Prince Albert is the third-largest city in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, Canada, after

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

. 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.

Prince Albert National Park Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Macke ...

is located north of the city and contains a wealth of lakes, forest, and wildlife. The city itself is located in a transition zone between the

aspen parkland Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections, namely the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area stretchi ...

and

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruc ...

biomes. Prince Albert is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Prince Albert No. 461, of which it is the seat, but is politically separate.

History

The area was named ''kistahpinanihk'' by the Cree, which translates to "sitting pretty place", "great meeting place" or "meeting place". The first trading post set up in the area was built in 1776 by

Peter Pond Peter Pond (January 18, 1739 – 1807) was an American explorer, cartographer, merchant and soldier who was a founding member of the North West Company and the Beaver Club. Though he was born and died in Milford, Connecticut, most of his life ...

. James Isbister, an

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 Scots (Orcadian, mainland Scottish), or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers.B ...

employee of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

, settled on the site of the current city in 1862. He farmed there until 1866, and had been joined by a number of families who called the site Isbister's Settlement. The community received a boost in 1866 when Reverend James Nisbet, a Canada Presbyterian Church minister arrived to establish a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

for the Cree. Nisbet named the mission after Albert, Prince Consort, husband of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, who had died in 1861, from whom the present city derives its name. In 1879 the Presbyterian Church brought out Lucy Margaret Baker to run the local mission school. During the same year, the local Freemasons established the first lodge in what is now the province of Saskatchewan: Kinistino Lodge No. 1, which still exists. "The Mission", the settlement centrally located, and "Porter Town", located to the west, were the two communities that would come together to form what is now Prince Albert. The settlement east of Prince Albert was termed Goschen before finally amalgamated, however East Prince Albert still appears on a 1924 map. In 1884, Honore Jaxon and James Isbister were involved in the movement which brought

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

back to Canada. Riel returned from the United States following a political exile resulting from the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (french: Rébellion de la rivière Rouge), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by ...

that had occurred in 1869–1870. Five hundred people gathered to hear Riel speak one month after his return. In the North-West Rebellion of the 1885,

Prince Albert Volunteers The Prince Albert Volunteers (PAV) is the name of two historical infantry units headquartered in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The unit was first raised in 1885 during the North-West Rebellion and disbanded after hostilities ceased. In the 20th cen ...

bore the heaviest casualties of the fighting at the Battle of Duck Lake. Surrounding settlers took refuge with the North-West Mounted Police in a hastily improvised stockade at Prince Albert, fearing an attack by Gabriel Dumont, which never came. After the

Battle of Batoche The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion, which pitted the Canadian authorities against a force of First Nations and Métis people. Fought from May 9 to 12, 1885, at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatche ...

, Major General

Frederick Middleton General Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton (4 November 1825 – 25 January 1898) was a British general noted for his service throughout the Empire and particularly in the North-West Rebellion in Canada. Imperial Military career Educated at Ma ...

marched to Prince Albert to relieve the town. Prince Albert, with a population of about 800 people, was incorporated as a town the same year under its first mayor,

Thomas McKay Thomas McKay (1 September 1792 – 9 October 1855) was a Canadian businessman who was one of the founders of the city of Ottawa, Ontario. Biography McKay was born in Perth, Scotland and became a skilled stonemason. He emigrated to the C ...

. In 1904, the settlement was incorporated as the City of Prince Albert. Its government is of a council-mayor type. Prince Albert was the capital of the

District of Saskatchewan The District of Saskatchewan was a regional administrative district of Canada's North-West Territories. It was formed in 1882 was later enlarged then abolished with the creation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. Much of the a ...

, a regional administrative division of what then constituted the North-West Territories. The District of Saskatchewan was formed on May 8, 1882, and named Prince Albert as its capital. This ended in 1905 when Saskatchewan became a province and Regina was designated the new provincial capital. Prince Albert was one of the rival candidates to house either the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

or the

Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary Saskatchewan Penitentiary is a Medium Security Facility with Maximum Security areas. It is located on a walled 20-acre (81,000 m²) parcel of land in the Rural Municipality of Prince Albert No. 461, one kilometre west of Prince Albert, Saskatche ...

