Estuary is a

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 RM of Deer Forks No. 232 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 ...

. Very little remains of the former village of 800, other than a private residence and a pioneer

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

on a small hill known as Cemetery Hill, overlooking the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...

History

The development of a townsite was registered on April 19, 1914 along the future site of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

between Leader, Saskatchewan and Empress, Alberta. With the railway came a flood of

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

s to the area, most of whom were

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. By the time

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

began the growth of the new community of Estuary swelled from a few hardy pioneers to a booming 800 citizens. From 1914 to 1954 Estuary had some 163 businesses, including its own power plant, a weekly newspaper, a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, six

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shops, 10 livery barns, six

rooming house A rooming house, also called a "multi-tenant house", is a "dwelling with multiple Lease-by-room, rooms rented out individually", in which the tenants share kitchen and often bathroom facilities. Rooming houses are often used as housing for low-i ...

s, six hardware stores, 10 cafes/restaurants, 13 service stations, 23 grocery stores including a

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

, and seven

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

The decline

Throughout Estuary's short history there have been many mysterious fires, two of which were devastating to the town. One in 1917 destroyed 18 properties and another in 1928. Several other minor fires which were just as mysterious were set. Because of Estuary's serious decline after the end of World War I it was believed that the fires were deliberately set in order to collect

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

. In 1919 the town was hit hardest when the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to go ahead with plans to build a branch line from Leader to the new town of Burstall, causing a reduction of grain coming into town. Feeling betrayed by the railway company many residents picked up and left never to come back, taking everything with them including their homes and businesses. The 1930s brought another blow to the once prosperous village, starting with the restructuring of the community's village status to a

in 1930. By 1951 the fuel dealership shut its doors, soon after in 1966 the community's last store was closed. The railway station was bought and moved away in 1970. The last remaining businesses, the three remaining grain elevators, were closed and demolished in 1982.

References

{{authority control Deer Forks No. 232, Saskatchewan Former villages in Saskatchewan Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan Populated places established in 1914 Populated places on the South Saskatchewan River 1930 disestablishments in Canada Ghost towns in Saskatchewan 1914 establishments in Saskatchewan

History

The decline

See also

References