Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Oxbow is a Canadian
town in the southeast of the province
of Saskatchewan
.
, the town's population is 1,139; the town's area is 3.10 square km; and population density is 366.8 per square km.
The mayor is Doug Pierce, who was elected by acclamation.
The town's official motto is "Progress with Pride", but the town's weekly paper, the Oxbow Herald, has long included two other unofficial town mottoes on its masthead: "Queen of the Scenic Souris" (a reference to the Souris River
, near which Oxbow is situated) and "Where Oil
and Agriculture
Meet" (a reference to the town's two major industries.
The town's postal code
is S0C 2B0 and the phone numbers
in town are prefixed with either "483" or "485"; (thus, they all take the form 1-306-483-####, or 1-306-485-####).
Federally, the town is located in the constituency of Souris—Moose Mountain
, and provincially, in the constituency of Cannington
.
, Irish
, and Scottish
descent - began homesteading
the area in 1882. The town's weekly newspaper
, the Oxbow Herald, was founded in 1903. The town was incorporated
in 1904.
The town was named after the "oxbow
" in the Souris River near which the town is situated. Etymologically, the word "oxbow", as applied to a river, is a metaphor for the oxbow
worn by an ox
. The Latin
word for "oxbow" is "boscurvis", and, therefore, the word "Boscurvis" has long been a favourite of the town, being a name of a street, a school, and the Masonic Lodge
. Although most residents now prefer the term "Oxbowite", traditionalists insist on being called "Boscurvites".
The town grew rapidly in the years following incorporation, reaching a population of 678 in 1916. The town's population then hovered around 600-700 for the next several decades.
In the mid-1950s, oil companies began developing the oilfields
around Oxbow. This set off a boom time, as personnel moved to Oxbow to work on drilling rigs
and provide other services to the oil industry. Agriculture and oil remain the two major industries of the town.
(RCMP) Officer Cst. Butler was killed while on duty in Oxbow. A high speed pursuit had begun earlier west of Oxbow with the pursuit heading towards Oxbow. Cst. Butler had set up a road block with his RCMP cruiser across the roadway. A high speed collision occurred with Cst. Butler still in the vehicle. He later died of his injuries. Two occupants of the evading vehicle were also killed.
went through Oxbow and the surrounding area. Numerous houses were damaged and trees were uprooted. Even though a portion of the Bow Manor Hotel roof was torn off, no serious injuries were reported.
Program. Oxbow Prairie Horizons School opened in the 2010-11 school year.
Prior to the construction of Oxbow Prairie Horizons School, Oxbow had two schools: (1) Oxbow Prairie Heights School (OPHS), which taught Grades 6 through 12 (Oxbow Prairie Heights School opened in 1986, following renovations to the former Oxbow High School, which had taught Grades 7 through 12); and (2) Oxbow Elementary School, which was Grades K through 6 until 1985, and taught Grades K through 5 from 1985 to 2010.
In addition to the elementary school and high school, the Glenn McGuire School used to provide educational opportunities for intellectually and physically challenged students ranging in age from three to twenty-two years of age. As of September 1, 2008 the Glenn McGuire school has been demolished, and the physically challenged students have been integrated into the elementary school and high school.
came from Oxbow. Allen was the author of several books, including the novel Peace River Country (1958) and Ordeal By Fire: Canada, 1910–1945 (1961), a history of Canada during the period of the two world wars. In 1967, Christina McCall Newman
edited a collection of Allen's columns from Maclean's
entitled The Man From Oxbow. Oxbow's town museum
is named in Allen's honour.
There is a reference to Oxbow in My Discovery of America by Farley Mowat
(1985). The book is a memoir detailing why Mowat was denied entry to the US in 1985. In the Appendix, he points out that one of the reasons was that he had supported an Oxbow group that was opposed to nuclear weapons at the Minot Air Force Base
.
