Touchwood Hills are a range of hills located 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 ...
. The hills are composed of the "Big" Touchwood Hills and the Little Touchwood Hills. Together they are referred to as the Touchwood Uplands. The hills are in the
Prairie Pothole Region
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR; french: Région des cuvettes/fondrières des prairies) is an expansive area of the northern Great Plains that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier ac ...
of
North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s, and within
Palliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a semi-arid steppe occupying a substantial portion of the Western Canadian Prairie Provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, within the Great Plains region. While initially determined to be un ...
and the
Great Plains ecoregion of Canada.
The hills make up a large plateau that is north-east of Saskatchewan's capital city,
Regina. To the west of the hills is
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 Last ...
; to the north are the
Quill Lakes
The Quill Lakes is a wetland complex in Saskatchewan, Canada that encompasses the endorheic basin of three distinct lake wetlands: Big Quill Lake, Middle Quill Lake, and Little Quill Lake. On May 27, 1987, it was designated a wetland of inte ...
,
Foam Lake, and
Fishing Lake
Fishing Lake is a closed basin freshwater lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake is north of the town of Foam Lake, and east of the town of Wadena and is accessed from Highways 5 and 310. The northern and eastern shore ...
; to the east is
Good Spirit Lake; and to the south is the
Qu'Appelle Valley
The Qu'Appelle River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba that flows east from Lake Diefenbaker in south-western Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near t ...
. Several rivers flow out of the hills, such as the south flowing Qu'Appelle River tributaries of East Loon Creek (via Loon Creek), Jumping Deer Creek,
Pheasant Creek, and Pearl Creek. To the north, rivers such as Dafoe Brook, Birch Creek, Bevcar Brook, Beckett Brook, and Milligan Creek work their way into the Quill Lakes. Milligan Creek and its tributaries are the primary inflows for Foam Lake and the Quill Lakes.
Highway 35
The following highways are numbered 35:
International
* European route E35
Canada
* Alberta Highway 35
* British Columbia Highway 35
* Ontario Highway 35
* Quebec Autoroute 35
*Saskatchewan Highway 35
China
* G35 Expressway
Costa Rica
* ...
cuts across the plateau in a north to south direction and
Highway 15 heads in an east to west direction cutting between Big Touchwood and Little Touchwood Hills. To the north and east of the hills is
Highway 16
Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 16
* European route E16
* European route E016
Australia
- Thompsons Road (Victoria)
- South Australia
Canada
;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway:
*Yellowhead Hi ...
, also known as the Yellowhead Highway, and to the south is
Highway 10.
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 ...
runs past the western side of the plateau.
In 2005,
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a Canadian non-profit organization that works to conserve, restore and manage Canadian wetlands in order to preserve habitat for North American waterfowl, wildlife and people. They work with industry leaders, gover ...
announced a ten-year study of how nesting success of prairie waterfowl varies in relation to the landscape types of the prairie pothole region, to be conducted in the Touchwood Hills area.
Touchwood Hills Regional Economic Development Authority
The Touchwood Hills Regional Economic Development Authority (REDA) was created in 1995, and was the tenth REDA created in the province. It included the
rural municipalities of
Tullymet,
Lipton,
Cupar
Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...
,
Garry,
Ituna Bon Accord,
Kellross,
Touchwood,
Emerald and
Kutawa; the towns of
Cupar
Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...
,
Ituna
Ituna () is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2006, it had a population of 622. It is north-east of the capital Regina.
The town contains several businesses serving the local residents and rural community, including financial services, groc ...
, and
Southey; and the villages of
Dysart,
Hubbard,
Kelliher, and
Leross; the Crossroads Rural Development Corporation and the Carlton Trail Regional College.
