North Battleford is a city in west-central

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. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across 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 ...

from the Town of

Battleford Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...

. Together, the two communities are known as "The Battlefords". North Battleford borders the

Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 The Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 16 and Division No. 6. Located in the west-central portion of the provin ...

, as well as the

North Battleford Crown Colony The North Battleford Crown Colony (Canada 2011 Census, 2011 population 164) is an unincorporated community within the Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 in Saskatchewan, Canada that is designated a census subdivision by Statistics Ca ...

(

census subdivision The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

). The Battlefords are served by the

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

and Highway 4, Highway 26, Highway 29, and Highway 40. Battlefords Provincial Park is north on Highway 4.

History

For thousands of years prior to European settlement, succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area. The Battlefords area (including the present city of North Battleford and town of

) was home to several historic indigenous groups, including the Algonquian-speaking Cree and

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...

as well as

Siouan Siouan or Siouan–Catawban is a language family of North America that is located primarily in the Great Plains, Ohio and Mississippi valleys and southeastern North America with a few other languages in the east. Name Authors who call the enti ...

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakod ...

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

band governments, who contested for control of local resources. Early European settlement began as a result of fur trading by French colonists in the late 18th century. The Canadians founded Fort Montaigne d'Aigle (Eagle Hills Fort) nine miles below the confluence of the Saskatchewan and Battle Rivers in 1778. A year later the fort was abandoned following conflict between traders and natives. Permanent European settlement in the area centred around the town of Battleford, founded 1875 and located on the south side of the

. Battleford served as capital of the North-West Territories between 1876 and 1883. In 1905, the construction of 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 ...

main line to Edmonton placed the line on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River. North Battleford, built along the railway line, was incorporated as a village in 1906, as a town in 1907, and as a city (with a population of 5,000) in 1913. The Assyrians were one of the first settlers of the area in and around North Battleford. The immigrant colony comprised 36 men and a few women from the town of

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an al ...

in northwestern Persia. It was established in 1903 by Dr. Isaac Adams, an Assyrian Presbyterian missionary. In 1907, 40 more settlers arrived. Eventually, due to economic hardships, Dr. Isaac Adams and a few close relatives emigrated to

Turlock, California Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer Jo ...

. The descendants of the families who remained in North Battleford have names that are Assyrian in origin. Examples of Assyrian family names include Bakus, Essau, and Odishaw. Population growth stagnated until the 1940s and then grew to approximately 10,000 by the 1960s. The city has grown into an administrative centre and service hub for the economic, education, health and social needs of the region. North Battleford used STV-PR in its city elections from 1920 to 1924. The Latter Rain Revival, a Christian movement, started here in 1946–48.

Historic sites

A number of heritage buildings are located within the city. The North Battleford Public Library was built in 1916 with a $15,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York. and the Canadian National Railways Station was built in 1956.

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, North Battleford 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. In the late 2000s many

Ruthenians Ruthenian and Ruthene are exonyms of Latin language, Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term Rutheni was used in ...

have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford. Most of them came from the same town:

Ruski Krstur Ruski Krstur (Serbian Cyrillic: Руски Крстур; Rusyn: Руски Керестур) is a village in Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Kula, West Bačka District. The village has a Rusyn ethnic majority. Its popul ...

Crime rate

In 2018, ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

'' ranked North Battleford as Canada's most dangerous place for overall crime. The prior year, ''Maclean's'' published an article about this, ''Canada’s most dangerous place, North Battleford, is fighting for its future'', discussing the safety initiatives planned by the community. After the article was published, Mayor Ryan Bater said:

The reality is we require the provincial and federal levels of government to take notice of this and align their efforts with ours. This needs to be a partnership. This can’t be something the governments do in silos and we need to be working together. If we can do that, then sometime in the future we can see some great results.

City Manager Jim Puffalt added that the per person index may not be accurate because the population data does not consider the numerous transients, estimated at just over 14,000. In his view, the city has roughly 30,000 people at any time. "If you put our rates over 30,000 people we wouldn’t be number one n the Maclean's study" he said.

Climate

North Battleford 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 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 ...

Dfb DFB may refer to: * Deerfield Beach, Florida, a city * Decafluorobutane, a fluorocarbon gas * Dem Franchize Boyz, former hip hop group, Atlanta, Georgia * Dfb, Köppen climate classification for Humid continental climate * Distributed-feedback ...

