Canwood is a community in central Saskatchewan. As of the Canada 2006 Census the town has a population of 337[1] with a larger Rural Municipality (No. 494) population of 1535.[2]
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Since it has been settled, Canwood has went through four name changes. Records kept by the post office show the original name of the settlement was "Parksiding", but no evidence has shown it ever operated under that name. The post office opened September 1, 1911, operating under the town name "McQuan"; this was a typographical error, and three months later the name was corrected to "McOwan". This name honoured Alexander McOwan, a pioneer settler who was an immigration agent, estate manager, and author. On June 1, 1912, the town name was changed again to "Forgaard", honouring Jens Forgaard, a Norwegian-born settler who had immigrated from Minnesota. Exactly one year later, on June 1, 1913, the name was changed for the last time to "Canwood", a portmanteau of Canadian Woodlands. [3]
Canwood Community School is the only educational institution in Canwood.[4] It educates students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Most youth seek higher education in the nearby cities of Prince Albert or Saskatoon.
Canwood's economy is based primarily on agriculture production but also has a number of retail, and financial service outlets.
Canwood is located in Northern Saskatchewan along Highway 55. Canwood neighbours the towns of Debden and Shellbrook.
A lake located along Blue Heron Road. There is a campsite located at Fish Lake that is open to the public during summer months.
Located along Highway 55 (old), it is home to a 9-hole golf course, baseball fields and campsites.[5]
An urban legend asserts theoretical physicist Albert Einstein played goal for the Canwood Canucks one winter while sojourning north to Canada to find peace and silence for his work on the Theory of Relativity[6]. This story has been found to be implausible by media observers;[7] in addition to the unlikeliness of Einstein visiting the rural community of Canwood, the Canwood Canucks hockey team was formed in 1958, three years after his death.[8]