. The university was built in Saskatoon and the penitentiary was built in Prince Albert in 1911. The federal constituency of Prince Albert has been represented by three prime ministers of Canada: *

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electi ...

, 13th Prime Minister (1957–1963), became the Member of Parliament for

Lake Centre Lake Centre was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1953. This riding was created in 1933 from parts of the ridings of Last Mountain, Long Lake and Regina. Fr ...

in 1940, and when that riding was abolished in 1952, represented Prince Albert from 1953 until his death in 1979. *

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...

tenth Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert from 1926 to 1945. * Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

seventh Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert in the

provisional district (still part of Northwest Territories) in 1896, before returning to his

Quebec East Quebec East (also known as Québec-Est and Québec East) was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 2004. While its boundaries changed over the decades, it was essentia ...

riding later that year.

Royal visits

Prince Albert has welcomed the following members of Canada's Royal Family: * The Princess Margaret – 1958 and 1980 * The Duke and Duchess of York (The Prince Andrew and Sarah) – 1989 * The Earl of Wessex (The Prince Edward) – 2003

Geography

Prince Albert is located on the White Fox Plain of the Saskatchewan River lowlands. These lowlands are located in the physiographic region of the Saskatchewan Plains Region of the Central Lowlands Province. The natural vegetation of the area consists of aspen parkland to the south and southern boreal forest to the north of the North Saskatchewan River. These two ecoregions have differing soil types: the northern forested soils are brunisolic and sandy, whereas south of the river are black chernozemic soils. The

runs through the centre of Prince Albert. The main soils of the city of Prince Albert are those of the valley complex consisting mainly of regosolic soils which produce natural vegetation which are not forest nor grassland but a complex of the two. It is here that the treeline of Saskatchewan begins, and to the north of the city begins the forested growth of Jack Pine ''(Pinus banksiana)'', as well as other

growth in the

, and Nisbet forest. The forests north of the city, especially those containing Jack Pine are infected with

Dwarf Mistletoe The genus ''Arceuthobium'', commonly called dwarf mistletoes, is a genus of 26 species of parasitic plants that parasitize members of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae in North America, Central America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Of the 42 species tha ...

and various projects have been undertaken to stop the spread of this

parasitic plant A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

. The agricultural soils around Prince Albert have some limitations and about 35% of the land is covered with sloughs or potholes. Creek systems such as the Red Deer Hill Creek and McFarlane Creek drain into the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

. In the past these creeks have been known to dry up allowing farmers to cut hay, but in recent years these waterways have been overfilling due to large amounts of winter run-off and increase of the water table. The land use is divided into the southern woodland area north of Prince Albert and cropland to the south. The Quaternary glacial geology precludes the region to have been covered by the large prehistoric glacial lake called

Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was a large glacial lake in central North America. Fed by glacial meltwater at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined. First postulated in 1823 by William H. Keating, i ...

. The ancient shoreline can be seen along the "Esker Trail" in

Narrow Hills Provincial Park Narrow Hills Provincial Park is a northern boreal forest provincial recreational park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located in a hilly plateau called the Cub Hills and contains several recreational facilities and over 25 a ...

which is just north-east of the city. Many different types of fossils have been found in the Prince Albert region. Along the riverbanks of the Shell River can be observed a stratum containing Quaternary bivalve mollusk shells and in 2014 the vertebrae and bone fragments of a bison were found by local college students attending Saskatchewan Polytechnic in the Shell River area. Various areas (especially eroded river banks) have been known to reveal bison skulls and other various types of fossils. Claims have also been made of various types of marine fossils including oysters, clams, corals and other invertebrates are to be found mixed in fossil matrixes just east of the city near the small village of

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...

