Cymric is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the

Rural Municipality of Last Mountain Valley No. 250 The Rural Municipality of Last Mountain Valley No. 250 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 11 and Division No. 5. History The RM of Last Mountain Valley No ...

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. It is located along

Saskatchewan Highway 20 Highway 20 is a major road intended for travel by the public between Highway 11 Lumsden to Highway 3 at Birch Hills. Saskatchewan's main roadways are located in the central/southern geographical land area of rolling prairie and grass land in ...

between

Duval Duval is a surname, literally translating from French language, French to English language, English as "of the valley". It derives from the Normans, Norman "Devall", which has both English and French ties. Variant spellings include: Davolls, Deav ...

and

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

, it is also serviced by 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 ...

and located at mile 62.3 on the rail line running between Regina and Lanigan, Saskatchewan.

History

Cymric is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

word and named by a family of early Welsh settlers. The first group of settlers in this area where

Volga Germans The Volga Germans (german: Wolgadeutsche, ), russian: поволжские немцы, povolzhskiye nemtsy) are ethnic Germans who settled and historically lived along the Volga River in the region of southeastern European Russia around Saratov ...

who settled the area in the late 19^{^th} century, followed later by British and Norwegian settlers. The Neu Elsass (New

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

) Colony was established in 1884 by D.W. Riedl, a German immigration agent from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. It was the first German colony established in Saskatchewan. Neu Elsass began when twenty-two families homesteaded near Strasbourg. The original area of Neu Elsass Colony was the region around the central and southern portion of

Last Mountain Lake Last Mountain Lake, also known as Long Lake, is a prairie lake formed from glaciation 11,000 years ago. It is located in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, about north-west of the city of Regina. It flows into the Qu'Appelle River via Las ...

and included

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

Bulyea Bulyea ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of McKillop No. 220 and Census Division No. 6. History Bulyea was first settled in 1882-1883 by immigrants from the United King ...

Earl Grey Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscou ...

, Gibbs,

Silton Silton is a small village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale northwest of Gillingham. In the 2011 census, the civil parish had 57 households and a population of 123. In 1086, Silton was recorded in the ...

, Dilke, Holdfast,

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

, and

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. The area of German settlement expanded into surrounding areas, including Cymric and in effect, doubling the area of the colony. The

erected a portable train station along the rail line in 1911 which was replaced in 1924 by an imported standard number five station which was removed in 1943. At its peak, the community boasted four grain elevators. The community's first post office was set up in 1912. The Cymric

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

held its first service on December 17, 1916, with Reverend J.C. Madill presiding. It was built on land donated by Alex Reid. The church later became a

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

in 1925 which was closed in 1968 and the building sold for $100 and moved to the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

camp at Arlington Beach on nearby

. All that remains of Cymric today is the St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, which was attached to a church southwest of Cymric and the D & L General Store on

highway 20 Route 20, or Highway 20, may refer to: International * European route E20 Australia * Sturt Highway (NSW/VIC/SA) * Yarra Bank Highway Brazil * BR-020 Canada * Alberta Highway 20 * British Columbia Highway 20 * Manitoba Highway 20 *New B ...

which still serves as a post office for the area.

Notable people

* Tom Johnston

References

Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan Last Mountain Valley No. 250, Saskatchewan {{saskatchewan-geo-stub

History

See also

Notable people

References