Mossbank is a town 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 ...

. The town is south of

Old Wives Lake Old Wives Lake is a shallow endorheic salt lake in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, about south-west of Moose Jaw. The lake is fed by the Wood River but seasonal water relatively flattened the terrain, and as such results in significant m ...

and 68 km south of

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

History

Mossbank was incorporated in 1912 as an extension of the railroad from Expanse. The townsite was chosen by the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

(CNR) rail line with an adjacent townsite of Raycraft being established to the north by 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 ...

(CPR) rail line. A number of significant historical events have taken place in Mossbank and area. Three of the most prominent were the first meeting between a First Nations people and the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...

(NWMP); the establishment of the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a large-scale multinational military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the Second Wo ...

(BCATP) No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School; and the famous 1957 Debate between Saskatchewan Premier

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...

and

Ross Thatcher Wilbert Ross Thatcher, (May 24, 1917 – July 22, 1971) was a Canadian politician who served as the ninth premier of Saskatchewan from 1964 to 1971. Thatcher began his career as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1942, elect ...

, who would later also serve as Premier of Saskatchewan. Mossbank is also the location of the Ambroz Blacksmith Shop and Residence Provincial Heritage Property.

First meeting between the NWMP and a First Nations group

In 1874, during the famous Great March West, the NWMP camped at

, north of the current location of Mossbank. Their camp was located near where Wood River enters Old Wives Lake. Shortly after establishing their campsite, the NWMP were approached by a scout for a group of Sioux refugees. His group was originally from Minnesota but had fled the state after being displaced from their lands there. They hoped that the British government would consider giving them sanctuary in Canada. The NWMP agreed to meet with the Sioux the next day. The NWMP wanted to make a strong impression on the group as they were the first group of First Nations that had encountered so far in their trek westward. The entire Sioux contingent consisting of over one hundred men, women and children visited the NWMP camp the following day and the two participated in both formal ceremonies and informal trading that lasted several days. In 2009, the first Old Wives Lake Festival was held in Mossbank. The festival commemorated the first meeting of the NWMP with the Sioux with a special ceremony involving local re-enactors and RCMP officers and First Nations re-enactors.

The No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School

In 1939, shortly after the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Canada agreed to contribute to the war effort by being home for the British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP). The Training Plan turned into a huge operation, one that cost Canada $1.6 billion and employed 104,000 Canadians who operated 107 schools and 184 other supporting units at 231 locations all across Canada. At the conclusion of the war, over 167,000 students, including over 50,000 pilots, had trained in Canada under the program. There were 131,553 graduates including 72,835 Canadians. The BCATP No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School was built outside of Mossbank and between 1940 and 1944 trained over 6241 men from all four participating nations. The Mossbank base employed around 2,200 people and was one of 11 Bombing and Gunnery Schools across Canada. It trained more personnel than any other school except the No. 1 School in Jarvis, Ontario. It offered instruction in the techniques of bomb aiming and machine-gunning to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers, and Wireless Air Gunners. Mossbank was selected because it has large areas to accommodate bombing and gunnery ranges, and is located near Old Wives Lake, which was also useful for target practice. Following the end of the war, the base was decommissioned and almost all the base's buildings were sold and moved off the site. Among these buildings, one became the Turvey Centre in Regina and another is now part of the

Western Development Museum The Western Development Museum is a network of four museums in Saskatchewan, Canada preserving and recording the social and economic development of the province. The museum has branches in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton. Respec ...

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 ...

. A large historic monument commemorating the base was dedicated in 1999 by the Mossbank and District Museum and the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society. The Mossbank and District Museum contains an extensive collection of artifacts from the base as well as a mural showing an aerial view of the base as it would have existed around 1943.

Debate of the Century

In 1957, the Mossbank Community Hall, was the site of a debate between Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas and Ross Thatcher. The debate attracted national attention with reporters from all over Canada in attendance along with well over 1,000 spectators, who attended despite terrible rain. The debate took place because in 1955, Thatcher, who had been a Member of Parliament for

for the

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social-democraticThese sources describe the CCF as ...

