La Ronge, Saskatchewan
La Ronge is a community of about 2,700 (2006 census) people in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada, 250 km north of Prince Albert. There are an additional 2,000 people living in the Lac La Ronge First Nation bordering the town,[1] and another 1,000 people living in the neighbouring community of Air Ronge.[2] It is the largest settlement in northern Saskatchewan.
The town lies on the western shore of Lac la Ronge and is adjacent to Lac La Ronge Provincial Park. It is also on the edge of the Canadian Shield. Highway 2 becomes Highway 102 inside the community.
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[edit] History
The name of the town comes from the lake. The origin of the name is uncertain; the most likely explanation is that early French fur traders named it "la ronge" (literally "the chewed") because of the large amount of beaver activity along the shoreline -- many of the trees would have been chewed down for beaver dam construction.
In 1770, the early explorer Etienne Waden established the first white settlement on Lac la Ronge, not far from the current town site of La Ronge. La Ronge began in 1904 as a fur trading post and meeting place, but with the decline of hunting and the fur market, La Ronge has diversified into other areas. Many of the Dene, Cree, and white trappers used La Ronge as their central service point.
With the extension of Highway 2 from Prince Albert in 1947, La Ronge became a major tourist fishing area. The highway between the town and Prince Albert expanded the town further in the 1970s after it was paved.
In the early 1950s and 1960s, the mineral resources in the La Ronge area began to be explored and developed.
In 1976, the Town of La Ronge changed its municipal status from village to an incorporated town.
With access to all other points north, east and west, and transportation linkage to the south, La Ronge is also the northern hub for the Saskatchewan provincial government.
Several mining companies, government agencies, and airlines now keep offices in La Ronge, and the local Chamber of Commerce has many other retail and service businesses amongst its members.
La Ronge is surrounded by several First Nations reserves, with the Northern Village of Air Ronge located just south of the town on Highway 2.
In 2009, the Town of La Ronge elected 21 year old councillor Thomas Sierzycki as its mayor. This established La Ronge as having one of the youngest mayors in Canada. The community is also home to the La Ronge Ice Wolves junior "A" hockey team and the La Ronge Crushers hockey league.
[edit] Town statistics
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Although the 2006 census shows a population of just over 2,700, the Saskatchewan government claims a population much higher than that, with Tourism Saskatchewan's Saskatchewan Discovery Guide 2011 claiming a population of 5,057 for the town (the 2010 edition showed an identical population), which makes it eligible to apply for city status itself. However, as the Guide does not have a separate listing for Air Ronge, it's unclear whether the population number might also include that community, as well as the neighbouring reserves.
[edit] Climate
La Ronge experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, dry, very cold winters and short, warm, wetter summers. Precipitation is low, with an annual average of 484 mm.
| Climate data for La Ronge | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) |
14 (57) |
15.4 (59.7) |
28 (82) |
32.3 (90.1) |
36.1 (97.0) |
35.5 (95.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
27.4 (81.3) |
18 (64) |
9 (48) |
36.1 (97.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −14.9 (5.2) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
7.8 (46.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
20.5 (68.9) |
23 (73) |
21.7 (71.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
7.1 (44.8) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −20.4 (−4.7) |
−15.9 (3.4) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−17.7 (0.1) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −25.8 (−14.4) |
−22.1 (−7.8) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
4 (39) |
−2 (28) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−22.6 (−8.7) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −48.3 (−54.9) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−41.8 (−43.2) |
−30.5 (−22.9) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−20.9 (−5.6) |
−37.6 (−35.7) |
−44.3 (−47.7) |
−48.3 (−54.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.71) |
14.6 (0.575) |
19.7 (0.776) |
32.3 (1.272) |
42.2 (1.661) |
70.2 (2.764) |
83.3 (3.28) |
62.3 (2.453) |
55.4 (2.181) |
36.9 (1.453) |
27.6 (1.087) |
21.3 (0.839) |
483.8 (19.047) |
| Source: Environment Canada[4] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Education
There are 2 high schools and 3 elementary schools in La Ronge and Air Ronge. High schools include Churchill Composite High School and Senator Myles Venne High School l. Elementary schools in La Ronge and Air Ronge include Pre-cam Community School, Gordon Denny Community School, and Bells Point Elementary School.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ La Lac Ronge Indian Reserve website, accessed 12 August 2007
- ^ Town of La Rongewebsite
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. 2009-02-24. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 21 February 2010
[edit] External links
- Lac La Ronge Provincial Park
- [1] Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
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Flin Flon | ||
 La Ronge  |
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| Air Ronge, Prince Albert National Park |
Coordinates: 55°06′N 105°18′W / 55.1°N 105.3°W
