Bellegarde is a French-speaking

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the Rural Municipality of Storthoaks No. 31 in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

. It was established in 1898. Bellegarde is located just south of

Highway 13 The following roads may be referred to as Route 13 or Highway 13. For a list of roads named A13, see List of A13 roads. International * AH13, Asian Highway 13 * European route E13 * European route E013 Afghanistan *The Kabul–Behsud Highwa ...

(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 ...

), near the

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border and in south-eastern Saskatchewan. Being a hamlet with fewer than 100 people, the population is counted within the population count of the rural municipality.

History

In July 1888, when Rev. Jean Gaire, a newly arrived young priest from France, founded the parish of

Grande-Clairière Grande-Clairière is a locality in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. It is located approximately 13 kilometres (8 miles) northwest of Hartney, Manitoba in the Municipality of Grassland The Municipality of Grassland is a rural municipality (RM) ...

in Manitoba, St. Maurice of Bellegarde did not exist. By 1891, under the guidance of Father Jean-Isidoire Gaire, settlers residing in Grande-Clairière took homesteads at what they called, "La Quatrième Coulée" or the Fourth Creek. In 1892, they left full of enthusiasm to settle the Quatrième Coulée with bags and luggage, oxen and plows. After a failed attempt to clear farmland, they returned to Grande-Clairière discouraged. At the same time, under the direction of Father Gaire, settlers advanced 25 to 30 miles to the west and six miles south, founding the mission of St. Raphael. On his return, Mgr Gaire discovered that Cyrille Sylvestre had taken four homesteads at the Quatrième Coulée with the intention of settling there permanently with his family. In 1892, more settlers travelled to the Quatrième Coulée. After careful studies from all points of view, these farmers recognized the value in the land. The area quickly won recruits. In 1889, families arriving at Grande Clairière from Luxembourg,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

took up homesteads at St. Maurice. During the winter of 1893, the Jean-Baptiste Moreau family was the first family to spend the winter as isolated settlers in this area. In 1894, the Moreau family was joined by other settlers who stayed to break the land. Soon others arrived to reinforce the colony. By 1897–1898, 110 settlers worked and prospered around St. Maurice de Bellegarde. In 1900, four families from Chicago arrived.

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; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Bellegarde had a population of 35 living in 14 of its 18 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 30. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Education

History

In 1903, Mr. Jobin was the first teacher. The rectory served as the school and initially only French was taught. The Sisters of the Cross came to Bellegarde in 1905. They looked after the boarding facilities and taught French and Catholic education for both boys and girls. From France, the Parish of St. Maurice welcomed the services of Sister Salvinie-Eugénie and Sister Thaisie-Marie. Miss A. Boileau taught English.Esquisse historique de la Paroisse St-Maurice, Bellegarde, Sask. Mr. Honoré George built the first convent soon after. By fall, it took in its first boarder, Emilia Renard. By 1912, the rectory served as a dormitory for the boys, supervised by Rev. Napoléon Poirier and Sister Thérèse-Eugénie was in charge of the convent. She encouraged the construction of a new and larger facility which was finished in 1919. The Sisters taught in this school until 1961.

Today

École de Bellegarde, Prématernelle - 12e année. École Francophone.

References

External links

* {{authority control Storthoaks No. 31, Saskatchewan Designated places in Saskatchewan Organized hamlets in Saskatchewan Division No. 1, Saskatchewan

History

Demographics

Education

History

Today

See also

References

External links