(CCF), had left that party and shortly thereafter joined the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

. Later, in a debate in the House of Commons, Thatcher criticized the Crown corporation policy of Douglas's CCF government in Saskatchewan by describing it as a "dismal failure." douglas was incensed by Thatcher's remarks and challenged him to debate the issue of Saskatchewan's Crown corporation anywhere and anytime. Thatcher, who was now running for the Liberals in the 1957 federal election in the

Assiniboia Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation. Historical usage ''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distric ...

constituency, which included Mossbank, accepted the invitation but stipulated the debate would be in Mossbank. it was generally understood that he selected Mossbank because the Liberals were traditionally strong in the area. The debate took place on May 20 and was a raucous event, with both Douglas and Thatcher performing well. The debate was broadcast live via radio across the province, however, which favoured Thatcher since he stuck to a prepared text, but Douglas more or less had no script and so gave the radio audience the impression that he was less sure of himself. Although Thatcher lost the 1957 election, his performance in the debate raised his profile considerably and played a major role in his later election as leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party and then in 1964 as Saskatchewan Premier. In 2003, a historical re-enactment of the 1957 event called "The Debate of the Century," was staged and sold out two performances. A large interpretative panel explaining the debate is located in the foyer of the Mossbank Community Hall, where the debate took place. The two streets in Mossbank on each side of the Mossbank Community Hall are named Douglas Street and Thatcher Street.

Ambroz Blacksmith Shop and Residence Provincial Heritage Property

Mossbank is also home of the Ambroz Blacksmith Shop and Residence Provincial Heritage Property which is part of the Mossbank and District Museum. The property received its provincial designation in 2003. It was designated because it is the oldest known, fully furnished blacksmith shop still on its original site in Saskatchewan. Originally constructed around 1920, the shop was purchased by Polish immigrant Frank Ambroz in 1928. For the following 60 years, Ambroz operated the shop and lived with his family on the property. The existence of the family residence, and three associated outbuildings, form a rare example of a 1920s family business complex. in Saskatchewan.

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 ...

, Mossbank 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.

Economy

The main industry of the community is agriculture. There is speculation about the possibilities of oil and gas expansion into the area. An oriental noodle factory was built in Mossbank in 1980 with help from government grants and local investors. The venture flopped three years later. Since then, after five different owners, three unstable labels and a consecutive run-time of only three months, the factory finally shut its doors forever in the early 2000s.

Attractions

Called the ''Gateway to Old Wives Lake'', the community lies 10 km south of Old Wives Lake which is North America's third largest inland saltwater body and 8 km west of Lake of the Rivers which are both major staging areas for waterfowl. Old Wives Lake is a nesting area for the vulnerable

piping plover The piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') is a small sand-colored, Passerellidae, sparrow-sized wader, shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red legs, a black band acro ...

. Old Wives Lake is also on a major migratory path for snow and Canada geese. The community has developed a set of birdwatching trails on the shores of Old Wives Lake north of Mossbank. The trails are equipped with gazebos, rest areas, and washroom facilities where nature enthusiasts can come enjoy the natural prairie habitat. Birdwatchers can come to see sanderlings, avocets, and dozens of other shorebirds. Just north of the community, the North-West Mounted Police first met the First Nations peoples during the historic

March West The March West was the initial journey of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) to the Canadian prairies, made between July 8 and October 9, 1874. It was the result of the force being deployed to what is now southern Alberta in response to the ...

which was supposed to deal with the

Cypress Hills Massacre The Cypress Hills MassacreThe Cypress Hills Massacre
at

trophy hunter Trophy hunting is a form of hunting for sport in which parts of the hunted wild animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is typically a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable ...

who was known for his participation in the buffalo slaughter. The lake was renamed back to its aboriginal name in the 1950s after a push from local citizens. Just east of the town is the RCAF gunnery and training school which was used during the Second World War as a training school for fighter pilots. This has now been converted into a golf course. The site of the birdwatching trails south of Old Wives Lake was home to the RCAF gunnery and bombing range during the Second World War. Remnants of the facilities can still be found in the locations. Some artifacts that have been found include antique ammunition and explosives.

References

{{coord, 49.933, N, 105.967, W, display=title, type:city_region:CA_source:GNS-enwiki Towns in Saskatchewan Blacksmith shops Division No. 3, Saskatchewan