleford and a small section of theRural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437.
Climate data is taken fromNorth Battleford Airport located 5.41 km (3.36 mi) northeast of the town.[15]
North Battleford and the surrounding area experiences ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb). The average high during the end of July is 24.6 °C (76.3 °F) and the average low is 11.3 °C (52.3 °F).[16] For the middle of January the average high is −12.3 °C (9.9 °F) and the average low is −22.6 °C (−8.7 °F).[17]
The highest temperature ever recorded in North Battleford was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on July 13, 2002.[18] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −51.7 °C (−61 °F) on February 1, 1893 and January 12, 1916.[19][20]
| Climate data forNorth Battleford (North Battleford Airport) WMO ID: 71876; coordinates52°46′19″N108°15′20″W / 52.77194°N 108.25556°W /52.77194; -108.25556 (North Battleford Airport); elevation: 548.3 m (1,799 ft); 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1879–present[b] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | 10.7 | 10.1 | 19.3 | 30.0 | 36.9 | 41.5 | 42.9 | 40.7 | 36.9 | 30.0 | 19.3 | 10.4 | 42.9 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.4 (50.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 32.2 (90.0) | 34.9 (94.8) | 37.8 (100.0) | 39.5 (103.1) | 38.3 (100.9) | 36.5 (97.7) | 30.0 (86.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 10.9 (51.6) | 39.5 (103.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) | −7.8 (18.0) | −1.2 (29.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.7 (71.1) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 18.5 (65.3) | 9.4 (48.9) | −1.4 (29.5) | −8.4 (16.9) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −15.3 (4.5) | −13.3 (8.1) | −6.6 (20.1) | 3.3 (37.9) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 17.6 (63.7) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.3 (52.3) | 3.3 (37.9) | −6.3 (20.7) | −13.4 (7.9) | 1.9 (35.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −12.0 (10.4) | −3.3 (26.1) | 3.0 (37.4) | 8.5 (47.3) | 10.8 (51.4) | 9.4 (48.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | −2.8 (27.0) | −11.1 (12.0) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −4.3 (24.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −51.7 (−61.1) | −51.7 (−61.1) | −38.4 (−37.1) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −13.2 (8.2) | −2.9 (26.8) | 1.6 (34.9) | −1.8 (28.8) | −10.3 (13.5) | −27.2 (−17.0) | −35.8 (−32.4) | −44.2 (−47.6) | −51.7 (−61.1) |
| Record lowwind chill | −55.3 | −54.6 | −48.2 | −35.8 | −16.4 | −5.4 | 0.0 | −3.9 | −14.0 | −29.6 | −41.1 | −51.7 | −55.3 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 18.9 (0.74) | 14.2 (0.56) | 12.9 (0.51) | 25.0 (0.98) | 30.6 (1.20) | 60.1 (2.37) | 77.4 (3.05) | 50.7 (2.00) | 28.4 (1.12) | 20.4 (0.80) | 20.8 (0.82) | 23.8 (0.94) | 383.2 (15.09) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.6 (0.02) | 2.6 (0.10) | 16.5 (0.65) | 29.5 (1.16) | 65.7 (2.59) | 72.5 (2.85) | 55.5 (2.19) | 32.0 (1.26) | 11.1 (0.44) | 2.3 (0.09) | — | — |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 21.1 (8.3) | 13.7 (5.4) | 14.2 (5.6) | 11.4 (4.5) | 2.0 (0.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.9 (0.4) | 8.5 (3.3) | 16.8 (6.6) | — | — |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.2 | 10.1 | 8.6 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 12.9 | 9.9 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 125.6 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.56 | 0.38 | 1.2 | 6.0 | 8.1 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 9.5 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 0.73 | — | — |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 10.5 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 4.1 | 0.63 | 0.12 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.19 | 3.1 | 7.4 | — | — |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1500LST) | 72.8 | 71.6 | 66.1 | 46.8 | 38.4 | 48.0 | 51.0 | 47.5 | 45.2 | 53.5 | 70.2 | 74.4 | 57.1 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[18] (January extreme minimum)[20] (February extreme minimum)[19][21] | |||||||||||||
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics 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 of189.2/km2 (489.9/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
The median age of the population in 2021 was 41.6, compared to the provincial figure of 38.8, and 79.6% were over the age of 15. Theindigenous population was 23.9%, compared to 17.0% for Saskatchewan. Of the indigenous population, 52.9% wereFirst Nations (Saskatchewan 64.5%), 43.1% wereMétis (Saskatchewan 33.4%), and 3.4% gave other responses (Saskatchewan 2.1%).[2]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,400 (-0.7% from 2016) | 4,429 (+9.0% from 2011) | 4,065 (+10.3% from 2006) |
| Land area | 23.26 km2 (8.98 sq mi) | 23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi) | 23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi) |
| Population density | 189.2/km2 (490/sq mi) | 189.8/km2 (492/sq mi) | 174.2/km2 (451/sq mi) |
| Median age | 41.6 (M: 40.4, F: 42.4) | 40.3 (M: 39.9, F: 40.6) | 40.6 (M: 39.9, F: 41.1) |
| Private dwellings | 1,877 (total) 1,758 (occupied) | 1,816 (total) 1,755 (occupied) | 1,652 (total) |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $82,304 |
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| Source:Statistics Canada[2][25] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National historic sites in Battleford includeFort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada,[26]Battleford Court House National Historic Site of Canada[27] andOld 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[28][29]
Other historic places in Battleford include 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.[30]Other heritage buildings include the District Court House,[31] the Town Hall / Opera House,[32] the Former Land Titles Building,[33] the Station Building,[34] the Fred Light Museum (St. Vital School),[35] St. Vital Church,[36] Gardiner Church[37] and the Former Bank of Montreal Building.[38]
The local newspaper isThe Battlefords News Optimist. It is published weekly on Thursday and has circulation in the surrounding area.
Three local radio stations serve the area;CJNB,CJCQ-FM ("Q98"), andCJHD-FM ("93.3 Beach Radio[39]"). SomeSaskatoon radio stations can also be received.
The Battlefords are served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater ofCTV stationCFQC-DT Saskatoon.
Places adjacent to Battleford | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
