St. Walburg is a town in west-central Saskatchewan's prairie region on Saskatchewan Highway 26. St. Walburg is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Frenchman Butte No. 501. The Bronson Provincial Forest is to the north. The community is named for the wife of the first postmaster, but also to honour Saint Walpurga, an 8th century English nun educated by the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

, who was canonized for a life dedicated to evangelical work among the German people.

History

The town and surrounding area were originally settled by Germans between the 1910s and 1930s, with a few Polish, Ukrainian and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

settlers arriving later. The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) continued the extension of its northwest branch line from North Battleford, reaching St. Walburg in 1919. This caused a boom in the area, with many homesteaders arriving within months, now able to deliver their production to the grain elevators at St. Walburg. The branch had served

Hamlin Hamlin may refer to: Places * Hamlin, Iowa, a city * Hamlin, Kansas, a city * Hamlin, Kentucky, a town * Hamlin, Maine, a town * Hamlin, Michigan, a former community * Hamlin, New York, a town ** Hamlin (CDP), New York, a census-designated pl ...

, Prince, Meota (1910 extension), Cavalier, Vawn, Edam, Mervin, Turtleford (1914 extension), Cleeves, Spruce Lake and St. Walburg, with a fork to Paradise Hill and

Frenchman Butte Frenchman Butte is a butte located northeast of Lloydminster, is named after a Frenchman who was killed there by Indians in the 19th century. It is not known how or why this man was murdered. This was also the site of the Battle of Frenchman ...

. Later the rail line and the Saskatchewan Highway 26 ran beside each other from Prince to St. Walburg. The

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

abandoned the entire branch line in 2005, when the remaining grain elevators closed. The line was officially abandoned in 2008.

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 ...

, St. Walburg 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

The main industries are grain and cattle farming. The oil and natural gas industries have become increasingly important in the area.

Notable people

* Count Berthold von Imhoff (1868–1939) an artist known for his religious murals and paintings homesteaded southwest of St. Walburg in 1914. In 1937 he was awarded a Knighthood in the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Pius XI. He is buried in the St. Walburg Cemetery next to his wife Matilda. The Imhoff Museum (the home, studio and farm of Imhoff) was designated a Saskatchewan Heritage Property in 1993. *A life size equestrian statue honouring Imhoff by St. Walburg artist Susan Velder is located in the village. *

Cal Nichols Cal Nichols (born April 25, 1942) is a Canadian businessman who spearheaded the group which would later become the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG) which owned the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. Biography Born in Paradise Hill, Saskatch ...

, former chairman of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Walburg Frenchman Butte No. 501, Saskatchewan Towns in Saskatchewan German-Canadian culture in Saskatchewan