The Rural Municipality of Manitou Lake No. 442 ( 2016 population: ) is a

rural municipality A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries. These include: * Rural municipalities in Canada, a type of municipal status in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, a ...

(RM) in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nort ...

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 ...

within Census Division No. 13 and Division No. 6.

History

The RM of Manitou Lake No. 442 incorporated as a rural municipality on December 12, 1910. It takes its name from Manitou Lake, which is Algonquian for "mysterious being". In 1905, the first settlers came from Canadian regions, the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The area was known as the Manitou Lake District. In 1907-1908 a post office was established in the home of Mr. Alex Wright, approximately one mile north-east of the present Marsden town site. The post office served the surrounding rural area. The Wrights named the post office 'Marsden'. One story recounts the name as originating from the birthplace of Mrs. Wright in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

; another reports it was named after the famous Marsden Rock near

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, England. The adjacent area became known as the Marsden Rural Post Office District. Between 1919 and 1922, the post office was relocated one mile south to the RM office of Manitou Lake No. 442. In 1905, the vast prairie land was covered with long grass referred to as 'prairie wool'. There were few trees or bluffs. The fertile black soil attracted many first settlers to the area and soon farms developed with sod and log homes. Farmers turned sod with horse and ox teams, sometimes using a walking

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

(sulky) to prepare the ground for grain sowing. Grain was cut with binders, stooked, and threshed. Farmers hauled grain by wagon or horse-drawn sleigh to Zumbro and

Artland is a Japanese animation studio. It has produced numerous noted anime series, including the award-winning '' Mushishi'' and epic '' Legend of the Galactic Heroes''. It is also well known for producing the anime adaptation of ''Katekyō Hitman ...

. In the winter months, grain was hauled across the ice of Manitou Lake. Early settlers purchased groceries and supplies at

Lashburn Lashburn is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located 35 km (22 miles) east of Lloydminster and 107 km (66 miles) west of North Battleford on the Yellowhead Highway, on the banks of the Battle River. It was founded in 1903 with the ...

, Artland, or

Chauvin, Alberta Chauvin ( ) is a village in east central Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Wainwright, and west of the Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest ...

. A popular shopping method of the time was the Eaton's catalogue. The settler's children first attended school in Learig, and in 1925 a four-room schoolhouse was built in the hamlet of Marsden.

Geography

Communities and localities

The following

urban municipalities Municipalities ( sq, or ) are the second-level administrative divisions of Albania, below counties and above administrative units or communes. Since the most recent administrative reforms in 2014, Albania has 61 municipalities. History Mu ...

are surrounded by the RM. ;

Villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

* Marsden The following unincorporated communities are within the RM. ;Localities *

* Unwin

Lakes and rivers

The following is a list of notable lakes and rivers in the RM: * Manitou Lake *Wells Lake *Reflex Lakes *

Battle River Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of . The mean discharge is 10 m³/s at its mouth. His ...

*Eyehill Creek

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, the RM of Manitou Lake No. 442 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 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Manitou Lake No. 442 recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

, cattle, and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

are primary industries for the population of 590 residents of the RM of Manitou Lake.

Wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley ...

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...

peas The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

, and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known i ...

are typical crops in the area. The region is famous for its prize-winning purebred cattle that include

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a populatio ...

, Charolais,

Simmental The Simmental ( en, Simme Valley) is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less south-north direction (Obersimmental), and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it tak ...

, and

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * Angu ...

. Agriculture diversification is noticeable with specialty livestock production such as

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The com ...

and

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...

. The oil industry plays a significant role in the local economy. Oil wells and batteries in the countryside evidence heavy crude oil extraction in the region.

Transportation

The following is a list of Saskatchewan highways in the RM: *

Saskatchewan Highway 40 Highway 40 is a highway in the northwest portion of the Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan connecting Alberta (where it continues as Alberta Highway 14, Highway 14) to Saskatchewan Highway 3, Highway 3, west of Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. Ar ...

Saskatchewan Highway 675 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 Dako ...

* Saskatchewan Highway 680

Big Manitou Regional Park

Big Manitou Regional Park () is a

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distri ...

located on the north-west corner of Manitou Lake, near where the creek that drains Wells Lake flows into Manitou Lake. This park was originally established in 1975 as a part of

Suffern Lake Regional Park The Rural Municipality of Senlac No. 411 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 13 and Division No. 6. Located in the west-central portion of the province, it is ...

. In 2019, it was granted full park status and officially named ''Big Manitou Regional Park''. It is located about south and east of Marsden. The park facilities include a campground with 32 campsites,

showers A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...

cookhouse A cookhouse is a small building where cooking takes place. Often found at remote work camps, they complemented the bunkhouse and were usually found on ranches that employed cowboys, or loggers in a logging camp. Prior to the 20th century, cookh ...

playgrounds A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human ...

pits, ball diamonds, and a soccer field. Manitou Lake Golf Club is also located in the park. It is a 9-hole, sand greens course.

Manitou Sand Hills

Manitou Sand Hills are 105,000 acres of

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

grazing land set aside by the Saskatchewan government that surround much of the southern half of Manitou Lake in the southern portion of the RM. There is camping and guided trail rides through the Manitou Sand Hills,https://www.worldcat.org/title/manitou-sand-hills-integrated-resource-management-plan/oclc/39157350 which are one of

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

's most distinctive landscapes.

Government

The RM of Manitou Lake No. 442 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday of every month. The reeve of the RM is Ian Lamb while its administrator is Joanne Loy. The RM's office is located in Marsden.

References

{{Authority control M * Division No. 13, Saskatchewan Dunes of Canada