Wood Mountain ( 2016 population: ) is a 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 ...

within the Rural Municipality of Old Post No. 43 and Census Division No. 3. Its name is derived from the Red River

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

words ''"montagne de bois"'' (meaning mountain of wood in French), due to the abundance of

poplar tree ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The w ...

s in the otherwise barren region. Highway 18 and Highway 358 intersect south of the community. Wood Mountain is known for its annual stampede that has been held every year for more than 120 years. This village is home to the

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

administrative office for the

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

of the

Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation The Wood Mountain First Nation ( lkt, Tatanka Iyutaka Lakota Oyate, also spelt as ''Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake Lakȟóta Oyáte'') is a Lakota First Nations band government in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Led across the border by Sitting Bull, th ...

History

Wood Mountain was the terminus of the

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 ...

-Wood Mountain Trail that was used from 1757 to the 1850s to haul provisions such as

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 indigenous ...

by the

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 ...

and

. The trail was over 400 kilometres long. It incorporated as a village on March 4, 1930.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, Wood Mountain 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 Wood Mountain 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.

Economy and tourism

Historically, Wood Mountain's economy has relied mainly on the

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

industry. The community still has strong roots to farming and ranching, but with its location and rich history,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

has become a main industry. The community has accommodations, such as hotels and

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

s, a cafe restaurant, pool, library, community hall, churches, museums, campgrounds, and parks.

Local attractions

Wood Mountain Regional Park Wood Mountain Regional Park is a conservation and recreation area in its natural state set aside as a regional park in south-western region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park is set in the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in an u ...

* Wood Mountain Rodeo & Ranching Museum (located at Wood Mountain Regional Park) * Wood Mountain Community Pool * Wood Mountain Post Historic Park

Events

* Wood Mountain Stampede, oldest continuous annual Rodeo in Canada. It is located at Wood Mountain Regional Park and has run since 1890. * Wood Mountain Farmers Market

Regional attractions

Wood Mountain Hills Wood Mountain Hills are a hilly plateau in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are located in the southern part of the province and are part of the Missouri Coteau, which is part of the Laurentian Divide between the watersheds of ...

* Grasslands National Park * St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park *

Thomson Lake Regional Park Thomson Lake is a reservoir in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan along the course of Wood River in the Old Wives Lake closed watershed. The lake was created in 1958 for irrigation and consumption with the damming of Wood River. It was ...

Notable residents

* Andrew Suknaski, poet *

Kacy & Clayton Kacy & Clayton is a Canadian folk/roots duo originating from Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan. Having played together for over a decade growing up, the duo consists of second cousins Clayton Linthicum on guitar and Kacy Anderson on vocals. They rele ...

, folk-rock group

References

External links

* {{SKDivision3 Villages in Saskatchewan Old Post No. 43, Saskatchewan Division No. 3, Saskatchewan Romanian-Canadian history North-West Mounted Police Sitting Bull