Weyburn is the tenth-largest city in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
, Canada. The city has a population of 11,019. It is on the
Souris River
The Souris River (; ) or Mouse River (as it is alternatively known in the U.S., a translation of its French name) is a river in central North America. Approximately in length, it drains about in Canada and the United States.
Rising in sout ...
southeast of the provincial capital of
Regina and is north from the
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
border in the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek. The city is surrounded by the
Rural Municipality of Weyburn No. 67
The Rural Municipality of Weyburn No. 67 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 2 and Division No. 1. It is located in the southeast portion of the province.
Hi ...
.
History
The
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
(CPR) reached the future site of Weyburn from
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
in 1892 and the
Soo Line from
North Portal
North Portal ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 and Census Division No. 1. It is adjacent to the Canada–United States border opposite Portal, North Da ...
on the US border in 1893. A post office opened in 1895 and a land office in 1899 in anticipation of the land rush which soon ensued. In 1899, Knox Presbyterian Church was founded with its building constructed in 1906 in the high-pitched gable roof and arches, standing as a testimony to the faith and optimism in the Weyburn area. Weyburn was legally constituted a village in 1900, a town in 1903 and finally as a city in 1913.
From 1910 until 1931 the
Weyburn Security Bank
The Weyburn Security Bank was a chartered bank headquartered in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. The bank was established by a group of American investors as a private bank in 1910, by 1911 the bank had advanced to the point where it obtained a Can ...
was headquartered in the city.
Weyburn had since become an important railroad town in Saskatchewan – the Pasqua branch of the Souris, Arcola, Weyburn, Regina CPR branch; Portal Section of the CPR / Soo Line; Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Shaunavon, Lethbridge CPR section; the Brandon, Marfield, Carlyle, Lampman, Radville, Willow Bunch section of the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CNR); and the Regina, Weyburn, Radville, Estevan, Northgate CNR section have all run through Weyburn.
Weyburn was previously home to the
Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital
Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital, also called the Weyburn Mental Hospital, was a public hospital in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Originally called the Saskatchewan Hospital when opened in 1921, it was the largest building in The British Commonwe ...
, which was closed as a health care facility and sold in 2006, and demolished in 2009. When the mental hospital opened in 1921, it was the largest building in the British Commonwealth and was considered to be on the cutting edge of experimental treatments for people with mental disabilities. The facility had a reputation of leading the way in therapeutic programming. At its peak, the facility was home to approximately 2,500 patients. The history of the facility is explored in the documentary ''Weyburn: An Archaeology of Madness''.
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
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Weyburn 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.
Ethnicity
Geography and climate
Weyburn is situated near the upper delta of the long
Souris River
The Souris River (; ) or Mouse River (as it is alternatively known in the U.S., a translation of its French name) is a river in central North America. Approximately in length, it drains about in Canada and the United States.
Rising in sout ...
. The Souris River continues southeast through
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
eventually meeting the Assiniboine River in Manitoba.
In the 1800s, this area was known as an extension of the Greater Yellow Grass Marsh. Extensive flood control programs have created reservoirs, parks and waterfowl centres along the Souris River.
Between 1988 and 1995, the Rafferty-Alameda Project was constructed to alleviate spring flooding problems created by the Souris River.
Climate
Weyburn has 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 cold ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dfb'') typical of Southern Saskatchewan.
Economy
Weyburn is the largest inland grain gathering point in Canada. Well over half a million tons of grain pass through the Weyburn terminals each year. Oil and gas exploration make up the other major component of the economy.
Culture
The Soo Line Historical Museum (c. 1910) is a Municipal Heritage Property under Saskatchewan's ''
Heritage Property Act''.
Weyburn is also home to the world's first
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...
museum, the Turner Curling Museum.
Education
Elementary and secondary
The
public school system, South East Cornerstone School Division No. 209, operates the following schools.
* Assiniboia Park Elementary School
* Legacy Park Elementary School
* Weyburn Comprehensive High School
* Haig School (now closed)
* Queen Elizabeth School (now closed)
* Souris School (now closed)
It also operated Weyburn Junior High School from 1966 to 2016, which was closed in favour of relocating students to Weyburn Comprehensive High School.
Haig School, Queen Elizabeth School, and Souris School are being closed in favour of relocating students to Legacy Park Elementary School in September 2021.
The
separate school
In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadian ...
system, Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 140, operates
St. Michael School.
Post-secondary
Southeast College
Southeast College (formerly Southeast Regional College) is a publicly funded regional college with six campuses in the southeast of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The college was created under the Regional Colleges Act of Saskatchewan. It ...
offers technical, trade and non-degree programs, as well as
distance learning
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...
from the
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public 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 University of Saskatchewan as a j ...
and
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
.
Other
The Weyburn Public Library is a branch of the Southeast Regional Library system.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Weyburn is at the junction of highways
13,
35, and
39. The
Weyburn Airport
Weyburn Airport is located north-east of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada at the hamlet of North Weyburn.
History
The aerodrome was constructed in 1941 by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training ...
is northeast of the city.
Utilities
Electricity is provided by
SaskPower
Saskatchewan Power Corporation, trade name, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the Saskatchewan#Government and politics, provincial government, it serves more than 550,000 cu ...
and natural gas is provided by
SaskEnergy
SaskEnergy Incorporated is a Crown corporation of the Saskatchewan government, responsible for delivering and selling natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The company owns 70,00 ...
. The city maintains its own water treatment plant and
waste management
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitor ...
system. The city's water is sourced from
Nickle Lake
Nickle Lake is a man-made reservoir in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was created with the construction of a dam across the Souris River in the 1950s to supply water to the city of Weyburn. In the 1980s, the dam—christened ''Alber ...