Oxbow was also infamously the target of an article by Edmonton
author W. P. Kinsella
(who was catapulted to fame when his book Shoeless Joe (1980) was made into the movie Field of Dreams
by Kevin Costner
in 1989). Kinsella was sent to Oxbow by Saturday Night
magazine after Oxbow had the dubious distinction of having Canada's highest per-capita murder rate.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
town in the southeast of the province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
Basic information
According to the 2006 Canadian censusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, the town's population is 1,139; the town's area is 3.10 square km; and population density is 366.8 per square km.
The mayor is Doug Pierce, who was elected by acclamation.
The town's official motto is "Progress with Pride", but the town's weekly paper, the Oxbow Herald, has long included two other unofficial town mottoes on its masthead: "Queen of the Scenic Souris" (a reference to the Souris River
Souris River
The Souris River or Mouse River is a river in central North America. It is about 700 km in length and drains about . It rises in the Yellow Grass Marshes north of Weyburn, Saskatchewan...
, near which Oxbow is situated) and "Where Oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
Meet" (a reference to the town's two major industries.
The town's postal code
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
is S0C 2B0 and the phone numbers
Telephone number
A telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
in town are prefixed with either "483" or "485"; (thus, they all take the form 1-306-483-####, or 1-306-485-####).
Federally, the town is located in the constituency of Souris—Moose Mountain
Souris—Moose Mountain
Souris—Moose Mountain is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988.-Geography:...
, and provincially, in the constituency of Cannington
Cannington (electoral district)
Cannington is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. Located in the extreme southeast corner of the province, this constituency was redrawn to include the former district of Souris for the 18th Saskatchewan general election in 1975.The original...
.
Settlement
The first settlers in the area around Oxbow - mainly of EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, and Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent - began homesteading
Dominion Lands Act
The Dominion Lands Act was an 1872 Canadian law that aimed to encourage the settlement of Canada's Prairie provinces. It was closely based on the United States Homestead Act, setting conditions in which the western lands could be settled and their natural resources developed...
the area in 1882. The town's weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
, the Oxbow Herald, was founded in 1903. The town was incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
in 1904.
The town was named after the "oxbow
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
" in the Souris River near which the town is situated. Etymologically, the word "oxbow", as applied to a river, is a metaphor for the oxbow
Oxbow
An oxbow is a U-shaped wooden or metal frame that fits under and around the neck of an ox or bullock, with its upper ends passing through the bar of the yoke and held in place with a metal key, called a bow pin. The wood most often used is hardwood steamed into shape, like elm or hickory and...
worn by an ox
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
. The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word for "oxbow" is "boscurvis", and, therefore, the word "Boscurvis" has long been a favourite of the town, being a name of a street, a school, and the Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. Although most residents now prefer the term "Oxbowite", traditionalists insist on being called "Boscurvites".
The town grew rapidly in the years following incorporation, reaching a population of 678 in 1916. The town's population then hovered around 600-700 for the next several decades.
In the mid-1950s, oil companies began developing the oilfields
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
around Oxbow. This set off a boom time, as personnel moved to Oxbow to work on drilling rigs
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
and provide other services to the oil industry. Agriculture and oil remain the two major industries of the town.
October 1982 RCMP officer death
October 16, 1982 - Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) Officer Cst. Butler was killed while on duty in Oxbow. A high speed pursuit had begun earlier west of Oxbow with the pursuit heading towards Oxbow. Cst. Butler had set up a road block with his RCMP cruiser across the roadway. A high speed collision occurred with Cst. Butler still in the vehicle. He later died of his injuries. Two occupants of the evading vehicle were also killed.
July 1995 plough wind
A destructive plough windDownburst
A downburst is created by an area of significantly rain-cooled air that, after reaching ground level, spreads out in all directions producing strong winds. Unlike winds in a tornado, winds in a downburst are directed outwards from the point where it hits land or water...
went through Oxbow and the surrounding area. Numerous houses were damaged and trees were uprooted. Even though a portion of the Bow Manor Hotel roof was torn off, no serious injuries were reported.
