Bateman is a locality in the southwest region of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
, Canada, north of the
Red Coat Trail
The Red Coat Trail is a route that approximates the path taken in 1874 by the North-West Mounted Police in their March West from Fort Dufferin to Fort Whoop-Up.
Route description
A number of highways in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and A ...
. It was named after Jim Bateman, the first settler to come to the area with his family in 1908.
Bateman was once a prosperous community, which had a peak population of more than 300 citizens in the late 1920s. In 2000, the last resident left, and many of the remaining buildings were torn down by the
government of Saskatchewan
The Government of Saskatchewan () is the provincial government of the province of Saskatchewan. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867.
In modern Canadian use, the term "government" refers broadly to the cabinet of th ...
.
History
Upon arrival in 1908, Jim Bateman took possession of a
quarter section A quarter is one-fourth, , 25%, or 0.25.
Quarter or quarters may refer to:
Places
* Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town
Placenames
* Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland
* Le Quartier, a settlemen ...
of land on the banks of Notukeu Creek (a tributary of
Wood River). In 1911, Bateman opened a post office. His daughter Lydia was sworn in as the post mistress and drove up to
St. Boswells, northwest of Bateman, with her father to pick up the community's first mail bag.
During its pioneer times of great prosperity, Bateman had over 300 residents during the late 1920s. Bateman was also a focal point for small family grain farmers in the region. The community once boasted four grain elevators, a bank, a theatre, restaurants, two gas stations, two churches, three grocery stores, skating and curling rink, and two implement businesses. The community even had its own power plant and street light system.
Education
Bateman once had a school that covered grades K–12, but closed due to the consolidation of schools. In 1966, Bateman lost its grade 12 classes, and a few years after that the school would again lose grades 10 and 11, to the neighbouring town of
Gravelbourg
Gravelbourg () is a small multicultural town in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located just west of the Wood River at the junction of provincial Highway 43 and Highway 58, approximately 125 kilometres from Moose Jaw, Swift Curre ...
, leaving only grade nine for the high-school level, eventually being moved there as well, leaving just the elementary classes. In 1996, Bateman's school finally closed for good.
Today the once impressive brick school has been demolished due to the building's poor condition. All that remains of the former school is the foundation and a commemorative sign.
Notable people
*
Gordon James McNeill, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1975 until 1978, representing the constituency of Meadow Lake for the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
.
See also
*
List of communities in Saskatchewan
Communities in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, include Incorporation (municipal government), incorporated municipalities, Unincorporated area#Canada, unincorporated communities and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities.
Types ...
*
Lists of ghost towns in Canada
*
List of ghost towns in Saskatchewan
References
1908 establishments in Saskatchewan
Ghost towns in Saskatchewan
Gravelbourg No. 104, Saskatchewan
Division No. 3, Saskatchewan
{{SKDivision3-geo-stub