St. Walburg, Saskatchewan


St. Walburg is a town in west-central Saskatchewan's prairie region on Saskatchewan Highway 26. St. Walburg is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Frenchman Butte No. 501. The Bronson Provincial Forest is to the north.

History

The town and surrounding area were originally settled by Germans between the 1910s and 1930s, with a few Polish, Ukrainian and French settlers arriving later.
The Canadian Northern Railway continued the extension of its northwest branch line from North Battleford, reaching St. Walburg in 1919. This caused a boom in the area, with many homesteaders arriving within months, now able to deliver their production to the grain elevators at St. Walburg. The branch had served Hamlin, Prince, Meota, Cavalier, Vawn, Edam, Mervin, Turtleford, Cleeves, Spruce Lake and St. Walburg, with a fork to Paradise Hill and Frenchman Butte. Later the rail line and the Saskatchewan Highway 26 ran beside each other from Prince to St. Walburg. The Canadian National Railway abandoned the entire branch line in 2005, when the remaining grain elevators closed. The line was officially abandoned in 2008.

Demographics

St. Walburg legal land description: SE-5-54-22-W3

Economy

The main industries are grain and cattle farming. The oil and natural gas industries have become increasingly important in the area.

Notable people