North Battleford is a city in west-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 the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

from the town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Battlefords". North Battleford and the greater Battlefords area are a notable stop along the Yellowhead Highway, part of the Trans-Canada system, and serve as a commercial and cultural hub for west- and north-central Saskatchewan. Together, the Battlefords are served by the Yellowhead Highway as well as Highway 4, Highway 26, Highway 29, and Highway 40. Battlefords Provincial Park is north on Highway 4.

History

For thousands of years prior to European settlement, succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area. The Battlefords area was home to several historic indigenous groups, including the Algonquian-speaking Cree and Blackfeet as well as Siouan Assiniboine First Nation

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

s, who contested for control of local resources. Early European settlement began as a result of fur trading by French colonists in the late 18th century. The Canadians founded Fort Montaigne d'Aigle (Eagle Hills Fort) nine miles below the confluence of the North Saskatchewan and Battle Rivers in 1778. A year later the fort was abandoned following conflict between traders and natives. Permanent European settlement in the area centred around the town of Battleford, founded 1875 and located on the south side of the

. Battleford served as capital of the North-West Territories between 1876 and 1883. In 1905, the construction of 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 ...

main line to Edmonton placed the line on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River. North Battleford, built along the railway line, was incorporated as a village in 1906, as a town in 1907, and as a city (with a population of 5,000) in 1913. The

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

were one of the first settlers of the area in and around North Battleford. The immigrant colony comprised 36 men and a few women from the town of

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

in northwestern Persia. It was established in 1903 by Dr. Isaac Adams, an Assyrian Presbyterian missionary. In 1907, 40 more settlers arrived. Eventually, due to economic hardships, Dr. Isaac Adams and a few close relatives emigrated to Turlock, California. The descendants of the families who remained in North Battleford have names that are Assyrian in origin. Examples of Assyrian family names include Bakus, Essau, George and Odishaw. Population growth stagnated until the 1940s and then grew to approximately 10,000 by the 1960s. The city has grown into an administrative centre and service hub for the economic, education, health and social needs of the region. North Battleford used STV-PR in its city elections from 1920 to 1924. The Latter Rain Revival, a Christian movement, started here in 1946–48.

Historic sites

A number of heritage buildings are located within the city. The North Battleford Public Library was built in 1916 with a $15,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York. and the Canadian National Railways Station was built in 1956.

Geography

North Battleford is situated immediately north of the mouth of the Battle River along the North Saskatchewan River. It borders the Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437, as well as the North Battleford Crown Colony (

census subdivision The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of st ...

Climate

North Battleford experiences 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 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 ...

'' Dfb''). The average high during the end of July is and the average low is . For the middle of January the average high is and the average low is . The highest temperature ever recorded in North Battleford was on 13 July 2002. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 1 February 1893 and 12 January 1916.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, North Battleford 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.

Ethnicity

In the late 2000s many

Ruthenians A ''Ruthenian'' and ''Ruthene'' are exonyms of Latin language, Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common Ethnonym, ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term ...

have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford. Most of them came from the same town: Ruski Krstur.

Crime rate

In 2018, ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' ranked North Battleford as Canada's most dangerous place for overall crime. The prior year, ''Maclean's'' published an article about this, ''Canada's most dangerous place, North Battleford, is fighting for its future'', discussing the safety initiatives planned by the community. After the article was published, Mayor Ryan Bater said:

The reality is we require the provincial and federal levels of government to take notice of this and align their efforts with ours. This needs to be a partnership. This can't be something the governments do in silos and we need to be working together. If we can do that, then sometime in the future we can see some great results.

City Manager Jim Puffalt added that the per person index may not be accurate because the population data does not consider the numerous transients, estimated at just over 14,000. In his view, the city has roughly 30,000 people at any time. "If you put our rates over 30,000 people we wouldn't be number one n the Maclean's study" he said. In 2023, North Battleford earned its highest position on the Crime Severity Index (CSI) since 1998, with the city challenging the dubious 'Crime Town' moniker.

Government

North Battleford is represented in the provincial Legislative Assembly by the member for The Battlefords. It is represented in the House of Commons by the member for Battlefords-Lloydminster.

