Meadow Lake is a city in the

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 ...

of northwestern

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. Its location is about northeast of

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

and north of

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...

. Founded as a trading post in 1799, it became a village in 1931 and a town in 1936. On November 9, 2009, it officially became Saskatchewan's 14th city. Meadow Lake is the main business centre of northwestern Saskatchewan and serves the many towns and villages as a regional shopping centre. It is the second-largest community in Saskatchewan's Census Division No. 17, after Saskatchewan's portion of the interprovincial city of

. The city is on the western shore of Meadow Lake and borders the Rural Municipality of Meadow Lake No. 588 and the Flying Dust First Nation No. 105

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

History

Peter Fidler Peter Fidler (16 August 1769 – 17 December 1822) was a British surveyor, map-maker, fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshir ...

built Bolsover House in 1799 near "Lac des Prairies", the first name given to Meadow Lake. In 1873 Métis families arrived establishing a

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 ...

trading post, joined by other settlers in the early 1900s. The largest impetus occurred following a fire of 1919 and the exodus of some of the settlers during the Great Depression from the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) a ...

of central and southern Saskatchewan to communities in the north.

Bolsover House

Peter Fidler of the Hudson's Bay Company was told by Indian guides that Meadow Lake was a good place for furs. On August 30, 1799 he reached the mouth of the Meadow Lake River. The stream was so narrow and crooked that he almost despaired of navigating it. When he reached the lake he found it so shallow and swampy that he had to proceed demi-chargé. Finding no good place on the lake he went up a river and selected a place about 1,000 yards inland to build the 12 foot by 12 foot log fort. He named it Bolsover House after his hometown in England. The post returned only 190 made beaver in the first season so in 1801 it was closed and everything moved east to

Green Lake House Green Lake is a northern village in Saskatchewan, Canada. Its residents are predominantly Métis people. Green Lake is located northeast of Meadow Lake, and northwest of Big River. It lies in the southern boreal forest, and takes its name from ...

. The exact site of Bolsover House is unknown. There is a monument to Peter Fidler in Meadow Lake at Elk's Park.

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, Meadow Lake 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. The Meadow Lake Indian Band was established in 1889 with signing of

Treaty 6 Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specif ...

to the north of Meadow Lake. This reserve is now named the

Flying Dust First Nation The Flying Dust First Nation ( cr, ᑳ ᐅᐦᐹᐘᐦᑳᐢᑕᕽ ''kâ-ohpâwahkâstahk'') is a Cree First Nation band government located adjacent to the city of Meadow Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. Highway 55 The following highways are ...

Geography

Meadow Lake is located in the middle of an area pre-historically covered by a large glacial lake also called '' Meadow Lake'' formed from a receding continental glacier, of which only a fraction still exists. The lake is located on the east side of the city. The ancient lakeshore forms the Meadow Lake Escarpment, a significant terrain feature clearly visible looking south from many points in the city. The area is a part of the Southern Boreal EcoRegion with the Northern Boreal EcoRegion to the north and the Parkland EcoRegion on the south. The neighbouring rural areas include Trembling aspen ''Populus tremuloides'', White spruce ''Picea glauca'', Jack Pine ''Pinus banksiana'', Black Spruce ''Picea mariana'' and muskegs Specifically Meadow Lake is situated in the Meadow Lake plain of the Boreal transition

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

in the Boreal Plain ecozone.

Climate

Meadow Lake experiences a subarctic climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

'' Dfc'') that falls just short of being classified as 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 ''Dfb''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Meadow Lake was on 27 June 2002. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 January 1930. A record snowfall occurred November 16, 1984, with and a record of rain fell May 17, 1984. A record snowfall depth was recorded February 22, 1997, when was measured. January 11, 1986, was very cold with wind gusting to per hour. The humidex was set at a high of 40.4 on August 10, 1991, and the opposite extreme was felt with a −55.8 windchill on December 20, 1989.

