Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Willow Bunch is a small community located in south central 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....
, Canada
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...
118 miles (189.9 km) southwest of the provincial capital of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. The population is 431, with 151 being declared as francophones.
Previous names for Willow Bunch have been Hart-Rouge and Talle-de-Saules. The area has seen influences from Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and fransaskois
Fransaskois
Fransaskois are francophones or French Canadians living in the Prairie province of Saskatchewan. The term franco-saskatchewanian may also be used on occasion, although in practice it is rare due to its length and unwieldiness.-Population:...
.
The town is located amongst gentle rolling hills covered in trees.
Notable people
It is the birthplace of Edouard BeaupréEdouard Beaupré
Edouard Beaupré was a circus and freak show giant, strongman, and a star in Barnum and Bailey's circus.-Life:...
, known as the Géant Beaupré."When he was 12 years old, he was six feet, six inches tall. So some kids would tease him about his size so he would put them up on house roofs and leave them there until they'd stop bothering him about it," said Mary Cleggett at the Regina Regional Heritage Fair.
Another well known family from Willow Bunch is the Campagne family. Michelle, Paul and Suzanne originally formed a musical group named Folle Avoine. Then with Annette, the folk music group Hart-Rouge
Hart-Rouge
Hart-Rouge are a Canadian folk music group, consisting of siblings Paul Campagne, Michelle Campagne and Suzanne Campagne.The three previously recorded and performed with several other family members as Folle Avoine, and formed Hart-Rouge with another sibling, Annette Campagne, when that band ended...
. Their sister Carmen Campagne
Carmen Campagne
Carmen Campagne is a very influent Canadian singer and children's entertainer. A Fransaskois from Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, she was a member of the folk music band Folle Avoine in the 1970s. Her brother Paul and sisters Suzanne, Michelle and Annette, her bandmates in Folle Avoine, have also...
performed a solo career in the field of music for children.