Kenaston ( 2016 population: ) is a

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 ...

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 ...

within the

Rural Municipality of McCraney No. 282 The Rural Municipality of McCraney No. 282 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 11 and Division No. 5. It is located in the south-central portion of the provinc ...

and Census Division No. 11. Kenaston is located on Highway 11 (Louis Riel Trail) at the junction of Highway 15 and is also near Highway 19. This is a scenic area of Saskatchewan situated within the rolling Allan Hills. Kenaston is located between

Danielson Provincial Park Danielson Provincial Park is located at the northern end of Lake Diefenbaker in the southern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park surrounds the Gardiner Dam, which was built in 1967 and is among the largest embankment dams ...

and Blackstrap Provincial Park.

History

First known as Bonnington Springs in the District of

Assiniboia Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation. Historical usage ''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distri ...

in the Northwest Territories, the settlement was usually referred to as "Bonnington". In late 1905, when Saskatchewan became a province, the name was changed to "Kenaston", honouring F.E. Kenaston, who was the Vice President of the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company. The railroad reached Bonnington in late 1889, but there is no record of any permanent residents until 1902. In that year the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company was formed made up of wealthy men from the United States. The president was Colonel Andrew Duncan Davidson and F. E. Kenaston was vice-president. The Saskatchewan Valley Land Company purchased of land from the railway for $1.53 an acre and another from the Dominion Government for $1.00 an acre. By adopting spectacular methods of advertising and employing dozens of land agents, the wide open spaces between Regina and Saskatoon were peopled with hundreds of settlers in the time between 1902 and 1910. Needs of settlers created a necessity for business places and the settlement grew. Kenaston incorporated as a village on July 18, 1910. The Kenaston School opened its doors to its first fourteen pupils in August 1905, while the town was still officially known as Bonnington. The first store was built in 1903, the post office and hotel were established in 1904, the first telephone installed in 1909, and the first of Kenaston's grain elevator was built in 1906 by the Canadian Elevator Company. In 1910, the 40,000 gallon water tower was built by CNR in proximity to the train station and just across from the first hotel.

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, Kenaston 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. In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Kenaston recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

Kenaston hosts a sporting facility named Kenaston Place which brings to the village the event Super Draft. Kenaston Snowman Park is near the historic water tower restoration. Kenaston's large

roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than actually being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboards. ...

is a Snowman which is 18 Feet (5.5 Metres) in height and honours the nickname of Kenaston being the ''Blizzard capital of Saskatchewan''. Bonnington Springs is the name of the campground at Kenaston. Kenaston Recreation Site is a conservation area near Kenaston at 17-29-2-W3.

Education

Kenaston is part of the Sun West School Division. It's also Home to the Distance Learning Center which provides education to the province through online studies.

Media

*The Davidson Leader is a newspaper which serves Kenaston. *A piece from

Chilly Gonzales Jason Charles Beck (born 20 March 1972), professionally known as Chilly Gonzales, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and producer. Currently based in Cologne, Germany, he previously lived for several years in Paris. Gonzales is a musical polymat ...

' Solo Piano II is named "Kenaston". *The boo
Kith 'n kin
outlines the history of Kenaston and district.

Transportation

Canadian National Railway currently serves Kenaston; however the line terminates at Davidson where the Last Mountain Railway (Craik subdivision) begins and takes over the remainder of the line.

Notable people

Allan Kerpan Allan Edward Joseph Kerpan (born 1954) is a Canadian politician. He is the current interim deputy leader of the Maverick Party, a right-wing Western Canadian separatist party. Life and career Kerpan was born on 9 December 1954 in Kenaston, S ...

is a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

born in Kenaston. * Mike Prpich is a professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing 3rd line center for the Blizzards Senior Hockey team. *

Lynne Yelich Lynne Yelich, (née Zdunich; born March 24, 1953) is a Canadian politician and was the Conservative MP for the former riding of Blackstrap and predecessor riding components, from 2000 to 2015. Life and career Yelich was born in Saskatoon, Sas ...

is the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

representing the federal riding of Blackstrap. She was raised in Kenaston and continues to call Kenaston home.

References

External links

* {{coord, display=title, name=Kenaston, Saskatchewan, 51, 30, N, 106, 17, W, region:CA_type:city Villages in Saskatchewan McCraney No. 282, Saskatchewan Division No. 11, Saskatchewan