Government

Meadow Lake has a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

as the highest ranking government official. Voters also elect

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s to form the municipal council. Currently the mayor is Merlin Seymour. Provincially, Meadow Lake is within the Meadow Lake constituency. It is currently represented served by their MLA,

Jeremy Harrison Jeremy Harrison (born January 29, 1978) is a Canadian provincial politician who is currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, representing the riding of Meadow Lake. Harrison is also the former Canadian Member of Parliamen ...

of the Saskatchewan Party. Meadow Lake is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by its MP of the

Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (french: Desnethé—Missinippi—Rivière Churchill; formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canad ...

riding, currently

Gary Vidal Gary Vidal (born in 1965) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Vidal previously served as mayor o ...

of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Economy

The tourism, fishing, fur, pulpwood, forestry, agricultural grains, livestock, dairy and poultry product industries all support Meadow Lake which boasted seven grain elevators in 1955. Meadow Lake was processing three million bushels of grain in 1953, the highest amount for a single Canadian community. Currently the city's heavy industry is dominated by the primary forestry industry and related service companies, including trucking and forestry management companies. The forest companies include NorSask Forest Products Inc., Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Ltd. and the Meadow Lake OSB Limited Partnership. Support industries include Mistik Management and various privately held trucking companies. Meadow Lake acts as a business hub in its local area, providing services for the smaller surrounding communities of Dorintosh and Rapid View and surrounding reserves including the Flying Dust First Nation and the Eagles Lake reserve. A major component of the Meadow Lake economy is the First Nation communities and their relative success. The Flying Dust First Nation, which directly borders the town, owns and operates many of the city's most profitable industries, including direct ownership of NorSask Forest Products Inc., a portion of the Meadow Lake OSB Partnership, stakes in local trucking and service companies, and a sizeable farming operation which is currently limited to leasing the vast amounts of local property they own or have title on. The community's agricultural community is also sizeable, including both cereal production and ranching operations. The most pristine agricultural lands are closest to the city, whereas the surrounding areas become less suitable for farming and more amenable to ranching towards the north with the Canadian Shield, or east to the St. Cyr Hills. The city boasts one stockyard and two major agricultural equipment dealers. The community is home to the

SaskPower Saskatchewan Power Corporation, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the provincial government, it serves more than 538,000 customers and manages over $11.8 billion in assets. Sa ...

Meadow Lake Power Station.

Education

Meadow Lake is served by Transition Place Education Centre, Carpenter High, Jonas Samson Junior High, Lakeview elementary, Jubilee Elementary, Gateway Elementary, and

North West Regional College North West Regional College is a further education and higher education college in the north-west region of Northern Ireland. The college has five main campuses in counties Londonderry and Tyrone: Strand Road ( Derry), Springtown (Derry), ...

, which offers courses at both the college and university levels. University courses, including complete, community-based

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order fo ...

and

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

programs are offered by 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 ...

. In the spring of 2005, the

Government of Saskatchewan The Government of Saskatchewan (french: Gouvernement de la Saskatchewan) refers to the provincial government of the province of Saskatchewan. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "g ...

invested

CA$ The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...

41,000 to upgrade the roof at Jonas Samson Junior High School. Academy of Learning AOL is a post secondary career and business college in Meadow Lake. For the school year 2007–2008, Lakeview Elementary School started a much anticipated French Immersion Program. Historically the Meadow Lake area was served by several one-room schoolhouses, the closest being the Meadow Lake School District #1201 Township 59, range 17, west of the 3rd Meridian.

Local media

Newspapers

The ''Northern Pride'' is a weekly newspaper based in Meadow Lake and serves northwestern Saskatchewan. The ''Meadow Lake Progress'' was a local newspaper that was published from 1931 to 2013.

Radio

CJNS-FM 102.3 and CFDM-FM 105.7 are the local radio stations. The town is also served by CBKM-FM 98.5, a repeater of CBK-AM 540 in Watrous.

