Meadow Lake is a city in the

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 ...

of northwestern

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. Its location is about northeast of

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administra ...

and north of

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The B ...

. Founded as a trading post in 1799, it became a village in 1931 and a town in 1936. On November 9, 2009, it officially became Saskatchewan's 14th city. Meadow Lake is the main business centre of northwestern Saskatchewan and serves the many towns and villages as a regional shopping centre. It is the second-largest community in Saskatchewan's Census Division No. 17, after Saskatchewan's portion of the interprovincial city of

. The city is on the western shore of Meadow Lake and borders the Rural Municipality of Meadow Lake No. 588 and the Flying Dust First Nation No. 105 reserves.

History

Peter Fidler Peter Fidler (16 August 1769 – 17 December 1822) was a British surveyor, map-maker, fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshir ...

built Bolsover House in 1799 near "Lac des Prairies", the first name given to Meadow Lake. In 1873 Métis families arrived establishing a

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

trading post, joined by other settlers in the early 1900s. The largest impetus occurred following a fire of 1919 and the exodus of some of the settlers during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

from the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

of central and southern Saskatchewan to communities in the north.

Bolsover House

Peter Fidler of the Hudson's Bay Company was told by Indian guides that Meadow Lake was a good place for furs. On August 30, 1799 he reached the mouth of the Meadow Lake River. The stream was so narrow and crooked that he almost despaired of navigating it. When he reached the lake he found it so shallow and swampy that he had to proceed demi-chargé. Finding no good place on the lake he went up a river and selected a place about 1,000 yards inland to build the 12 foot by 12 foot log fort. He named it Bolsover House after his hometown in England. The post returned only 190 made beaver in the first season so in 1801 it was closed and everything moved east to Green Lake House. The exact site of Bolsover House is unknown. There is a monument to Peter Fidler in Meadow Lake at Elk's Park.

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 ...

, Meadow Lake 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. The Meadow Lake Indian Band was established in 1889 with signing of

Treaty 6 Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifi ...

to the north of Meadow Lake. This reserve is now named the Flying Dust First Nation.

Geography

Meadow Lake is located in the middle of an area pre-historically covered by a large

glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

also called '' Meadow Lake'' formed from a receding continental glacier, of which only a fraction still exists. The lake is located on the east side of the city. The ancient lakeshore forms the Meadow Lake Escarpment, a significant terrain feature clearly visible looking south from many points in the city. The area is a part of the Southern Boreal EcoRegion with the Northern Boreal EcoRegion to the north and the Parkland EcoRegion on the south. The neighbouring rural areas include Trembling aspen ''Populus tremuloides'', White spruce ''Picea glauca'', Jack Pine ''Pinus banksiana'', Black Spruce ''Picea mariana'' and muskegs Specifically Meadow Lake is situated in the Meadow Lake plain of the Boreal transition

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in the Boreal Plain ecozone.

Climate

Meadow Lake experiences a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

'' Dfc'') that falls just short of being classified as a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfb''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Meadow Lake was on 27 June 2002. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 January 1930. A record snowfall occurred November 16, 1984, with and a record of rain fell May 17, 1984. A record snowfall depth was recorded February 22, 1997, when was measured. January 11, 1986, was very cold with wind gusting to per hour. The humidex was set at a high of 40.4 on August 10, 1991, and the opposite extreme was felt with a −55.8 windchill on December 20, 1989.

Government

Meadow Lake has a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

as the highest ranking government official. Voters also elect

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s to form the municipal council. Currently the mayor is Merlin Seymour. Provincially, Meadow Lake is within the Meadow Lake constituency. It is currently represented served by their MLA,

Jeremy Harrison Jeremy Harrison (born January 29, 1978) is a Canadian politician who has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan since 2007, representing the electoral district of Meadow Lake as a member of the Saskatchewan Party. He has serv ...

of the

Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party (SP or Sask Party) is a conservative political party in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was founded in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative ...

. Meadow Lake is represented in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

by its MP of the

Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (; formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Geogra ...

riding, currently

Gary Vidal Gary Vidal (born in 1965) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in the House of Commons of Canada from 2019 Canadian federal election The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on ...

of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

Economy

The tourism, fishing, fur, pulpwood, forestry, agricultural grains, livestock, dairy and poultry product industries all support Meadow Lake which boasted seven grain elevators in 1955. Meadow Lake was processing three million bushels of grain in 1953, the highest amount for a single Canadian community. Currently the city's heavy industry is dominated by the primary forestry industry and related service companies, including trucking and forestry management companies. The forest companies include NorSask Forest Products Inc., Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Ltd. and the Meadow Lake OSB Limited Partnership. Support industries include Mistik Management and various privately held trucking companies. Meadow Lake acts as a business hub in its local area, providing services for the smaller surrounding communities of Dorintosh and Rapid View and surrounding reserves including the Flying Dust First Nation and the Eagles Lake reserve. A major component of the Meadow Lake economy is the First Nation communities and their relative success. The Flying Dust First Nation, which directly borders the town, owns and operates many of the city's most profitable industries, including direct ownership of NorSask Forest Products Inc., a portion of the Meadow Lake OSB Partnership, stakes in local trucking and service companies, and a sizeable farming operation which is currently limited to leasing the vast amounts of local property they own or have title on. The community's agricultural community is also sizeable, including both cereal production and ranching operations. The most pristine agricultural lands are closest to the city, whereas the surrounding areas become less suitable for farming and more amenable to ranching towards the north with the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield ( ), also called the Laurentian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), th ...

