Wood Mountain ( 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 ...

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 Old Post No. 43 The Rural Municipality of Old Post No. 43 (2021 Canadian census, 2021 population: ) is a List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, rural municipality (RM) in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan within ...

and Census Division No. 3. Its name is derived from the Red River

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

words ''"montagne de bois"'' (meaning ''mountain of wood'' in French), due to the abundance of

poplar tree ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

s in the otherwise barren region. Highway 18 and Highway 358 intersect south of the community. Wood Mountain is known for its annual stampede that has been held every year for more than 124 years. This village is northeast of the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

administrative office for the band government of the

Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation The Wood Mountain First Nation (, also spelt as ''Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake Lakȟóta Oyáte'') is a Lakota First Nations band government in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Led across the border by Sitting Bull, they are the only organized Lakota nat ...

History

Wood Mountain was the terminus of the

Fort Ellice Fort Ellice was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post that operated from 1794 to 1892. It was first established in February 1794 by John Sutherland on the Qu'Appelle River about upstream from its mouth at the Assiniboine River, and known as the Qu ...

–Wood Mountain Trail that was used from 1757 to the 1850s to haul provisions such as

pemmican Pemmican () (also pemican in older sources) is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigeno ...

by the Métis and First Nations. The trail was over long. It incorporated as a village on March 4, 1930.

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 ...

, Wood Mountain 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 Wood Mountain 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.

Economy and tourism

Historically, Wood Mountain's economy has relied mainly on the

agriculture 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 ...

industry. The community still has strong roots to farming and ranching, but with its location and rich history,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

has become a main industry. The region has accommodations, such as hotels and

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

s, a cafe restaurant, outdoor pool, library, community hall, churches, museums, campgrounds, and parks.

Local attractions

Wood Mountain Regional Park Wood Mountain Regional Park is a conservation and recreation area in its natural state set aside as a regional park in the south-western region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park is set in the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in ...

* Wood Mountain Rodeo & Ranching Museum (located at Wood Mountain Regional Park) * Wood Mountain Community Pool * Wood Mountain Post Historic Park

Events

* Wood Mountain Stampede, oldest continuous annual Rodeo in Canada. It is located at Wood Mountain Regional Park and has run since 1890. * Wood Mountain Farmers Market

Regional attractions

Wood Mountain Hills Wood Mountain Hills are a hilly plateau in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are located in the southern part of the province and are part of the Missouri Coteau, which is part of the Laurent ...

Grasslands National Park Grasslands National Park is a Canadian national park located near the village of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, and one of 44 national parks and park reserves in Canada's national park system (though one of only two in Saskatchewan itself). This n ...

St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park is a historical provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park is located in the RM of Willow Bunch No. 42, about south of St. Victor. The park is situated on the northern ...

* Thomson Lake Regional Park

Notable residents

* Andrew Suknaski, poet * Kacy & Clayton, folk-rock group

References

External links

* {{Authority control Villages in Saskatchewan Old Post No. 43, Saskatchewan Division No. 3, Saskatchewan Romanian-Canadian history North-West Mounted Police Sitting Bull