Herschel is a

special service area Communities in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada include incorporated municipalities, unincorporated communities and First Nations communities. Types of incorporated municipalities include urban municipalities, rural municipalities and nor ...

in the Canadian province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in 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 the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. It is the seat of the

Rural Municipality of Mountain View No. 318 The Rural Municipality of Mountain View No. 318 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 12 and Division No. 6. History The RM of Mountain View No. 318 incor ...

and held

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

status prior to December 31, 2006. The population was 30 people in 2016. The community is located 37 km northwest of the town of Rosetown at the intersection of Highway 31 and Highway 656, along a now abandoned section of the Kerrobert- Rosetown Canadian Pacific Railway line. Herschel is the home of the

Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre is a community-based museum and interpretive centre, founded in 1994, that educates, conserves, protects, and promotes the history, the peoples and the assets of the land forming the Eagle Creek Valley and Coal ...

. The Vancouver-based backpack manufacturer

Herschel Supply Co. Herschel Supply Co. is a Canadian company selling hipster retro backpacks and accessories. The company was founded by Lyndon and Jamie Cormack in 2009 and is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Herschel manufactures its products ...

, founded by Lyndon and Jamie Cormack in 2009, adopted the name of Herschel, the town where three generations of their family grew up.

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, Herschel had a population of 30 living in 14 of its 21 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 30. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

History

Prehistoric period

About 65 millions of years ago, during the late

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period, Herschel was under water, part of the

Western Interior Seaway The Western Interior Seaway (also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, the North American Inland Sea, and the Western Interior Sea) was a large inland sea that split the continent of North America into two landmasses. The ancient sea ...

, a shallow inland seaway that flowed from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, splitting North America in two. During this time, the area was much warmer than it is today and was teeming with ancient marine reptiles. Herschel's location, on the edge of the seaway, resulted in some unusual fossil deposits from a time little understood in Saskatchewan's history. Perhaps most unusual is that the area contains a mixture of fossils from both the sea and dry land. Two rare marine fossil bonebeds were discovered, as part of the

Bearpaw Formation The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) age. It outcrops in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and was named for the Bear ...

in the Coal Mine Ravine near Herschel in the 1990s. Subsequent excavations have uncovered the remains of long-neck

plesiosaurs The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared i ...

( elasmosaurs),

mosasaur Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') comprise a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on ...

s, several species of shark, including the chimaera (ghost sharks), several types of bony fish and most significantly, three short-necked plesiosaurs called ''

Dolichorhynchops herschelensis ''Dolichorhynchops'' is an extinct genus of polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (early Turonian to late Campanian stage) of North America, containing three species, ''D. osborni'', ''D. bonneri'' and ''D. tropicensis'', as well as a ...

''.Sato, T. (2005). "A new Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Upper Cretaceous Bearpaw Formation in Saskatchewan, Canada". ''Journal of Paleontology'', 79: 969-980. (pronounced ‘Dolly-cor-in-cops Her-shell-en-sis’). These are the only known specimens of this species on earth. The fossils were send to the T. Rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, to be catalogued and preserved. Land-based dinosaur bones have also been found in the ravine and combined with a large amount of fossilized wood and amber, indicated that the area was likely very close to the shoreline of the seaway at one point. Today, many of these fossils are on display at the

Ancient Echoes Interpretive Center
/ref> in Herschel, Saskatchewan. Visitors can view a variety of paleontology, archaeology and natural history exhibits as well guided tours of the bonebeds themselves.

First Nations history

The prairie around Herschel was prime habitat for the

plains bison The Plains bison (''Bison bison bison'') is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (''B. b. athabascae''). A natural population of Plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone ...

. For thousands of years, these were the hunting grounds of several first nations tribes, including the Blackfoot,

Gros Ventre The Gros Ventre ( , ; meaning "big belly"), also known as the Aaniiih, A'aninin, Haaninin, Atsina, and White Clay, are a historically Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe located in north central Montana. Today the Gros Ventre people are ...

and Plains Cree as well as the Métis. The Coalmine Ravine near Herschel is home to a

buffalo Jump A buffalo jump, or sometimes bison jump, is a cliff formation which Indigenous peoples of North America historically used to hunt and kill plains bison in mass quantities. The broader term game jump refers to a man-made jump or cliff used for hu ...

and a butchering /

pemmican Pemmican (also pemican in older sources) is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigenou ...

