Battleford

This article is about town. For electoral district, see Battleford (electoral district).

Battleford
—  Town  —
Post office in downtown Battleford
Nickname(s): The Battlefords
Battleford
Coordinates: 52°44′18″N 108°18′55″W
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Region	Saskatchewan
Census division	12
Rural Municipality	Battle River
Post office founded	1877
Incorporated (village)	N/A
Incorporated (town)	1904
Government
• Mayor	Chris Odishaw
• Town Manager	Sheryl Ballendine
• Governing body	Battleford Town Council
Area
• Total	23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	4,065
• Density	174.2/km2 (451/sq mi)
• National population rank (out of 5,008)	867
Time zone	Central Standard Time (UTC−6)
Postal code	S0M 0E0
Area code(s)	306
Highways	Highway 16
Waterways	North Saskatchewan Battle River
Website	www.battleford.ca

Battleford (Assiniboine: Ogíciza Wakpá ) (2011 population 4,065) is a town located across the North Saskatchewan River from North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as the Battlefords by Saskatchewan residents, as well as on highway signage. Although there has been occasional talk of the two communities merging, as of 2012 they remain separate entities. The local economy is fuelled mainly by agriculture. Battleford is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Battle River No. 438, as well as by the city of North Battleford and a small section of the Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437. The 1973 western Alien Thunder was partially filmed there.

History

See also: History of Northwest Territories capital cities

The town was founded in 1875 as a fur trading post and North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort. Its post office opened 1877. Between 1876 and 1883, Battleford was the territorial capital of the North-West Territories (now Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, northern Quebec, northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories) and the NWMP fort (Fort Battleford) located there played an important role in the 1885 North-West Rebellion. The Fred Light Museum is a municipal heritage property (c. 1911) on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Government House, the seat of government of the NWT from 1876 to 1883, burned down on July 7, 2003.

Looting of Battleford

On March 30, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, the town of Battleford was looted by a party of Cree people, who were short on food due to declining bison populations. When the Cree approached Battleford, the white inhabitants fled to the nearby North-West Mounted Police post, Fort Battleford. The Crees then took food and supplies from the abandoned stores and houses.

The nature of the Cree advance on Battleford, like the entire 1885 Rebellion, is a source of historiographical controversy. Historian Douglas Hill characterized the Cree group as a "war party... ready to take revenge for a winter of incalculable suffering" who "swooped on Battleford, killing six whites". George F.G. Stanley's writing on the subject indicated that the Cree were not murderous but more haphazard and bumbling: they "[did] not appear to have in mind an attack upon the town" but were content with "prowling around the neighbourhood." While John L. Tobias says that the Crees tried to demonstrate their "peaceful intent" by including women and children in their group, simply took food to sustain themselves after finding the town abandoned, and then withdrew to avoid conflict with the police.

Demographics

Census	Population
1901	609
1911	1,335
1921	1,229
1931	1,096
1941	1,336
1951	1,319
1961	1,627
1971	1,803
1981	3,565
1991	4,107
2001	3,820
2006	3,685
2011	4,065

Fort Battleford
National Historic Site

Battleford is at the junction of hi way 40 and 4.

Local media

Newspaper

The local newspaper is The Battlefords News Optimist. It is published weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays, and has circulation in the surrounding area.

Radio

Three local radio stations serve the area; CJNB, CJCQ-FM ("Q98"), and CJHD-FM ("93.3 The Rock"). Some Saskatoon radio stations can also be received.

Television

The Battlefords are served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station CFQC-DT Saskatoon.

See also

Government House in Battleford, the first permanent Northwest Territories legislature building (destroyed in a fire in 2003)

• Battleford Court House
• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of towns in Saskatchewan

References

• Hill, Douglas, The Opening of the Canadian West. Don Mills, ON: Academic Press 1967.
• Stanley, George F.G., Louis Riel: Patriot or Rebel. CHA Booklet #2, 1964.
• Tobias, John L., "Canada's Subjugation of the Plains Cree," Canadian Historical Review, LXIV (December 1983): 519-548.

External links

• Map of Battleford at Statcan
• [1] Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Roman Catholic Churches ~ Online Parish Registers ~ History >> Telegraph Flat / Battleford