Shellbrook is a rural community in

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 ...

, Canada located west of Prince Albert. The population of the town was 1,433 in 2011. Highways 3, 40, and 55 provide access to the community. Approximately 50 businesses provide a wide range of goods, services, and professional expertise.

History

Settlers began arriving in the area in the late 19th century and, in 1894, a post office named after the Shell Brook was established. Larger numbers of settlers began to arrive in the district in the early 20th century, with significant representation from people of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

n origins. In 1910, the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Man ...

reached Shellbrook from Prince Albert and the community developed as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural region.

Geography

The Shell Brook (now known as Shell River) passes just to the north of the present community, flowing east to the Sturgeon River, which in turn flows into 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 ...

west of Prince Albert. The community is situated near the northern edge of agricultural settlement in the transition zone between the

aspen parkland Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections, namely the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area stretchi ...

and

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruc ...

biomes and as the early settlers arrived the land had to be cleared of the

jack pine Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...

forests before crops could be planted. The trees, however, provided an early cash crop and logs were rafted into Prince Albert where many were converted into railway ties.

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 cultu ...

, Shellbrook 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.

Attractions

The town has a library, and a museum located in the former Canadian Northern Railway station built in 1909. The town's golf course is rated as one of the finest in the province. Additionally,

Prince Albert National Park Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Macke ...

is just a short drive north of the community and there are seven Regional Parks and numerous lakes in the district, accommodating fishing, swimming, boating and camping.

Notable people

*One of Canada's most respected writers,

James Sinclair Ross James Sinclair Ross, CM (January 22, 1908 – February 29, 1996) was a Canadian banker and author, who wrote novels and short fiction about life on the Canadian Prairies. He is best known for his first novel, '' As For Me and My House''. Life a ...

, was born in the Wild Rose School District just northeast of Shellbrook in 1908. *Curling champion

Marliese Miller Marliese Kasner ( Miller; born January 8, 1982, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian curler from Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. She is a former member of her sister, Stefanie Lawton's team. Career Kasner is a two-time Canadian Junior Cham ...

(Kasner) is a resident of Shellbrook. * Scott Moe - 15th and current Premier of Saskatchewan *

Terry Simpson Terry Simpson (born August 30, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Simpson only played one season of professional ice hockey in 1964–65 for the Jacksonville Rocke ...

- Former WHL and NHL Head Coach

References