Touchwood Hills Post
Touchwood Hills Post was a
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
(HBC) trading post in the Touchwood Hills from 1852 to 1909. It was one of the few HBC posts not built on a river and supplied by canoe. Rather it was a resupply point and stopping place on the part of the
Carlton Trail
The Carlton Trail was the primary land transportation route in the Canadian Northwest for most of the 19th century, connecting Fort Carlton to Edmonton along a line of intermediate places. It was part of a trail network that stretched from the Red ...
that ran from
Fort Ellice
Fort Ellice was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post operated from 1794 to 1892. First established on the Qu'Appelle River, the post was rebuilt in 1817 on the south bank of the Assiniboine. Another iteration of the post was built near the first i ...
on the
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a sing ...
north-west to
Fort Carlton
Fort Carlton was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post from 1795 until 1885. It was located along the North Saskatchewan River not far from Duck Lake.
It is in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and was rebuilt by the government of Sas ...
on the
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
. The section of the Carlton Trail that runs from the Touchwood Hills to the
Fishing Lakes is called the
Fort Qu'Appelle-Touchwood Hills Trail.
All that remains of the original fort is the cellar depression and a segment of the Carlton Trail with
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 ...
tracks. In 1986, the Touchwood Hills Post historic park was designated a Provincial Park.
Touchwood Hills People
The Touchwood Hills People, or ''Pusakawatciwiyiniwak'' were part of a larger group known as the Downstream People, or ''Mamihkiyiniwak'', who occupied the south-eastern plains and utilized the
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a sing ...
,
Red River, and
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...
waterways. The Touchwood Hills People consisted of four bands under the leadership of chief ''Kawacatoose'' (Poorman or Lean Man): ''Kawacatoose'', ''Kaneonuskatew'' (One that walks on four claws or George Gordon), ''Muscowequan'' (Hard Quill), and ''Kisecawchuck ''(Daystar). ''Kawacatoose'' and the other chiefs signed
Treaty 4
Treaty 4 is a treaty established between Queen Victoria and the Cree and Saulteaux First Nation band governments. The area covered by Treaty 4 represents most of current day southern Saskatchewan, plus small portions of what are today western M ...
, which created the
Kawacatoose First Nation
The Kawacatoose First Nation ( cr, ᑲᐚᐦᑲᑐᐢ ''kawâhkatos'')Wolvengrey, Arok, editor. Cree: Words. Regina, University of Regina Press, 2001https://itwewina.altlab.app/word/kaw%C3%A2hkatos@2//ref> is a Plains Cree First Nations band gov ...
,
Gordon First Nation,
Muskowekwan First Nation, and
Day Star First Nation
Day Star First Nation ( cr, ᑮᓯᑳᐘᒑᕽ ''kîsikâwacâhk'')Wolvengrey, Arok, editor. Cree: Words. Regina, University of Regina Press, 2001https://itwewina.altlab.app/word/k%C3%AEsik%C3%A2wac%C3%A2hk@2//ref> is a First Nations band governm ...
. Along with the
Fishing Lake First Nation
Fishing Lake First Nation ( oj, Gichi-ginoozhewaaning) is a First Nation of the Saulteaux branch of the Ojibwe nation. Fishing Lake First Nation are Anishinabek people (original people of North America). The band can trace their origins to cen ...
, these bands are collectively a part of the Touchwood Agency Tribal Chiefs (TATC).
Lost Harvests: Prairie Indian Reserve Farmers and Government Policy.
Sarah Carter. McGill-Queen's Press: 1993.
See also
*List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
This is a list of protected areas of Saskatchewan.
National parks
Provincial parks
The federal government transferred control of natural resources to the western provinces in 1930 with the Natural Resources Acts. At that time, ...
*Geography of Saskatchewan
The geography of Saskatchewan is unique among the provinces and territories of Canada in some respects. It is one of only two landlocked regions (Alberta is the other) and it is the only region whose borders are not based on natural features li ...
*Palliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a semi-arid steppe occupying a substantial portion of the Western Canadian Prairie Provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, within the Great Plains region. While initially determined to be un ...
References
*Elizabeth Browne Losey,"Let Them be Remembered:The Story of the Fur Trade Forts, 1999,page 655-658
{{Authority control
Landforms of Saskatchewan
Hills of Saskatchewan
First Nations in Saskatchewan