Meota (
2016 population: ) is a village 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 ...
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 ...
within the
Rural Municipality of Meota No. 468 and
Census Division No. 17. The village name is derived from the
Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
phrase Meotate or Mo-Was-In-Ota, meaning "good place to camp" or "it is good here."
Meota is on the south-western shore of
Jackfish Lake and is accessed from
Highway 26. Meota Regional Park is adjacent to the community.
History
A post office named Meota was established in 1894, but it was located where the present-day community of
Metinota is,
leading to some confusion over the origins of the current village of Meota. The first post office in present-day Meota was established in 1910, although it was initially called Beachview.
Joseph A. Dart, an early merchant, had previously established a store in a tent near current-day Meota, and in 1910, he moved to the Meota townsite where his store operated in a building on Main Street.
The
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canada, Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonto ...
opened its line through Meota in 1910–1911.
Meota incorporated as a village on July 6, 1911.
In 1912 the first
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 ...
was constructed, and then a dance pavilion opened in 1921.
Other industries included brick manufacturing, a flour mill, and commercial fishing ("Meota Whites").
A series of fires has since decimated the village's business district, and the advent of the automobile caused many local residents to drive to
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 ...
for shopping.
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 ...
, Meota 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.
In the
2016 Census of Population, the Village of Meota recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
Meota Regional Park
Meota 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 ...
in the village of Meota on the shore of Jackfish Lake. The park has a campground, lake access with a sandy beach, boat launch, ball diamonds, swimming pool, and a tennis court. The 9-hole Meota & District Lakeside Golf Course is adjacent to the park. The campground has 100 campsites, washrooms, showers, and laundry.
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 francophone communities in Saskatchewan
This is a list of francophone communities in Saskatchewan. Municipalities with a high percentage of French-speakers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan are listed.
The provincial average of Saskatchewanians whose mother tongue is French ...
*
List of villages in Saskatchewan
A village is a type of incorporated urban municipality in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A village is created from an organized hamlet by the Minister of Municipal Affairs by ministerial order via section 51 of ''The Municipalities Act'' i ...
References
{{Authority control
Villages in Saskatchewan
Meota No. 468, Saskatchewan
Division No. 17, Saskatchewan
Populated places established in 1894