Transportation

Meadow Lake is located on SK Highway 55, and SK Highway 4. The Prince Albert - Leoville - Meadow Lake - North Battleford Canadian Pacific Railway reached Meadow Lake Station at Section 26,

Township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

59,

Range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

17, west of the Third Meridian in 1931. Meadow Lake Airport is located west of Meadow Lake.

Attractions

Meadow Lake's Tourist Information Centre is located on Highway 4 South in the Meadow Lake Lions Park. The building is shared by the Meadow Lake Museum Society, Northern Saskatchewan Tourism, and the Meadow Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Meadow Lake Provincial Park Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen and Cold Rivers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park was founded on 10 March 1959, is the largest provincial park in Sask ...

, located about 40 km to the north, takes its name from the city. Other nearby parks include Meadow Lake Lions Park, Nesset Lake Recreation Site, and Saint Cyr Hills Trails Recreation Site. Meadow Lake Golf Club is an 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

on the south side of the city of Meadow Lake, along Highway 4. Meadow Lake is directly east of the golf course. The golf course was built in 1952 and is a par 72 with a total of 6432 yards. The course also features a 20-tee driving range.

Notable people

Notable persons who were born, grew up, or established their fame in Meadow Lake: * William Bleasdell Cameron (1862–1951), survivor of the

Frog Lake Massacre The Frog Lake Massacre was part of the Cree uprising during the North-West Rebellion in western Canada. Led by Wandering Spirit, young Cree men attacked officials, clergy and settlers in the small settlement of Frog Lake in the District of S ...

, author, journalist *

Blake Comeau Blake Comeau (born February 18, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently an unrestricted free agent of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, by the New York Islanders at t ...

2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2006 WJHC'') were held in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The championships began on December 26, 2005, and finished on January 5, 2006. Games were played at GM Place ...

gold medallist,

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

player with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

Jeff Friesen Jeffrey Daryl Friesen (born August 5, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League, spending roughly half his career with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the 1994 NHL Ent ...

- former NHL hockey player, Stanley Cup Champion (2003) *

Joe Handley Joseph "Joe" L. Handley, MLA (born August 9, 1943), is a former teacher, politician and civil servant and was the tenth premier of the Northwest Territories. Early life Handley was born in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan in 1943. Prior to moving to ...

- former Premier of The Northwest Territories *

- current MLA * D. J. King - former NHL hockey player *

Dwight King Dwight King (born July 5, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens. He was a member of the Kings' Stanley Cup championship t ...

- former NHL and current KHL hockey player, He was a member of the Kings' Stanley Cup championship teams in 2012 and in 2014. * John Klebuc - Chief Justice of The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal *

Merlin Malinowski Merlin "The Magician" Malinowski (born September 27, 1958) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre. Malinowski was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Playi ...

- former NHL hockey player * George McLeod - former Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier *

Jon Mirasty Jonathon Gary Frank Mirasty (born June 4, 1982) is a Cree native Canadian ice hockey player who has played in multiple professional leagues including the WHL, KHL, and AHL. Nicknamed "Nasty" by both teammates and fans, Mirasty developed a cult fol ...

- AHL hockey player * Mike Siklenka - AHL hockey player * Maynard Sonntag - former Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister *

Jeremy Yablonski Jeremy Yablonski (born March 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Primarily a hockey enforcer, Yablonski is a six time, novice Golden Gloves boxing champion. After his professional hockey career, Yablonski went on ...

- NHL and AHL hockey player

Gallery

Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 04.JPG, Portion of the rider on horseback statue which honours pioneers of the area Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 05.JPG, Mural in Meadow Lake Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 08.JPG, Plaque on Meadow Lake City Hall (Heritage Building) Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 09.JPG, Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of All Saints Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 06.JPG, Holy Trinity Anglican Church

References

Book reference

* * * * *

External links

* {{Authority control 1931 establishments in Saskatchewan Cities in Saskatchewan