The bedrock geology is a part of the phanerozoic basin and belongs to the Lea Park and

Milk River Formation The Milk River Formation is a sandstone-dominated stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southern Alberta, Canada. It was deposited in near-shore to coastal environments during Late Cretaceous (late Santonian to early Campani ...

Climate

Prince Albert experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dfb''). It is close to being subarctic (''Dfc'') with May and September mean temperatures being just above . The coldest month on average is January with an average low of , and July is the hottest month with an average high of . The highest temperature ever recorded in Prince Albert was on July 19, 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on February 1, 1893. Winter lasts five months of the year with January daily means of , causing a great temperature amplitude in comparison to the mean temperature of July. The variability of the climate is further demonstrated by the brief transition zones with April recording both above and below and respectively.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Prince Albert had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Prince Albert has one of the highest Aboriginal population ratios for any Canadian city, at 41.5%. Most of Prince Albert is Christian (74.4%) or affiliates with no religion (23.4%). The remaining 2.2% affiliate with another religion. For residents over the age of 25 years, 82.7% have a high school diploma (or equivalent), 55.3% have a post-secondary degree; and 17.3% have no certificate, diploma, or degree.

Economy

Prince Albert is situated on the banks of the

, with rich agricultural land to the south and the

to the north. Although Prince Albert is centrally located in Saskatchewan, it is the second most northerly city in the province after Meadow Lake. This physical location has led to the creation of the slogan "Gateway to the North". After being established as a mission centre, the main impetus for growth was speculation that the Transcontinental Railway would travel north from the Red River Valley along Hind's fertile belt through to

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. When the Canadian Pacific Railway chose a more southerly route, Prince Albert's growth collapsed: The La Colle Falls hydroelectric power dam project was an attempt to provide affordable electricity to attract industry By 1927, the project was abandoned as the city was close to bankruptcy. In 1945,

was established, and the tourism sector helped to again revive Prince Albert's economy. The city's location has benefited the community in many ways through the years as an agriculture, forestry, tourism, mining, retail, and service centre for the immediate market and the northern communities. Prince Albert has a total trade area of 140,000 people, including an additional 12,000 that can be included if

Flin Flon Flin Flon (pop. 5,185 in 2016 census; 4,982 in Manitoba and 203 in Saskatchewan) is a mining city, located on a correction line on the border of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located within M ...

and

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

are accounted for. The major contributing factor to this is the role of Prince Albert as a retail and service centre to these northern communities. There are a number of major developments that are happening around Prince Albert. Diamond exploration is currently occurring east of the City in the Fort à la Corne region and it is expected a mine may go up around 2010–2011. In addition to diamond prospects, Bio-fuels are also playing a significant role to the area. The Prince Albert region is one of the richest areas in the province for agriculture, and with the current emphasis on bio-fuel technology from the provincial and federal governments, it is expected that this economic sector will grow.

Uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

is also expected to play a bigger role in the future development of Prince Albert. There is speculation that, due to the proximity the uranium mining in northern Saskatchewan, the area could be ideal for a

value-added In business, total value added is calculated by tabulating the unit value added (measured by summing unit profit sale price and production cost">Price.html" ;"title="he difference between Price">sale price and production cost], unit depreciation ...

type of business. Prince Albert is still heavily reliant on its government service sector, which accounts for about 11% of the workforce. There are three prisons, the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, Pine Grove Correctional Centre and the

. Chief Joseph Custer, Kistapinanihk 231, Northern Lights 220, Muskoday First Nation, Muskoday 99 and Wahpeton 94B Indian Reserves are within of the city. The

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

industry is also a major contributor to the economy of Prince Albert. Prince Albert currently hosts the Provincial Forestry Centre, a building that hosts significant wood and forestry related types of businesses and associations. Prince Albert Pulp Company had been the area's largest employer since it opened in 1968. The mill was closed down in 2006 by its then owner,

Weyerhaeuser Weyerhaeuser () is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood products. It operates as a real e ...

