Churchbridge is a town in the province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, 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 t ...

, Canada, located at the junction of the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), and

Highway 80 The following highways are numbered 80: International * European route E80 * Arab Mashreq International Road Network, Arab Mashreq route M80 Australia * Buchanan Highway * Burleigh Connection Road - Queensland State Route 80 * M80 Ring Road, '' ...

. Churchbridge is a part of the

rural municipality A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries. These include: * Rural municipality (Canada), Rural municipalities in Canada, a Lists of municipalities in Canada, type of municipa ...

of Churchbridge 211, which is located within

Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, often abbreviated as SARM, is an independent association that is responsible for representing the governments of the many rural municipalities in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is an ...

(SARM) Division No. 1 and

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States of America, United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-lev ...

Number 5.

History

Churchbridge began with the arrival of settlers from the Anglican Colonization Society, with director and missionary Reverend Robert Bridger. The village of Churchbridge was incorporated in 1903 with James Heasman as the overseer. He was solely responsible for the affairs of the village. There was no council, but M. Thorlakson and A.O. Berger, both hotel keepers, were trustees, which meant they made themselves responsible for the honesty and integrity of the overseer in his financial duties. In 1962, there were 260 people residing the village, and by 1964, the population had risen to 600. The village became a town in 1964.

Geography

Churchbridge is located north of Big Cut Arm Creek and Deer Creek which drain into the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River of the North, Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meand ...

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 ...

, Churchbridge 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

Churchbridge is a community with an excellent location along Highway 16 for business. The Mosaic Potash mines to the south of employ many residents of Churchbridge and surrounding area, including nearby towns Esterhazy,

Langenburg Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-like ...

, and

Bredenbury Bredenbury is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is located 12.5 miles (20 km) northeast of Hereford. The village lies on the A44 road, 3 miles (5 km) from Bromyard and 8 miles (13 km) from L ...

Amenities

Over the years Churchbridge has grown. The community has a school, a library, a fire department, a daycare, and recreation facilities (including a new swimming pool).

Sites of interest

Sites of interest in the town include the Coin Monument erected to celebrate the 125th anniversary of

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

, Veteran's Memorial Wall, photo archives and the many heritage murals displayed throughout the community. These displays of art were created by local artists to help commemorate various events, as well as to honour former residents. Duck Mountain Provincial Park is located north on Highway 80;

Asessippi Ski Area The Asessippi Ski Area is the largest ski resort in Manitoba. It is located on the Manitoba Escarpment and has a vertical drop of , the second largest in the province. It is approximately from Inglis, Manitoba, south of the town of Roblin, and ...

and

Lake of the Prairies The Shellmouth Reservoir (also known as Lake of the Prairies) is a man-made reservoir on the Assiniboine River in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada. The Shellmouth Dam () is a multi-purpose, embankment dam built by the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation ...

is located just east on Highway 16. Churchbridge Campground is located south of the junction of Highway 16 and 80. The campground offers 33 sites - 29 electrified, pull through sites, grass covered sites for tents, sewer dump, washroom and shower facility. Across the road is a picnic area, swimming pool, playground and ball diamonds. Located within is the Langenburg Recreation Site. The Saltcoats Game Preserve is within .

Transportation

Churchbridge Airport supplies limited air service to this Saskatchewan town. The main mode of transportation would be via Saskatchewan Highway 16, the Yellowhead Route, and to a lesser extent via the north/south secondary highway, Saskatchewan Highway 80. As of the early 1900s, Churchbridge was a part of the Minnedosa,

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, 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 Hig ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

section of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , 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 Canadi ...

Publications

A local history and family biography book written for the province's 75th anniversary by Ruth Swanson and published by the Churchbridge History Committee and is entitled: ''The first hundred years: around Churchbridge, 1880-1980''.

Media

The Four-Town Journal newspaper covers Churchbridge and its surrounding area. The Company was established by Bill Johnston in 1980 and was purchased by Ryan Stanko in 2019.

Notable people

* Darleen Bogart, Braille literacy advocate * Lionel G. Heinrich, professional Canadian ice hockey player. * Kevin S. Kaminski, professional Canadian

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 hock ...

player. *

Hal Sigurdson Harold Bjorn Sigurdson (July 1, 1932January 16, 2012) was a Canadian sports journalist. He started writing for the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' in 1951, then covered the Canadian Football League as a writer, television commentator, and radio host. H ...

, sports journalist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchbridge, Saskatchewan Towns in Saskatchewan Churchbridge No. 211, Saskatchewan Division No. 5, Saskatchewan