Gladmar is a Dissolved village 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 North ...

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 ...

located north of Highway 18 as it runs east from

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * National Road SH6 Argentina * Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6 Australia New ...

towards Lake Alma. Gladmar is approximately north of the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

. It is part of the Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley No. 9 and Census Division No. 2. Gladmar is one of two urban communities within 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 ...

, the other one being the village of Minton. The area was settled around the turn of the 20th century, a period when a large number of

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

migrated into

from older settlements in the northern United States. As a result, Norwegian-Canadians still represent a substantial proportion of the population in the area today.

Early history (1909–1948)

The original village of Gladmar was founded a few miles north of its present location in 1909. Among the early settlers was J.E. Black who named the settlement ''Gladmar'' after his son Gladstone and his daughter Margaret. In 1910 the Eidness Brothers obtained a

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

lease on land in the Gladmar area from the government, with an annual rent of $1.00 per acre. The first coal from Gladmar Mine was brought out in 1910, on a

stone-boat A stone-boat is a type of sled (sledge) for moving heavy objects such as stones or hay bales. Originally they were for animal-powered transport used with horses or oxen to clear fields of stones and other uses and may still be used with animals ...

pulled by

oxen An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer spec ...

. The price of coal was $1.75 per ton. The mine was later sold to the Culbert Family and then to Ole Ekimo and Lorentz Petterson. In 1911 Mrs. J.E. Black was established as the settlement's first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. The first mail was brought to Gladmar by Lars Lunde on skis from a small school halfway to

Radville Radville is a small town in Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The town is in the RM of Laurier No. 38. It was incorporated in 1911 after being settled in 1895. Highway 28 and Highway 377 pass through the town. Nearby communities include ...

. In 1912 the first General Store was built by the Eidness brothers and the first church service was conducted by Mr. Hoffman in a new 14' by 18' (4.2 x 5.5 m) building in August 1912. The settlement began organizing a rural municipality and school district in 1912. This resulted in the

of Surprise Valley being created with Tom Warren as Reeve, J.E Black as councilor and Tom Black as secretary. In 1913 Violet Hammond was the first teacher of Gladmar's first School. It was located a few miles out of town and served Gladmar and the surrounding area. This one-room school's official name was Ryeburn Valley and it was established within School District #4264. The first recorded burial in the community-operated Gladmar Cemetery was in 1916. In 1922 the Gladmar Hall was built and it was then regularly used for community gatherings. 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 ...

reached Lake Alma in 1926 and Minton in 1929. Olaf Eidness loaded the first car of wheat in Gladmar.

Grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

s were built in Gladmar by Pool in 1929, and by Parish & Heimbecker in 1930. In 1944 a hospital was constructed to serve Gladmar and the municipalities of Surprise Valley and Lake Alma. In 1948 a new school was built within the town limits and the first teachers were Mrs. J. Ferguson and Mrs. John Onstad. Historical data are from "History of Gladmar", which was compiled by the Gladmar Community Club in 1955. This was later republished within the book "Homesteading in Surprise Valley" also by the Gladmar Community Club in 1970.

Modern history (1949–present)

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Utilities

Electricity is provided to Gladmar by SaskPower from the Boundary Dam Coal-Fired Power plant, and natural gas is provided by SaskEnergy. the village has 2 wells and a water pumping station with water treatment to distribute water to the community. Sewage is held by septic tanks on individual properties, and pumped out with a sewer pump into the nearby dugout. There is landline telephone service provided by SaskTel, and a SaskTel mobile data booster tower in town. But wireless home internet is only available by satellite providers.

Geology

The area surrounding Gladmar consists of rolling hills and valleys which flatten out into

Salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

s to the southeast. Gladmar is situated in the southern tip of Canada's grain belt, and due to a generally dry climate, soil erosion from strong gusting winds and rivers has long been a concern in the region. The area's natural resources include deposits of

sodium sulphate Sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulphate or sulfate of soda) is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates. All forms are white solids that are highly soluble in water. With an annual production of 6 milli ...

and

potassium sulphate Potassium sulfate (US) or potassium sulphate (UK), also called sulphate of potash (SOP), arcanite, or archaically potash of sulfur, is the inorganic compound with formula K2SO4, a white water-soluble solid. It is commonly used in fertilizers, prov ...

, scattered oil pools, coal fields, and

potash Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form.

& salt resources.

Plant and animal species

The plant life surrounding Gladmar consists of

shortgrass prairie The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss (''Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domina ...

species. These species grow in the driest parts of North America's grasslands and usually consist of a single plant layer made up mostly of shallow-rooted

bunch grass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...

es that grow between high. Some plant species indigenous to the area include western wheatgrass (''Pascopyrum smithii''), snowberry (''Symphoricarpos''), and silver sage. Animal species that can be found in the area include:

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

, prairie rattlesnake (''Crotalus viridis''), sage grouse (''Centrocercus''),

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&nb ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

Gila Monster The Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'', ) is a species of venomous lizard native to the Southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is a heavy, typically slow-moving reptile, up to long, and it is the only v ...

s, and

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

s. Local fish in the area include:

lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

, and

Arctic grayling The Arctic grayling (''Thymallus arcticus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae. ''T. arcticus'' is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper Misso ...

Attractions

Gladmar has a small kids play park, community run grocery store, a shale covered baseball diamond, a local auto repair mechanic and the Gladmar regional school. Also the town has a municipal run campground called clear lake just 10 minutes south of Gladmar which has a lake that is boat accessible, a kids play park, and has powered campsites available to book. Gladmar Regional School is gladmar and the surrounding area's public school from preschool to grade 12. Notable alumnus Andrew Walker (Sportscaster) used to host The Andrew Walker show at the school on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, broadcast out of Toronto weekdays between 1 and 4 PM Eastern time.

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; 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 ...

, Gladmar had a population of 37 living in 18 of its 27 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 57. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Military history

Citizens of Gladmar answered the call and served for their country in each of the World Wars. The names of those who served are listed below.

Education

Gladmar Regional School which operates within the South East Cornerstone Public School Division # 209 is located in Gladmar. The school teaches students from Preschool to Grade 12 and enrollment as of September 30, 2019 was 97 students.

Employment

Farming and ranching

The majority of work within Gladmar and the surrounding area takes place on family-owned farms and ranches. Major crops in the area include

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 pr ...

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, i ...

durum Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it represen ...

flax seed 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 in W ...

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 con ...

, spring wheat, and

winter wheat Winter wheat (usually ''Triticum aestivum'') are strains of wheat that are planted in the autumn to germinate and develop into young plants that remain in the vegetative phase during the winter and resume growth in early spring. Classification ...

, with the most seeded acres dedicated to durum and spring wheat. Local ranches raise various breeds of

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operat ...

Industry

In the town's early beginnings many of its citizens were employed by the town's coal mine. After the coal mine was closed many people were employed at the

plant outside of town. It was eventually purchased by Saskatchewan Minerals in 1981 only to be closed in 1984 in response to a shift in market conditions. At present, there is an oilfield owned and operated by Northrock Resources Ltd. to the southeast of Gladmar and a Class II Industrial Oilfield Waste Disposal Facility operated by GAP Disposal Ltd. to the South. Some five trucking companies operate out of the Gladmar area servicing the surrounding region's agriculture and oil sectors.
Saskatchewan Business

References

{{SKDivision2 Designated places in Saskatchewan Former villages in Saskatchewan Populated places disestablished in 2013 Special service areas in Saskatchewan Division No. 2, Saskatchewan