. The mill was subsequently sold. Paper Excellence purchased the long-closed down Prince Albert Pulp Inc. from

Domtar Domtar Corporation is an American company that manufactures and markets wood fiber-based paper and pulp product. The company operates pulp and paper mills in Windsor, Quebec, Dryden, Ontario, Kamloops, British Columbia, Ashdown, Arkansas, Hawesv ...

in April 2011 with plans to operate a dissolving pulp mill producing 1000 tonnes per day employing about 250 people. The pulp mill was shut down indefinitely and 42 employees laid off on Aug. 29, 2014.

Attractions

There are three historical museums in Prince Albert. The combined The Evolution of Education Museum and Rotary Museum of Police and Corrections are located at the tourist information centre just off of Highway #2 South. The second museum, the Historical Society Museum, is located in an old Fire Hall at the north end of Central Avenue on River Street. The John G. Diefenbaker House is a historic site open to the public and is found on 249 19th Street West. The Prince Albert Heritage Museum (c. 1911) is a Municipal Heritage Property on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. Across from the Historical Society Museum is the site of Diefenbaker's constituency office that is not open to the public. Among the other heritage, historic and protected sites of Prince Albert are the Blockhouse from the 1885 Rebellion & First Presbyterian Church/School, Historic St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Honeywood (Dr. A.J. Porter) Heritage Nursery, Keyhole Castle, LaColle Falls Hydroelectric Dam, Oldest Downtown Store, Prince Albert Arts Centre and The Cathedral Church of St. Alban the Martyr (Anglican). Sacred Heart Cathedral (Roman Catholic) near the downtown area was built in 1914 in the Romanesque style. It contains paintings by

Berthold Imhoff Count Berthold von Imhoff (January 14, 1868 – December 14, 1939), was an artist known for his religious murals and paintings. Born in Germany in 1868, Imhoff immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Reading, Pennsylvania ...

. The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass of six buildings in Prince Albert. Other historical points of interest include: * The St. Louis Light, a commonly visited, supposedly paranormal, phenomenon occurring south of the city. *

Fort de la Corne Fort de la Corne was one of the two French forts established on the Saskatchewan River in the 20 years between the end of La Vérendrye's push west from Lake Superior in 1731–1743 and the fall of New France in 1763. (The other was Fort La Jo ...

, a short distance east from Prince Albert, is the furthest westward post of the French Empire in North America (see

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

). * The Prince Albert Sanatorium, completed in 1930 and treated tuberculosis patients. * The Buckland Wildlife Management Unit, located within of the city.

Sports and recreation

The city is home to the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

. The Raiders, who won the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, play in the 3,571-seat Art Hauser Centre. The city is also home to the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. They won the 2006, 2007 and 2014 Telus Cup. They also play in the Art Hauser Centre.

Government

Infrastructure

The first hospital was constructed in 1899, followed by a maternity home built in 1945 which lasted approximately twelve years.

Bridges

At present, only a single road bridge, the Diefenbaker Bridge, connects the north and south shore in Prince Albert; this bridge is also the only river crossing connecting southern and northern Saskatchewan in the immediate vicinity (one needs to drive many kilometers to the east or west to find another). This has long been a subject of concern in the region, especially in light of a partial closure of the bridge in August 2011 that occurred when cracks were found during an inspection.

Historic trails

In 1866, Prince Albert was established as a mission post, and a trail to

Fort Carlton Fort Carlton was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post from 1795 until 1885. It was located along the North Saskatchewan River not far from Duck Lake. It is in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and was rebuilt by the government of Sas ...

arose. This trail connected the growing community to the

Carlton Trail The Carlton Trail was the primary land transportation route in the Canadian Northwest for most of the 19th century, connecting Fort Carlton to Edmonton along a line of intermediate places. It was part of a trail network that stretched from the Red ...

, the main land transportation route in Western Canada of the 19th century. The trail followed along the current Lily Plain grid road in Saskatchewan to the ferry service at Lilly Plain post office. The Qu'Appelle (Troy) – Prince Albert Trail was in use from 1883 transporting mail and freight goods from the rail depot at Qu'Appelle across the ferry at

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to Prince Albert. Besides these two trails, Prince Albert was also served by the Montreal Lake–PA, Green Lake–PA, and Fort à la Corne–PA trails.

