Turtleford

Turtleford is a town in the Rural Municipality of Mervin No. 499, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Turtleford is located on Highway 26 near the intersection / concurrency with Highway 3 and Highway 303. The nearest large communities are North Battleford and Lloydminster. The Turtle River runs through Turtleford, and nearby are Bright Sand Lake and Turtle Lake.

Turtleford
Town
Turtleford is located in Saskatchewan
Turtleford
Turtleford
Location of Turtleford in Saskatchewan
Turtleford is located in Canada
Turtleford
Turtleford
Turtleford (Canada)
Coordinates: 53°23′N 108°57′W
CountryCanada
ProvinceSaskatchewan
Rural Municipalities (R.M.)Mervin No. 499
Post office Founded1913-12-01
TownJuly 1, 1983
Government
 • MayorOlson, Roland (2012)
 • M.L.A. of Cut Knife-TurtlefordLarry Doke
 • MP of Battlefords—LloydminsterRosemarie Falk
Area
 • Total1.69 km2 (0.65 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total525
 • Density311.6/km2 (807/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5
Postal code
S0M 2Y0
Highways Hwy 26 / Hwy 3 / Hwy 301
WebsiteOfficial Website
[1][2][3][4]

Turtleford boasts the nation's largest turtle statue (more than eight feet tall), named Ernie.[5] "Ernie the Turtle" is located on Hwy 26 near the south edge of town.

A small vulnerable songbird called Sprague's pipit has a breeding range in the northern Great Plains of North America, and amongst their breeding spots is Turtleford, Saskatchewan.[6]

History

First settled in 1907 and 1908 the town was named for its proximity to the early river crossing (or ford) on the Turtle River.[7] A post office opened in 1913 and by 1914 the ongoing extension of a Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) branch from North Battleford had reached Turtleford.[8][9] By 1915 dozens of businesses had opened and Turtleford became a major centre for the area population.[7]

The North Battleford - Turtleford Branch of the CNoR (later merged into Canadian National Railway), which primarily serviced the grain elevators used by the farmers northwest of North Battleford, ceased operation by 2005, when the remaining elevators closed.[10] The branch had served Hamlin, Prince, Meota (1910 extension), Cavalier, Vawn, Edam, Mervin and Turtleford, and had been extended farther northwest to Cleeves, Spruce Lake, St. Walburg (1919 extension), with a fork to Paradise Hill and Frenchman Butte.[9][10] The rail line and Saskatchewan Highway 26 ran beside each other from Prince to St. Walburg.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Turtleford had a population of 503 living in 213 of its 228 total private dwellings, a change of 1.4% from its 2016 population of 496. With a land area of 1.66 km2 (0.64 sq mi), it had a population density of 303.0/km2 (784.8/sq mi) in 2021.[11]

Canada census – Turtleford community profile
2011
Population525 (+13.9% from 2006)
Land area1.69 km2 (0.65 sq mi)
Population density311.6/km2 (807/sq mi)
Median age40.9 (M: 36.5, F: 43.0)
Private dwellings227 (total) 
Median household income
References: 2011[12] earlier[13][14]

Education

Turtleford (Turtleford Community School) belongs to Turtleford School Division #65 a part of Northwest School Division.[15][16][17] Turtleford is served by Lakeland Library Region - Turtleford Branch[18]

Media
  • Turtleford is served by The Northwest News weekly newspaper.

Notable people

References
  1. National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters, archived from the original on 6 October 2006, retrieved 26 May 2007
  2. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  3. Canadian Textiles Institute (2005), CTI Determine your provincial constituency, archived from the original on 11 September 2007, retrieved 26 May 2007
  4. Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005), Elections Canada On-line, archived from the original on 21 April 2007, retrieved 24 April 2007
  5. LARGE CANADIAN ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS, Ed Solonyka (1998–2006), Ernie - Canada's Largest Turtle Turtleford, Saskatchewan
  6. Sprague's Pipit
  7. CANADIAN PLAINS RESEARCH CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF REGINA (2006), The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan (Turtleford), archived from the original on 27 May 2013, retrieved 27 May 2007
  8. Russell, Edmund T. (1973), What's In a Name: The Story Behind Saskatchewan Place Names (3rd edition), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books, p. 200, ISBN 0-88833-053-7
  9. Waghorn's Guide (1914). "Map of Western Canada showing part of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta". Stovel Co. Ltd. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  10. Troy A. M. Zimmer (14 September 2008). "Abandoned Rail Lines in Saskatchewan" (PDF). Saskatchewan Trails Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  11. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  12. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  13. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 20 August 2019.
  14. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 18 July 2021.
  15. GrassRoots - Project Gallery Search Results, retrieved 27 May 2007
  16. Turtleford Community School, archived from the original on 22 April 2007, retrieved 27 May 2007
  17. NWSD, retrieved 27 May 2007
  18. Libdex - the library index, Lakeland Library Region - Turtleford Branch, archived from the original on 16 August 2004, retrieved 27 May 2007

53°23′N 108°57′W

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