Beauval, Saskatchewan is a northern village located in

Northern Saskatchewan The regional designations vary widely within the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. With a total land area of 651,036 square kilometres (251,366 sq mi), Saskatchewan is crossed by major rivers such as the Churchill and Saskatchewan and exists mo ...

, near

Lac Île-à-la-Crosse Lac Île-à-la-Crosse is a Y-shaped lake in North-Central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Churchill River. At the centre of the Y is the town of Île-à-la-Crosse, the second oldest town in Saskatchewan. The Churchill exits the north-east arm a ...

. It was founded in the early 20th century as a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

mission and as a transportation centre. Highway 165 goes through the community. Highway 918 three kilometres east leads north to

Patuanak Patuanak is a community in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dene First Nations reserve near Churchill River and the north end of Lac Île-à-la-Crosse. In Dene, it sounds similar to ''Boni Cheri'' (Bëgh ...

. Eight kilometres east is the hamlet of Lac La Plonge on Lac La Plonge. Eight kilometres west where Highway 165 joins Highway 155 is Beauval Forks. The Beauval Airport along with several businesses are located there. Beauval is situated in the valley of the Beaver River hence the name "beautiful valley" or "beau val" in French. The population of Beauval was 756 in 2011.

History

The earliest known settler was Philip Yew who arrived in 1905, by 1907, others have arrived, mainly from

Dore Lake Dore Lake is a northern hamlet located on the south shore of Doré Lake, which is one of the largest lakes in northern Saskatchewan. Its name is the French word for "walleye". Dore Lake boasts excellent hunting and fishing. The community is ac ...

. In 1910, Alexander Laliberte opened a fur trading store to serve the local

trappers Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

. It served as an outpost. In 1969, the community established the 'Beauval Local Community Authority', which elected council to oversee

bylaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

collect taxes A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

and maintain law and order. Unlike most

communities, Beauval has seen a population growth over the years. By the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Beauval had a population of approximately 350 residents, today the population is over 1,000 residents with an additional 200 living in the surrounding area.

Beauval Residential School

La Plonge 192 (Indian Reserve) where the Beauval Residential School was located is across the river from Beauval and had 115 residents in 2011. La Plonge 192 is part of the

English River Dene Nation The English River Dene Nation is a Dene First Nation band government in Patuanak, Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserve is in the northern section of the province. Its territories are in the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield. This First Nation ...

. Beauval Indian Residential School opened in 1895 and closed in 1983. It then became the Meadow Lake Tribal Council's Beauval Indian Education Centre which closed in 1995. The building has since been demolished. A fire in 1927 and a flu epidemic in 1936 took the lives of many of the students.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), 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 cultur ...

, Beauval 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.

Economy

Today, Beauval derives its economic resources from limited commercial fishing, very little trapping, local and provincial government subsidies, grants and programs, the mines, local businesses and the school. Tourism and recreation activities also provides economic resources.

Transportation

The community is served by Beauval Airport. There are dirt roads which connect Beauval to neighbouring communities.

References