Railways

Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific

Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad and Steamboat Company (QLSRSC) arrived in Prince Albert in October 1890 as a means to link the three major cities of Saskatchewan through one railroad. For the next few years the line was seldom used, and in order to raise capital, QLSRSC leased the line out to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Canadian Pacific soon realized the economic uncertainty of the line, and the lease was cancelled after only a few years of service. By 1906, less than twenty years after the line was completed, it was sold to the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Man ...

(CNoR). Canadian Northern also crossed the North Saskatchewan River, heading west towards Shellbrook. Prince Albert was slated to become a northern hub for rail service into the north, however with little economic activity in the area, no branch lines were ever extended into the north except for the Paddockwood spur, which was subsequently abandoned during the 1990s as a grain-dependent branch line. Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) also serviced Prince Albert through a branch line that headed north from

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

, through St. Louis and North into Prince Albert. Later both the CNoR and GTP were nationalized, eventually becoming the Canadian National Railway (CN).

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific

For years the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway dominated the city of Prince Albert, operating on both sides of 15th Street. The Canadian Pacific Railway branched off at Lanigan moving north up to Hagen, then under trackage rights with CN, and curved towards the northeast end of Prince Albert. This was CPR's principal northern site, with many of the branch lines feeding back to Prince Albert. These branch lines almost entirely served lumber mills and grain elevators as principal commodities. In 1991 CPR decided to shut down rail line operations in Prince Albert and the surrounding area. CPR sold the Meadow Lake line to CN, and abandoned the Meath Park branch up to Choiceland. Many small CN branch lines extended past Prince Albert hauling primarily grain, but proved ineffective due to larger and more accessible grain elevators. As a result, many were abandoned through the 1990s. Lines that have been abandoned include the Paddockwood Spur (CN), CPR to Meath Park, CPR to Lanigan, CN to Shellbrook, and CN to

. As grain storage and sorting technology improved over the years, a state of the art Inland elevator was built, located north of Prince Albert. This facility was owned by

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...

, later succeeded by Viterra. The smaller elevator located in the CN yards — owned by

United Grain Growers The United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain farmers' cooperative for grain storage and distribution that operated between 1917 and 2001. History In 1917, the Grain Growers' Grain Company (GGGC) merged with the Alberta Farmers' Co ...

, later acquired by

Agricore United Agricore United was a farmer-directed agribusiness in Canada. It supplied crop nutrition and crop protection products, and offered grain handling and marketing services. It was created on November 1, 2001 by the merger of Agricore and United Grai ...

which was also succeeded by Viterra — operated in Prince Albert until Viterra announced its cease of operations on April 1, 2008. Today, only the Inland terminal owned by

Viterra Viterra began as a Canadian grain handling business, the nation's largest grain handler, with its historic formative roots in prairie grain-handling cooperatives, among them the iconic Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Viterra Inc grew into a global agr ...

, located in White Star, continues to operate. In December 1997, CN announced the branch line was up for sale due to lack of productivity. The engines primarily used by CN at the time were GMD1s for short haul and yard shunting, and EMD SD40-2W/

EMD SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989. The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's '' Dash 2'' series, competing against the GE U30C and the ALCO Century 630. Although higher-horsep ...

s for long-haul trips. CP utilized switchers due in part to the light rail on many of their branch lines. These switchers were manufactured by Montreal Locomotive Works (Bombardier) and were designated as RS-23.

