MELFORT

 The newest city in Saskatchewan is surrounded by the famous black loam of the Carrot River Valley. Agriculture has been Melfort's number one industry since the first settlement days in 1903. Melfort bills itself as the City of Northern Lights for the spectacle the Aurora borealis affords in the night skies for much of the year. The new Northern Lights Palace offers spectacles of a different sort. With its multi-purpose arena, indoor wave pool and waterslide, the complex is quickly becoming a popular recreation area and the focal point for the community.

 

Greetings from Melfort, Saskatchewan: A fisherman prepares to go out after the big ones

 City residents are also proud of the Melfort and District Regional Park, with its challenging 18-hole grass green course, exceptional ball diamonds and nationally accredited water-ski site. A short drive from the city are the scenic North Saskatchewan River and Codette Lake. Popular celebrations are Back to the '50s in mid-June and Harvest Howl in mid-October.

Tourism Saskatchewan

MOOSE JAW

 Canada's Most Notorious City

Moose Jaw is an industrial city in the heart of hard wheat country. It has a colourful past and a penchant for off-beat promotions. And it has the name that is remembered across the continent. Moose Javians view their history with a mixture of pride, amusement and ambivalence. The Roaring Twenties brought a measure of notoriety to the city, with "celebrities" like Al Capone rumoured to have stayed in downtown hotels. Getaway tunnels are said to exist under many of the downtown buildings.

 

Main Street

 

 The city is a busy place throughout the year. Its hosting of the International Band Moose Band and Choral Festival (May) has earned Moose Jaw nickname, "Band Capital of North America". Moose Jaw is also home to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, the busiest airport in Canada (in takeoffs and landings). Other attractions include the Western Development Museum, Crescent Park, the Natatorium, Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village Museum and the Moose Jaw Zoo, with more than 80 species of animals and birds.

 

Moose Jaw, Crescent Park

 

Moose Jaw has an impressive collection of heritage buildings in its downtown core and is working hard to restore and interpret them. Prominent artists have also painted historical murals on the sides of downtown buildings, covering such topics as homesteading, the coming of the railroad and an old-fashioned baseball game. On the Trans-Canada Highway you can pose next to one of the city's most visible landmarks, the giant "Mac the Moose" statue.

 

For  more information on city attractions, contact Tourism Moose Jaw

SWIFT CURRENT

Swift Current is the base for western oil exploration in Saskatchewan and a regional trade centre for livestock and grain. Part of the HorseShoe Region, it is with easy driving distance of such HorseShoe attractions as Grasslands National Park and the Great Sand Hills. The city reflects the old west traditions of the region in such popular events as Frontiers Days in June and the Old Tyme Fiddling Championships in September. It is also the new home of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Visitors can relive in a frontier community in Doc's Town located on the fair ground. Swift Current is one of the few Saskatchewan communities with a nickname: Speedy Creek. The city takes its name from Swift Current Creek, or Riviere Au Courant, as the early fur traders knew the waterway.

Looking North on Central Ave., in the city of Swift Current, Sask

 

 

For more information on the city, contact Tourism Swift Current

PRINCE ALBERT

Saskatchewan's forests help define Prince Albert, a scenic and vibrant city on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. That scenery is a combination of the grain fields to the south and the forests to the north. Prince Albert is an important centre for the province's forestry industry. Modern Prince Albert was founded in 1866 by Rev. James Nisbet who named the settlement after the husband of Queen Victoria.

Entrance to Prince Albert: Come for a visit, stay for a lifetime!

Downtown Prince Albert is a hub where culture, history and business meet. The city offers a variety of attraction and events. Major city events include Prince Albert Exhibition, Founder's Day, the Prince Albert Powwow and Tapestrama. Here you find history, museums, galleries, the story of three prime ministers and excellent choices in dining, accommodation and services.

PRINCE ALBERT , Saskatchewan, Canada, 50-60s ; Central Avenue

For recreation Prince Albert residents turn to a fine network of city parks. Just beyond the city, the northern forest beckons. The great recreation areas of Prince Albert National Park and Anglin, Emma and Christopher Lakes are a short drive away.

 

For more information on the city visit City of Prince Albert

SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan: Where You Belong

Saskatchewan, one of Canada's four western provinces, is located in the heart of North America. Plains Indians are credited with originating the name Saskatchewan - 'kisiskatchewan' meaning the river that flows swiftly. Half the province is covered by forest, one-third is farmland and one-eighth is fresh water. Although the province is dependent on the farm economy, two-thirds of its people live in cities and towns. Saskatchewan is the only province with entirely man-made boundaries. It is home to Canada's only training academy for Royal Canadian Mounted Police recruits, in Regina. The city of Estevan is Canada's sunshine capital, averaging 2540 sunshine-filled hours each year. Saskatchewan's most outstanding scenery is preserved  in its national, provincial and regional parks.