. Telephone and internet services are provided by both
SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation, operating as SaskTel, is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian Crown corporations of Canada, crown-owned telecommunications firm based in the province of Saskatchewan. Owned by the provinci ...
and
Access Communications
Access Communications Co-operative Limited is a Canadian telecom cooperative based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The cooperative provides internet, cable television, telephone, smart home and security services to residential and business customers ...
.
Health care
The Weyburn General Hospital is operated by the SunCountry Health Region.
Public safety
The Weyburn Police Service and local RCMP detachment provide
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
for the city.
Fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...
services are provided by the Weyburn Fire Department.
Sports and recreation
Weyburn is the home of the
Weyburn Red Wings
The Weyburn Red Wings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Weyburn, Saskatchewan playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games at the Crescent Point Place, which has a seating capacity of 1,750. ...
of the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...
(SJHL) and the Weyburn Beavers of the
Western Canadian Baseball League
The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league. The league is home to teams based in the Canadian Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and has roots dating back to 1931 in Saskatchewan's Southern Bas ...
, a collegiate summer baseball league in Canada's prairie provinces. In addition, Weyburn is home to Saskatchewan's largest amateur wrestling club.
Local media
*
Golden West Broadcasting
Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. is a Canadian radio and digital media company based in Altona, Manitoba. It is the largest independent radio broadcaster in Canada. The company primarily operates small-market radio stations and internet portals in ...
operates three
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
s that serve Weyburn and the surrounding area; full service
classic hits station
CFSL
CFSL (1190 kHz is a Canadian radio station licensed to Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Owned by Golden West Broadcasting, it broadcasts a classic hits format serving the southeast portion of the province. The station shares studios with CKRC-FM and C ...
1190 AM,
hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
station
CKRC-FM
CKRC-FM is a radio station in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada that operates at 103.5 FM. CKRC broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format branded as ''Magic 103''.
Owned by Golden West Broadcasting, it shares studios with CFSL and CHWY-FM at 305 ...
103.5, and
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
station
CHWY-FM
CHWY-FM is a radio station in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Broadcasting on 106.7 FM, the station is owned by Golden West Broadcasting, which received approval from the CRTC on February 17, 2012. It shares studios with Golden West's other Weyburn stat ...
106.7. All three stations, and the cluster's news website ''Discover Weyburn'', are based out of studios on 305 Souris Avenue in downtown Weyburn.
*
Glacier Media Group publishes three newspapers for Weyburn and area: the ''Weyburn Review'', ''Weyburn and Area Booster'', and ''Weyburn This Week''.
Notable people
*
Tenille Arts
Tenille Jade Dakota Arts (born April 19, 1994) is a Canadian country music singer from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She released a self-titled extended play and her debut studio album ''Rebel Child (Tenille Arts album), Rebel Child'' with 19th & Gran ...
- country music singer
*
Pat Binns
Patrick George Binns (born October 8, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat, the 30th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1996 to 2007 and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland from 2007 to 2010.
Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being ...
- former premier of
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
*
Neil Cameron - politician, academic, journalist
*
Graham DeLaet
Graham Norman DeLaet (born 22 January 1982) is a former Canadian professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He currently works as a golf analyst for The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada.
Early life and amateur career
DeLaet was born in Weybu ...
- professional golfer
*
Shirley Douglas
Shirley Jean Douglas (April 2, 1934 – April 5, 2020) was a Canadian actress. Her acting career combined with her family name made her recognizable in Canadian film, television and national politics.
Early life
Douglas was born April 2, 1934, ...
- actress
*
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...
- politician, recipient of
The Greatest Canadian
''The Greatest Canadian'' is a 2004 television series consisting of 13 episodes produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to identify one greatest Canadian of all time, according to those who watched and participated in the progr ...
award in 2004
*
Larry Giroux
Lawrence Douglas Giroux (born August 28, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.
Born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Giroux started his National Hockey League career with the St. Louis Blues in 1974. He also played for the Kansa ...
, played in the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
for the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
,
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...
,
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976–77 NHL season, 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies (NHL), Colorado Rockies. In 1982– ...
, and
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
*
Brett Jones - professional football player
*
Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. The majority of his novels take place in fictional settings that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Ju ...
- writer
*
Trenna Keating
Trenna Keating (born January 23, 1987) is a Canadian actress known for her recurring role as Doc Yewll in '' Defiance'', between 2013 and 2015.
Early life
Trenna Keating was born and grew up in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She likes spending her time ...
– actress
*
Brendon LaBatte
Brendon LaBatte (born September 12, 1986) is a Canadian former professional Canadian football, football Guard (American football), guard. He was drafted sixth overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2008 CFL Draft. He played CIS Football with ...
- professional football player
*
W. O. Mitchell
William Ormond Mitchell, (March 13, 1914 – February 25, 1998) was a Canadian writer and broadcaster. His "best-loved" novel is '' Who Has Seen the Wind'' (1947), which portrays life on the Canadian Prairies from the point of view of a smal ...
- writer
*
John Saywell
John Tupper (Jack) Saywell (April 3, 1929 – 20 April 2011) was a Canadian historian specializing in the fields of politics and constitution.
Early life and education
John Tupper Saywell was born on April 3, 1929, to parents John Ferdinand Tupper ...
- Canadian historian
*
Dave "Tiger" Williams - former professional hockey player
See also
*
List of cities in Saskatchewan
__FORCETOC__
In the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a city is a type of incorporated List of communities in Saskatchewan#Urban municipalities, urban municipality that is created from a town by the minister o ...
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Saskatchewan
Division No. 2, Saskatchewan
Populated places established in 1898
1898 establishments in the Northwest Territories