Carlton Trail Railway

OmniTRAX, an American shortline railway company, bought the former CN line and named it Carlton Trail Railway (CTRW or CTR). Currently, Carlton Trail Railway resides in the old CN yard, storing tank cars for CN, transporting grain, and refurbishing diesel engines for other

OmniTRAX OmniTRAX, Inc. is a transportation and transportation infrastructure holding company based in Denver, Colorado, in the United States. It primarily owns or operates railroads, with a network of 25 regional and shortline railroads in 12 U.S. state ...

lines. Carlton Trail has recently discussed abandoning several parts of the shortline due to increasing costs and poor track condition. The Railroad bridge in Prince Albert had the ability to turn in on itself to allow ferry ships to pass through. In 2001 CTRW announced the abandonment of the Birch Hills branch line, but the City of Prince Albert intervened, citing the possibility of an ethanol plant. In 2008 Carlton Trail announced the Meadow Lake line would be abandoned by April 1, 2009. Carlton Trail primarily operates EMD GP10s for switching and long-haul transport.

Highway

Prince Albert is located on SK 2, SK 3, SK 11, SK 55, and SK 302. Prince Albert demarks the change of name for SK 2. The stretch of Highway 2 from Moose Jaw to Prince Albert was designated in 2005 as Veterans Memorial Highway. The renaming coincided with Veterans Week 2005. of Saskatchewan Highway 2 contribute to the

CanAm Highway CanAm Highway is an international highway that connects Mexico to Canada through the United States. It travels along U.S. Route 85 (US 85) and Interstate 25 (I-25), passing through six U.S. states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, So ...

between Prince Albert and

La Ronge La Ronge is a northern town in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, Canada. Its location is approximately north of Prince Albert where Highway 2 becomes Highway 102. La Ronge lies on the western shore of Lac la Ronge, is adjacent ...

. The

CanAm highway CanAm Highway is an international highway that connects Mexico to Canada through the United States. It travels along U.S. Route 85 (US 85) and Interstate 25 (I-25), passing through six U.S. states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, So ...

south of Prince Albert is designated on SK 3 between Melfort and Prince Albert. SK 11 connects Saskatchewan's three largest cities: Regina,

and Prince Albert. On June 20, 2001, the entire length of SK 11 was re-named the Louis Riel Trail at a ceremony which took place at the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre. The Louis Riel Trail connects major sites of the 1885 North-West Rebellion.

Transit

Prince Albert Transit is the local city bus service with Saskatchewan Transportation Company formerly providing intercity service for passengers and freight throughout Saskatchewan, with connecting service to national bus routes.

Air transport

Glass Field Airport has regular flights to Saskatoon and Regina and serves as an access point to communities and mining operations north of Prince Albert. Many residents of Prince Albert commute to Saskatoon for flights to further destinations.

Education

Anglican Bishop John McLean opened Emmanuel College on November 1, 1879, the first university of the

. A federal act later incorporated Emmanuel College into the University of Saskatchewan. Emmanuel College moved to

in 1907 to become a part of the provincial

, following the inception of Saskatchewan as a province in 1905. The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division operates 33 schools and the Prince Albert Catholic School Division operates nine schools. The city has five high schools. St. Mary High School, and Rivier Academy (private, co-ed) are part of the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, while Carlton Comprehensive High School (largest high school in Saskatchewan), Wesmor (Acronym of the rural elementary schools Wildrose, East Central, Spruce Home, Meath Park, Osborne, and Redwing), and P.A.C.I (Prince Albert Collegiate Institute) are in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division. École Valois offers preschool to grade 12 and is the only Francophone school in Prince Albert. Post-secondary schools found in Prince Albert include the Woodland campus of

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology or SIAST) is Saskatchewan's primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internati ...

(formerly Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology) and extension campuses for both the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university, public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the Unive ...

and the University of Saskatchewan. Prince Albert also has the

First Nations University of Canada The First Nations University of Canada (abbreviated as FNUniv) is a post-secondary institution and federated college of the University of Regina, based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. FNUniv operates three campuses within the province, ...

(Northern Campus),

Gabriel Dumont Institute The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), formally the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc., is a non-profit corporation serving the educational and cultural needs of the Saskatchewan Métis and Non-Status Indian commu ...

, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), and Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP).

Media

Prince Albertans

Notes

References

Sources

External links

* * {{Authority control 1776 establishments in the British Empire Cities in Saskatchewan Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Populated places established in 1776