processing site. Artifacts have been found here that suggest the site may have been used as long ago as 12,000 years ago and right up until the 1500s. Herschel is also home to a 1500-year-old Aboriginal ceremonial site in the Coalmine Ravine. This site, discovered in 1960 by a local farmer, includes various stone

tipi ring Tipi rings are circular patterns of stones left from an encampment of Post-Archaic, protohistoric and historic Native Americans.Cassells, Steve. (1997). ''The Archaeology of Colorado.'' Boulder: Johnson Books. pp. 224-227. . They are found primar ...

s, a medicine wheel, a possible turtle effigy and

vision quest A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood. Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English ...

site as well as three petroglyphs. These petroglyphs are carved out of

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundre ...

s, remnants of the last ice age and are believed to have been religious objects. They are still used in First Nations' spiritual ceremonies today. In 1988 the site was designated a Municipal Heritage Site in the Province of Saskatchewan. Archeological excavations of the petroglyphs yielded several artifacts that suggest the continuous use of the site from approximately 600 to 1900 AD. In the summer of 1859, James Carnegie, the 9th Earl of Southesk a renowned Scottish big-game hunter, travelled to the Herschel area. With the help of his Metis guide Napeskis (youngest brother of Ahtahkakoop / Chief Starblanket), the Earl killed several large bison and a plains grizzly, a statue of which, can be seen at the Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre in Herschel. Some of the Earl's trophies from his trip to Canada are still on display at Kinnaird Castle in Scotland. Today, there are exhibits related to the 9th Earl of Southesk's adventures in Herschel as well as First Nations history and the history of the bison are housed at the

in Herschel, Saskatchewan. Visitors can go on guided tours of the ceremonial site in the nearby Coalmine Ravine and walk along old First Nations and early settler trails.

Pioneer history

The fertile grassland that once supported millions of bison around Herschel, was also ideal for agriculture. The hilly areas were well suited for grazing livestock. This attracted early settlers to the region and in October 1910, the village of Herschel was established. The village was named in honour of 19th Century English physicist and astronomer Sir John Fredrick William Herschel. 1911 was a busy year for Herschel. Among the first to settle in the district was W. G. King who erected the first building in the village; a general store. In June, a post office was opened and manned by Postmaster P.R. Plisson. This was followed by the arrival of the first mixed train in August. The first baby born in Herschel was Harry Herschel Cargill, born on October 4, 1911. A month later, the rail line from

Macklin Macklin or MacKlin may refer to: ;Places * Macklin, Saskatchewan, a town in Canada People with the surname Macklin or MacKlin: * Macklin (surname) See also * Maclean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Goidelic languages, Gaelic sur ...

to Rosetown was formally opened for traffic. The

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 ...

was the first church building constructed at Herschel and other construction included the building of a hockey rink and the construction of the village's first grain elevator by the McLaughlin & Ellis company. With the rapidly growing community, education became a concern and a school organization meeting was held at Herschel on October 26, 1912. The first school, a temporary one, was located in the house of Mr. Robert Day. Eventually, in 1925, $18,000 was raised and allotted for the construction of a new school. A large contingent of

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

from Russia arrived in the Herschel area in the winter of 1924/25 to settle and farm, forming a Bloc Settlement. They organized their congregation in 1925 as the Ebenfeld Mennonite Church, later changed to the Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church in 1980. In the 1930s soft coal began to be mined a small valley just south of Herschel, which lead to the valley being named, the Coal Mine Ravine. Today the ravine is no longer mined for coal but it is home to the

, several archaeological sites, as well as being home to several endangered species of plants and the remains of a former First Nations/

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...

/pioneer

Red River Cart The Red River cart is a large two-wheeled cart made entirely of non-metallic materials. Often drawn by oxen, though also by horses or mules, these carts were used throughout most of the 19th century in the fur trade and in westward expansion i ...

trail. In 1935, a major fire destroyed 18 homes and businesses in Herschel. The blaze destroyed three general stores, the post office, a harness shop, the drug store, a pool hall, the Royal Hotel, a Chinese laundry, a hardware store, the municipal office, a restaurant, homes and other structures. Poor local roads were blamed for the extent of the blaze, with fire engines from Rosetown unable to reach the community for more than four hours.