, or east to the St. Cyr Hills. The city boasts one stockyard and two major agricultural equipment dealers. The community is home to the

SaskPower Saskatchewan Power Corporation, trade name, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the Saskatchewan#Government and politics, provincial government, it serves more than 550,000 cu ...

Meadow Lake Power Station.

Education

Meadow Lake is served by Transition Place Education Centre, Carpenter High, Jonas Samson Junior High, Lakeview elementary, Jubilee Elementary, Gateway Elementary, and

North West Regional College North West Regional College is a further education and higher education college in the north-west region of Northern Ireland. The college has five main campuses in counties Londonderry and Tyrone: Strand Road (Derry), Springtown (Derry), Mai ...

, which offers courses at both the college and university levels. University courses, including complete, community-based

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

and

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

programs are offered by the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

. In the spring of 2005, 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 ...

invested CA$41,000 to upgrade the roof at Jonas Samson Junior High School. Academy of Learning AOL is a post secondary career and business college in Meadow Lake. For the school year 2007–2008, Lakeview Elementary School started a much anticipated French Immersion Program. Historically the Meadow Lake area was served by several one-room schoolhouses, the closest being the Meadow Lake School District #1201 Township 59, range 17, west of the 3rd Meridian.

Local media

Newspapers

The ''Northern Pride'' is a weekly newspaper based in Meadow Lake and serves northwestern Saskatchewan. The ''Meadow Lake Progress'' was a local newspaper that was published from 1931 to 2013.

Radio

CJNS-FM 102.3 and CFDM-FM 105.7 are the local radio stations. The town is also served by CBKM-FM 98.5, a repeater of CBK-AM 540 in Watrous.

Transportation

Meadow Lake is located on SK Highway 55, and SK Highway 4. The Prince Albert - Leoville - Meadow Lake - North Battleford

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 ...

reached Meadow Lake Station at Section 26,

Township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

59,

Range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

17, west of the Third Meridian in 1931. Meadow Lake Airport is located west of Meadow Lake.

Attractions

Meadow Lake's Tourist Information Centre is located on Highway 4 South in the Meadow Lake Lions Park. The building is shared by the Meadow Lake Museum Society, Northern Saskatchewan Tourism, and the Meadow Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Meadow Lake Provincial Park Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern Boreal forest of Canada, boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen River (Saskatchewan), Waterhen and Cold River (Saskatchewan), Cold Rivers in the Provinces and territories of Cana ...

, located about 40 km to the north, takes its name from the city. Other nearby parks include Meadow Lake Lions Park, Nesset Lake Recreation Site, and Saint Cyr Hills Trails Recreation Site. Meadow Lake Golf Club is an 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

on the south side of the city of Meadow Lake, along Highway 4. Meadow Lake is directly east of the golf course. The golf course was built in 1952 and is a par 72 with a total of 6432 yards. The course also features a 20-tee driving range.

Notable people

Notable persons who were born, grew up, or established their fame in Meadow Lake: * William Bleasdell Cameron (1862–1951), survivor of the Frog Lake Massacre, author, journalist * Blake Comeau -

2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2006 WJHC'') were held in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The championships began on December 26, 2005, and finished on January 5, 2006. Games were played at GM Place and ...

gold medallist,

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

* Nikita Ens - Paralympic swimmer *

Jeff Friesen Jeffrey Daryl Friesen (born August 5, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League, spending roughly half his career with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the 1994 NHL En ...

- former NHL hockey player, Stanley Cup Champion (2003) * Joe Handley - former Premier of The

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

- current MLA * Dakota Ray Hebert - actress and comedian * D. J. King - former NHL hockey player * Dwight King - former NHL and current KHL hockey player, He was a member of the Kings' Stanley Cup championship teams in 2012 and in 2014. *

John Klebuc John Klebuc is a judge of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan and former Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. Klebuc received a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in 1964 from University of Saskatchewan and was called to the Bar of Saskatchewan ...

- Chief Justice of The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal *

Merlin Malinowski Merlin "The Magician" Malinowski (born September 27, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Malinowski was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Playing career Malinowski was drafte ...

- former NHL hockey player * George McLeod - former Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier * Jon Mirasty - AHL hockey player *

Mike Siklenka Michael Siklenka (born December 18, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. Playing career Siklenka was played major junior hoc ...

- AHL hockey player * Maynard Sonntag - former Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister *

Jeremy Yablonski Jeremy Yablonski (born March 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger. Primarily a hockey Enforcer (ice hockey), enforcer, Yablonski was a Golden Glove boxer and a 3 time MMA heavy weight Champion. ...

- NHL and AHL hockey player

Gallery

Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 04.JPG, Portion of the rider on horseback statue which honours pioneers of the area Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 08.JPG, Plaque on Meadow Lake City Hall (Heritage Building) Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 09.JPG, Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of All Saints Meadow Lake Saskatchewan 06.JPG, Holy Trinity Anglican Church

References

Book reference

* * * * *

External links

* {{Authority control 1931 establishments in Saskatchewan Cities in Saskatchewan