Canada's greatest wilderness playgrounds

 

Tourism Saskatchewan

SASKATOON

City of Saskatoon

 Located in the midst of the Canadian prairies where golden rippling wheat fields meet the hilly and wooded landscape of lake-dotted Northern Saskatchewan. Back in 1882 the founders of Saskatchewan's largest city pitched their tents on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River. Saskatoon is a busy hub of commerce and industry, home to many high technology and mining companies. Yet it has a laid-back charm and warm-heartedness that transforms and enhances its cosmopolitan hustle and bustle.

Much of Saskatoon's appeal comes from the river that runs through the city. The riverbanks have been developed into a network of trails, promenades and parks. The city has the type of lively ambiance that people expect from a college town. 

 

 

To find out more contact Tourism Saskatoon

REGINA

Rising out of the prairie like a mirage, this city of 180,000 is the capital of Saskatchewan. Originally called Oscana (pile of bones in Cree: Indians once dried buffalo meat on the banks of Wascana Creek), it was rechristened in 1882 by Princess Louise after her mother, Queen Victoria. When Regina became the capital of the newly-created province of Saskatchewan in 1905, Wascana Creek was dammed to help solve the city's water problem. Today, Wascana Centre is the city's crown jewel that is highlighted by the graceful Legislative Building, one of the most popular attractions in the city.

Overlooking Wascana Park to downtown Regina

Its builders fashioned a modern city that pulses with energy of dynamic business leaders and progressive legislators. And with a man-made lake and a quarter-million hand-planted trees, the city is featureless no longer.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

People who know nothing else about Canada have heard of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This famous police force's academy is located in Regina. At any one time, some 250 men and women are studying, practising their marksmanship and marching on the parade square. The RCMP Centennial Museum is one of the most heavily visited ones in western Canada.

Tourism Regina

THE PRAIRIES

Spreading over the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the vast lands between Ontario in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west are commonly called “the Prairies”. They constitute the great wheat-producing region of Canada and are a major source for petroleum, potash, and natural gas. With British Columbia they form the Western Provinces. The Prairies are Canada's breadbasket, three geometrically-shaped provinces which in addition to the wide-open expanses of flat prairie land also collectively include mountains, hills, lakes, shoreline, and metropolitan cities. 

Prairie rainbow

The prairie experience can be unforgettable. Here brightly-painted grain elevators dot distant horizons and mile-long trains can be seen  rushing their loads to market. Everywhere you look, you are reminded that this is grain country. A visit for the first time is to be overwhelmed by the expanse of both earth and sky.

This postcard received from PC user Pat

CANADA

A World of Possibilities

The red and white Canadian flag shows a leaf of the maple tree, which grows widely in North America. Canada provinces number 10, with three territories to the north (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Each province and territory has its own unique draw for visitors. 

 

The 10 provinces in Canada, from west to east, followed by the territories are best known for:
1. British Columbia - Okanagan wine region, skiing, fishing, whale watching, golf and other outdoor adventures.
2. Alberta - Calgary Stampede, Edmonton Folk Festival, Edmonton Mall, Rocky Mountains, Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.
3. Saskatchewan - Fishing, hunting and other outdoor adventure.
4. Manitoba - Polar Bear Capital of the World, Le Festival du Voyageur, Folklorama.
5. Ontario - Algonquin Park, CN Tower, Niagara wine region, Bruce Trail, woods and lakes.
6. Quebec - French Culture / Language, Old Montreal, Plains of Abraham, skiing.
7. New Brunswick - Bay of Fundy, Appalachian Range, coastline, lighthouses.
8. Nova Scotia - Cabot Trail and other scenic drives, Celtic culture, Fortress of Louisbourg, fresh lobster dinners, coastline, Annapolis Valley.
9. Prince Edward Island - Anne of Green Gables.
10. Newfoundland & Labrador - Gros Morne National Park, the friendliness of the people, icebergs, whale watching.
11. Yukon - Northern lights, dog sledding, historic Klondike Gold Rush locations, Kluane National Park, midnight sun.
12. Northwest Territories - Northern lights, midnight sun, Nahanni River, outdoor adventure.
13. Nunavut - Canada's youngest territory or province.