Recent history

Post-war Herschel was full of optimism. The 1950s saw many new businesses open in the community and in 1956 Herschel reached its peak population of 203 people. 1950 saw a concerted community effort to build the Herschel Memorial Hall, which soon became a reality. Around the same time, a bronze plaque was purchased to honour all of those who fought and died in 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 opposi ...

while a flagpole and memorial were erected at the Herschel cemetery. In its early days, Herschel was home to several grain elevators. Over the years, many elevators came, went or were amalgamated. In May 2010, the final two elevators in Herschel, the

United Grain Growers The United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain farmers' cooperative for grain storage and distribution that operated between 1917 and 2001. History In 1917, the Grain Growers' Grain Company (GGGC) merged with the Alberta Farmers' Co ...

elevator, along with the

Wheat Pool A wheat pool is a co-operative that markets grain (mostly wheat) on behalf of its farmer-members. In Canada in 1923 and 1924, three wheat pools were created. They were farmer-owned co-operatives, created to break the power of the large for-pr ...

elevator, were demolished. Fire once again, in a repeat of the 1935 disaster, claimed the Herschel Hotel, which burned to the ground on December 25, 1979. 1961 saw the construction of a new school in Herschel. It served the students of Herschel well over the years, however in June 1994 the Herschel kindergarten to elementary school was closed due to declining attendance. The Herschel Development Committee negotiated an agreement with the Rosetown school division to buy the school and a former teacherage, for $1. In October of that year, the

was officially established in the old school. Its mission was to celebrate and share the area's fossil treasures, unique prairie grassland ecology, rich local history and ancient First Nation's ceremonial sites and history.

Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre

While preparations were being made to open the Interpretive Centre in June 1994, excavations continued in the ground around the largest of the three remaining petroglyphs in the Coalmine Ravine. Around the same time, a local taxidermist, Lyle Waddington, began to donating several examples of his work to Ancient Echoes, These reflected the natural history and local prairie wildlife and consisted of several native bird and mammal species found in the Herschel area. In October of that same year, what was called The Herschel Interpretive Centre, at that time, was officially established. It was staffed by a dedicated team of volunteers and funded by individual and corporate donations, as well as a small government grant. The Centre's mandate was to promote ecology, fossil history and the Aboriginal heritage of the area. In the 1990s three fossilized skeletons of ''

, a type of short-necked plesiosaur,'' were discovered in the Coalmine Ravine. During this excavation paleontologists uncovered the remains of varying marine life: two or three different shark species, numerous fish vertebrate fragments, and a

(large lizard like marine animal). Around this time, Rosetown resident and woodcarver, Jack Klemmer, visited Ancient Echoes for the first time. Since then, his carvings have been on display at the Centre and the proceed from their sale have been donated to Ancient Echoes. Also in the late 1990s, the Centre received a $5,000 donation from Enbridge Pipelines to purchase shipping carts for the Centre's displays and to help pay for the initial print run of renowned

artist, Jo Cooper's paintings, entitled “The Disappearance and Resurgence of the Buffalo” which was displayed for the first time at Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre. Outside on the Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre's grounds stands a life size statue of a plains grizzly bear, now extinct in the area, created by artist William Epp in honour of the large bear famously killed on the very spot over 100 years earlier by James Carnegie, the 9th Earl of Southesk while on an expedition to the Canadian prairies in 1859/60 . Since that time, several paleontologists, students, and scores of volunteers have returned every summer to continue and expand the hunt for and preservation of both paleontological and archaeological specimens in the Coalmine Ravine. New fossils of several species of dinosaurs, marine reptiles, ancient sharks, shellfish, land and aquatic plants as well as many other fossil varieties are being found in the ravine all the time. The Herschel area is now considered by many to be a hot spot for archaeology, paleontology, rare and endangered native prairie plants and animals.

Gallery

Images of the town of Herschel, Saskatchewan and surrounding area. File:Full Moon rising over Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre in Herschel, Saskatchewan.jpg, Full moon over Herschel File:Herschel Saskatchewan Museum.jpg, The Herschel Museum, located in a former church File:Image of the buffalo jump at Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre in 2017.jpg, A

buffalo jump A buffalo jump, or sometimes bison jump, is a cliff formation which Indigenous peoples of North America historically used to hunt and kill plains bison in mass quantities. The broader term game jump refers to a man-made jump or cliff used for hu ...

and

processing site in the Coalmine Ravine near Herschel File:Dolichorhynchops herschelensis vertebrae.jpg, Fossilized vertebrae of a unique species of short-necked plesiosaur discovered near Herschel

Attractions

The community of Herschel, the nearby Bad Hills and the

are home to many interesting attractions and points of interest, including: * Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre * Herschel Retreat House * Herschel Memorial Hall * Herschel Memorial Rink * Herschel Museum * Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church * Stranraer Commemorative Library

References

External links

* {{Coord, 51.655, N, 108.423, W, display=title, type:city_region:CA_source:GNS-enwiki Designated places in Saskatchewan Former villages in Saskatchewan Mountain View No. 318, Saskatchewan Special service areas in Saskatchewan Populated places disestablished in 2006 Ghost towns in Saskatchewan Division No. 12, Saskatchewan