Big River is a town located on the southern end of
Cowan Lake in north central
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. It is just north of Saskatchewan's extensive grain belt on
Highway 55
The following highways are numbered 55:
International
* European route E55
* Arab Mashreq International Road Network, Arab Mashreq route M55
Argentina
* Provincial Route 55 (San Luis), San Luis Provincial Route 55
Australia
* Carnarvon Highw ...
(part of the inter-provincial
Northern Woods and Water Route
The Northern Woods and Water Route is a route through northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada. As early as the 1950s, community groups came together to establish a northern travel route; this was proposed ...
) and about west of
Prince Albert National Park
Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is about north of Saskatoon. Though declared a National parks of Canada, national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't performed by Prime Ministe ...
.
Delaronde Lake is accessed east of the town. Big River is approximately from Prince Albert.
Except for some land cleared for farming and a few natural meadows, the town is surrounded by the northern
boreal forest
Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...
.
History
Big River began as a company town created as a base for the lumber industry at the turn of the 20th century. Commercial fishing also played a major role in the town in the early years. In 1910 a post office opened in Big River. It incorporated in 1921.
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 ...
, Big River 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.
Big River Regional Park
Big River Regional Park () is a
regional park
A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.
Definition
A regional park can be a special park distr ...
located in the town of Big River that is divided into two sections. At the western end of Main Street, on the eastern shore of
Cowan Lake, is Cowan Lake Campground. It has 16 campsites, lake and beach access, modern washrooms/showers, a camp kitchen, a boat launch, a fish cleaning station, and a children's playground. The other campground is located on the north side of town and is called the Community Centre Campground. It has 49 individual campsites as well as group camping, washrooms/showers, ball diamonds, laundry, horseshoe pits, and a playground.
Kitty-corner to the Community Centre Campground is the 9-hole Big River Golf Course. It was built in 1971 and is a 2,935-yard, par 35 grass green course. It has a licensed clubhouse and pro shop.
Education
There are two schools in the community. Big River Public High School (Grade 7 to 12) & TD Michel Public School (Pre-K to Grade 6).
They are part of the
Saskatchewan Rivers School Division #119 out of Prince Albert.
Notable people
*
Barry Pederson, former NHL player
*
Jim Neilson, former NHL player
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 ...
*
List of towns in Saskatchewan
A town is a type of incorporated urban municipality in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A resort village or a village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a populati ...
*
Big River Airport
*
Big River (Saskatchewan)
Big River is a river in the west-central part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Boreal forest of Canada, boreal forest ecozone of Canada. The river begins at Witchekan Lake in the RM of Spirit ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Saskatchewan
Big River No. 555, Saskatchewan