''). The average high during the end of July is and the average low is . For the middle of January the average high is and the average low is . The highest temperature ever recorded in North Battleford was on 13 July 2002. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 1 February 1893 and 12 January 1916.

Government

North Battleford is represented in the provincial Legislative Assembly by the member for

The Battlefords The Battlefords is the collective name given to the adjacent communities of the City of North Battleford and the Town of Battleford in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. As of the 2011 census, the two communities have a combined population of 1 ...

. It is represented in the House of Commons by the member for Battlefords-Lloydminster.

Attractions

North Battleford is the home of one of four branches of the

Saskatchewan Western Development Museum The Western Development Museum is a network of four museums in Saskatchewan, Canada preserving and recording the social and economic development of the province. The museum has branches in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton. Respe ...

. This branch focuses on the agricultural history of Saskatchewan, including a pioneer village. A prominent feature is the former

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 ...

grain elevator No. 889 from Keatley, Saskatchewan. The grain elevator was moved to the museum grounds in 1983. The city also has the

Allen Sapp Allen Sapp (January 2, 1928 – December 29, 2015) was a Canadian Cree painter, who resided in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. His art and his story have become known throughout Canada. His paintings tell a personal story, and many feature image ...

Gallery, featuring the noted Cree painter. Allen Sapp Gallery

Sports and recreation

Panoramic Photo of the NationsWest Field House

The North Battleford Access Communications Centre, a 2,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

, is home to the Battlefords North Stars

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. It is also home to the North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo, held annually in April. The North Battleford CUplex (Credit Union CUplex), which opened in 2013, includes the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, the Northland Power Curling Centre, the NationsWest Field House, and the Battlefords CO-OP Aquatic Centre.

Infrastructure

In 2001, a problem with the city's water system led to the infection of approximately 6,280 people with

cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidiosis, sometimes informally called crypto, is a parasitic disease caused by '' Cryptosporidium'', a genus of protozoan parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. It affects the distal small intestine and can affect the respiratory tra ...

; a lawsuit seeking several million dollars in damages was filed in 2003. Between 5,800 and 7,100 people suffered from diarrheal illness, and 1,907 cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed. Equipment failures at the city's antiquated water filtration plant following maintenance were found to have caused the outbreak. The provincial and municipal government offered compensation to victims after the lawsuit was approved in 2017. The

North Battleford Energy Centre North Battleford Energy Centre is a natural gas-fired station owned by Northland Power located in the Rural Municipality of North Battleford, Saskatchewan located near the city of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. The plant is operating und ...

, a natural gas-fired power station owned by Northland Power, has been operational since 2013.

Transportation

North Battleford is served by the

North Battleford Airport North Battleford Airport is located east of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. History World War II The airport was built during World War II as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and was known as RCAF Station North ...

, while the

North Battleford/Hamlin Airport North Battleford/Hamlin Airport was located north-east of Hamlin, Saskatchewan, Canada, in the RM of North Battleford No. 437. History This airfield was built under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World War II as the R1 ...

is no longer in use. The city also recently added a public transit system, in addition to the book-as-needed "Handi-bus" for people with disabilities.

Local media

Newspaper

''BattlefordsNOW.com'' is an online local news site focusing on what's happening "right NOW" in the Battlefords and surrounding area. The local newspaper is the ''Battlefords' News-Optimist''. It is published weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and has circulation in the surrounding area. ''Feed The Artist Magazine'' is a local non-profit periodical print and online publication that features the work of primarily local artists, photographers, and writers.

Radio

Three local radio stations serve the area:

CJNB CJNB is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a country format at 1050 AM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Owned by the Jim Pattison Group, it is headquartered alongside its sister stations CJCQ-FM and CJHD-FM at 1711 100th Street in Nort ...

CJCQ-FM CJCQ-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 97.9 FM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwes ...

("Q98"), and

CJHD-FM CJHD-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an active rock format, branded as ''93.3 The Rock'' at 93.3 FM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Its local sister stations are CJNB and CJCQ-FM CJCQ-FM is a Canadian radio station ...

("93.3 The Rock"). Some

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 ...

radio stations can also be received.

