Lumsden, Saskatchewan

Lumsden
Happy Hollow
Town

James Street
Lumsden
Coordinates: 50°23′05″N 104°31′12″W / 50.3846°N 104.5200°W
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan
Region South Eastern Saskatchewan
Census division 6
Rural Municipality Lumsden
Established 1881
Incorporated (Village) January 10, 1899
Incorporated (Town) March 15, 1905
Government
 • Mayor Bryan Matheson
 • Chief Administrative Officer Darcie Cooper
 • Governing body Town Council
Area
 • Land 4.06 km2 (1.57 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,631
 • Density 402.0/km2 (1,041/sq mi)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
Postal code S0G 3C0
Area code(s) 306
Highways Highway 11
Waterways Wascana Creek
Website www.lumsden.ca
[1][2][3][4]

Lumsden is a town in the Qu'Appelle Valley in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, 31 km northwest of the city of Regina. It is surrounded by the rural municipality of Lumsden. The town functions as both a farming community and an unofficial suburb of Regina. Lumsden has an active artistic community, which consists of many writers, painters and sculptors.

History

Settlers first arrived in 1881 and the area came to be commonly known as Happy Hollow. When the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway came through the community in 1889, the name was changed to Lumsden after Hugh Lumsden, a senior engineer with the railroad.[5]

The town has been repeatedly flooded, with major flood events occurring in 1892, 1904, 1916, 1948, and 1969. In 1974, Lumsden experienced the highest water levels in the town’s history; volunteers from Regina came to help with sandbagging. The town subsequently straightened the Qu'Appelle River’s channel and built dikes.[5] The Town was at risk for flooding again in 2011 after a wet fall winter of record snowfall, however it did not flood.[6]

The community was chosen by Harrowsmith Magazine in 2002 as the "prettiest" town in the province.[7]

Centennial

Official town centennial celebrations were held in March 2005. In May 2005, Lumsden hosted Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh at the Lumsden Sports Centre. Hundreds of guests were entertained by Marny Duncan-Cary, the Lumsden Community Choir, the Riel Reelers, and the Lumsden & District Band and Jazz Ensemble. The event was held in celebration of both the town and the province's centenaries, and was the only engagement of Canada's Queen outside urban centres on that visit to Saskatchewan.

Demographics

Climate

Qu'Appelle Valley from Highway 11

Community events

Sage Hill Writing School

Every summer writers from around Canada gather at Lumsden's retreat centre for creative writing workshops put on by Sage Hill Writing Experience.

Lumsden Duck Derby

Each year the town of Lumsden hosts a fundraiser in which thousands of labelled plastic ducks are raced down the Qu'Appelle River. Participants purchase a numbered duck which is entered in the race, and the first ducks across the finish line win their owners cash and prizes. Proceeds from the derby benefit the sports center in town. The derby also hosts a variety of artists, musicians, traders, etc. who perform and sell their wares in town.

Sports history

In 2006, the Lumsden Arena became the site of the second edition of the Western Women's Hockey League championship, between the Calgary Oval X-Treme and the Minnesota Whitecaps.[12] The town frequently hosts games for the Saskatchewan Prairie Ice, now of the Western Women's Hockey League.

Famous people

References

  1. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  2. ↑ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  3. ↑ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  4. ↑ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 McLennan, David (2006). "Lumsden". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  6. ↑ Book, Patrick (April 16, 2011). "Lumsden closes main bridge as flood water levels rise on Qu'Appelle River". News Talk 980. Rawlco Radio. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  7. ↑ "Harrowsmith Country Life Index from 1997 to present" (PDF). Harrowsmith Country Life. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  8. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  9. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  10. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  11. ↑ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 6 September 2010
  12. ↑ http://www.westernwomenshockeyleague.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?leagueID=3639&clientID=1754&page=12402

External links


Regina Beach Silton Craven
Disley Edenwold
   Lumsden  
Belle Plaine Grand Coulee Regina

Coordinates: 50°39′00″N 104°52′01″W / 50.650°N 104.867°W