Attractions

North Battleford is the home of one of four branches of the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum. This branch focuses on the

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

history of Saskatchewan, including a pioneer village. A prominent feature is the former

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...

grain elevator No. 889 from Keatley, Saskatchewan. The grain elevator was moved to the museum grounds in 1983. The city also has the Allen Sapp Gallery, featuring the noted

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 ...

painter. Finlayson Island Nature Park is on Finlayson Island, adjacent to North Battleford. Access is from the old north Battleford Bridge.

Sports and recreation

The North Battleford Access Communications Centre, a 2,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

, is home to the Battlefords North Stars

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...

. It is also home to the North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo, held annually in April. The InnovationPlex (formerly North Battleford CUplex), which opened in 2013, includes the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, the Northland Power Curling Centre, the NationsWest Field House, and the Battlefords CO-OP Aquatic Centre.

Infrastructure

In 2001, a problem with the city's water system led to the infection of approximately 6,280 people with

cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidiosis, sometimes informally called crypto, is a parasitic disease caused by ''Cryptosporidium'', a genus of protozoan parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. It affects the ileum, distal small intestine and can affect the respiratory tr ...

; a lawsuit seeking several million dollars in damages was filed in 2003. Between 5,800 and 7,100 people suffered from diarrheal illness, and 1,907 cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed. Equipment failures at the city's antiquated water filtration plant following maintenance were found to have caused the outbreak. The provincial and municipal government offered compensation to victims after the lawsuit was approved in 2017. The North Battleford Energy Centre, a natural gas-fired power station owned by Northland Power, has been operational since 2013.

Transportation

North Battleford is served by the North Battleford Airport, while the North Battleford/Hamlin Airport is no longer in use. The city also recently added a public transit system, in addition to the book-as-needed "Handi-bus" for people with disabilities.

Local media

Newspaper

''BattlefordsNOW.com'' is an online local news site focusing on what's happening "right NOW" in the Battlefords and surrounding area. The local newspaper is the ''Battlefords' News-Optimist''. It is published weekly on Thursdays and has circulation in the surrounding area. ''Feed The Artist Magazine'' is a local non-profit periodical print and online publication that features the work of primarily local artists, photographers, and writers.

Radio

Three local radio stations serve the area: CJNB, CJCQ-FM ("Q98"), and CJHD-FM ("93.3 Beach Radio"). Some

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

radio stations can also be received.

Television

The Battlefords were served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station CFQC-DT Saskatoon. That repeater ended all analog broadcasting transmissions in 2021, and there are no plans for converting it to digital television.

Notable people

* Andrew Albers: baseball player * Lloyd Axworthy: Canadian politician and spokesman * Wade Belak: former NHL player * Colby Cave: former NHL player * Perry J. Dahl: United States Air Force colonel and a World War II flying ace * Ron Delorme: former NHL player * Deidra Dionne: Canadian freestyle skier, Olympic medalist * Lillian Dyck: Neuroscientist, Canadian senator * Johnny Esaw: former sports' broadcaster, former vice-president of CTV Sports * Bob Francis: former

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 ...

player, NHL coach * Emile Francis: former NHL player, coach, and general manager * Ray Hare: former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Bruce Hoffort: former NHL Goaltender * Dale Hoganson: former NHL player * Bill Hunter: hockey coach, owner, and general manager; founder of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

* Carole James: politician, former leader of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...

, Deputy Premier of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

* Dave King: NHL coach * Skip Krake: former NHL centre * Jody Lehman: former EIHL goalie * Bernie Lukowich: former NHL player * Alistair MacLeod: author * Merlin Malinowski: former NHL right winger * Rueben Mayes: former NFL player *

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

: musician, artist * Nancy Nash: Singer and Performer * Lee Richardson: Canadian politician * Allen Sapp: Canadian

painter * Corey Schwab: former NHL goalie * Gregg Sheppard: former NHL forward * Fiona Lesley Smith: Member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team * Herbert Sparrow: former Canadian senator * Len Taylor: former Saskatchewan cabinet minister and federal MP *

Al Tuer Allan Tuer (born July 19, 1963) is a professional scout for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He was a professional ice hockey defenceman who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 9th round (186th overall) of the 1981 NH ...

: former NHL defenceman * Jesse Wallin: former NHL defenceman, WJC Gold Medallist, WHL GM/Head Coach * W. Brett Wilson: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist * Chase Wouters: AHL centre

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Saskatchewan Pannonian Rusyns Rusyn diaspora in Canada Serbian-Canadian culture Ukrainian-Canadian culture in Saskatchewan