Television

The Battlefords were served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station

CFQC-DT CFQC-DT (channel 8) is a television station in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station has studios on 1st Avenue North and 23rd Street East in the Central ...

Saskatoon. That repeater ended all analog broadcasting transmissions in 2021, and there are no plans for converting it to digital television.

Notable people

Andrew Albers Andrew William Albers (born October 6, 1985) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners, as well as in the KBO ...

: baseball player *

Lloyd Axworthy Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...

: Canadian politician and spokesman *

Wade Belak Wade William Belak (''né'' Aadland; July 3, 1976 – August 31, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman. He was drafted 12th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the Colorado Av ...

: former NHL player *

Colby Cave Colby Alexander Cave (December 26, 1994 – April 11, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. Cave was born in North Battleford, Saskatch ...

: former NHL player * Ron Delorme: former NHL player *

Deidra Dionne Deidra Dionne (born February 5, 1982) is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. She won bronze in the 2002 Winter Olympics in freestyle aerial ski

: Canadian freestyle skier, Olympic medalist *

Lillian Dyck Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, (born August 24, 1945) is a retired Canadian senator from Saskatchewan. A member of the Cree Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan, and a first generation Chinese Canadian, she is the first female First Nations senator an ...

: Neuroscientist, Canadian senator * Johnny Esaw: former sports' broadcaster, former vice-president of CTV Sports * Bob Francis: former

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 ...

player, NHL coach *

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

: former NHL player, coach, and general manager * Ray Hare: former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

* Bruce Hoffort: former NHL Goaltender * Dale Hoganson: former NHL player * Bill Hunter: hockey coach, owner, and general manager; founder 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 ...

Carole James Carole Alison James (born December 22, 1957) is a Canadian politician and former public administrator, who represented Victoria-Beacon Hill in the MLA from 2005 to 2020. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former ...

: politician, former leader of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democrati ...

, Deputy Premier of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

* Dave King: NHL coach *

Cole Knutson Cole may refer to: Plants * Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed). People * Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole * Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole Companies *Cole Motor C ...

: Métis classical musician * Skip Krake: former NHL centre *

Jody Lehman Jody Lehman (born 1 July 1975 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian-British professional ice hockey player, most recently playing for Lloydminster Border Kings. Playing career He began playing for the Moose Jaw Warr ...

: former

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

goalie *

Bernie Lukowich Bernard Joseph Lukowich (born March 18, 1952) is a Canadian former NHL and WHA player. He played 79 games in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues. And another 21 games for the Calgary Cowboys of the WHA. His son is Brad Lu ...

: former NHL player *

Alistair MacLeod Alistair MacLeod, (July 20, 1936 – April 20, 2014) was a Canadian novelist, short story writer and academic. His powerful and moving stories vividly evoke the beauty of Cape Breton Island's rugged landscape and the resilient character of m ...

: author *

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

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Rueben Mayes Rueben A. Mayes (born June 6, 1963) is a Canadian former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1993. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions w ...

: former NFL player * Joni Mitchell: musician, artist * Nancy Nash: Singer and Performer * Brian Plummer: Musician * Lee Richardson: Canadian politician *

: Canadian Cree painter * Corey Schwab: former NHL goalie * Gregg Sheppard: former NHL forward * Fiona Lesley Smith: Member of the

Canada women's national ice hockey team The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada in women's hockey. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and participates in international competition ...

* Herbert Sparrow: former Canadian senator *

Len Taylor Leonard William "Len" Taylor (born January 16, 1952) is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, representing The Battlefords. Taylor is a member of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party. From 2000 ...

: former Saskatchewan cabinet minister and federal MP * Al Tuer: former NHL defenceman * Jesse Wallin: former NHL defenceman, WJC Gold Medallist, WHL GM/Head Coach *

W. Brett Wilson William Brett Wilson (born July 1, 1957) is a Canadian investment banker, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was a season 3, 4 & 5 panellist on CBC Television's ''Dragons' Den''. He has attracted widespread attention and media covera ...

: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

References

Notes

External links

* {{Coord, 52, 45, 27, N, 108, 17, 10, W, region:CA_type:city, display=title Cities in Saskatchewan Pannonian Rusyns Rusyn Canadian Serbian-Canadian culture Ukrainian-Canadian culture in Saskatchewan