Education
The main school in Oxbow is Oxbow Prairie Horizons School (OPHS), a K–12 school, with a PreschoolPreschool education
Preschool education is the provision of learning to children before the commencement of statutory and obligatory education, usually between the ages of zero and three or five, depending on the jurisdiction....
Program. Oxbow Prairie Horizons School opened in the 2010-11 school year.
Prior to the construction of Oxbow Prairie Horizons School, Oxbow had two schools: (1) Oxbow Prairie Heights School (OPHS), which taught Grades 6 through 12 (Oxbow Prairie Heights School opened in 1986, following renovations to the former Oxbow High School, which had taught Grades 7 through 12); and (2) Oxbow Elementary School, which was Grades K through 6 until 1985, and taught Grades K through 5 from 1985 to 2010.
In addition to the elementary school and high school, the Glenn McGuire School used to provide educational opportunities for intellectually and physically challenged students ranging in age from three to twenty-two years of age. As of September 1, 2008 the Glenn McGuire school has been demolished, and the physically challenged students have been integrated into the elementary school and high school.
Literary references
Renowned Canadian journalist Ralph AllenRalph Allen (journalist)
Ralph Allen was a Canadian journalist, editor, and novelist.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he was raised in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. At sixteen he became a sports reporter for The Winnipeg Tribune, before moving to Toronto's renowned The Globe and Mail where he served as a war correspondent during the...
came from Oxbow. Allen was the author of several books, including the novel Peace River Country (1958) and Ordeal By Fire: Canada, 1910–1945 (1961), a history of Canada during the period of the two world wars. In 1967, Christina McCall Newman
Christina McCall
Christina McCall was a Canadian political writer.McCall studied English at the University of Toronto then spent the next 20 years as a journalist at The Globe and Mail, Saturday Night and Maclean's and as a senior editor at Chatelaine, as a senior political writer and author. She later worked...
edited a collection of Allen's columns from Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
entitled The Man From Oxbow. Oxbow's town museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
is named in Allen's honour.
There is a reference to Oxbow in My Discovery of America by Farley Mowat
Farley Mowat
Farley McGill Mowat, , born May 12, 1921 is a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Canadian North, such as People of the...
(1985). The book is a memoir detailing why Mowat was denied entry to the US in 1985. In the Appendix, he points out that one of the reasons was that he had supported an Oxbow group that was opposed to nuclear weapons at the Minot Air Force Base
Minot Air Force Base
Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot. In the 2010 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5,521....
.
Oxbow was also infamously the target of an article by Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
author W. P. Kinsella
W. P. Kinsella
William Patrick Kinsella, OC, OBC is a Canadian novelist and short story writer who is well-known for his novel Shoeless Joe , which was adapted into the movie Field of Dreams in 1989...
(who was catapulted to fame when his book Shoeless Joe (1980) was made into the movie Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
by Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
in 1989). Kinsella was sent to Oxbow by Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
magazine after Oxbow had the dubious distinction of having Canada's highest per-capita murder rate.
Notable Oxbowites
- Ralph AllenRalph Allen (journalist)Ralph Allen was a Canadian journalist, editor, and novelist.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he was raised in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. At sixteen he became a sports reporter for The Winnipeg Tribune, before moving to Toronto's renowned The Globe and Mail where he served as a war correspondent during the...
- Editor of Maclean'sMaclean'sMaclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house... - Theoren FleuryTheoren FleuryTheoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
- Retired NHL hockey player - Reg KerrReg KerrReginald John Kerr is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.Kerr was drafted in the 3rd Round, 41st overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft by the Cleveland Barons, but only managed to play seven games for the Barons before he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for Randy Holt...
- Retired NHL hockey player - Kris PorterKris PorterKris Porter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played most of his career in the ECHL and WCHL.-Early life and education:...
- Retired professional hockey player