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Moose Jaw

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Location of Moose Jaw
File:Downtown Moose Jaw.jpg
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River 71 km west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians.

Moose Jaw was established as a city on Friday, November 10, 1903.

It is probably best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns and farms that make up that part of Saskatchewan. Tourist attractions include the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa[1], Casino Moose Jaw, and the Murals of Moose Jaw.

There are many beautiful parks in Moose Jaw. Crescent Park is located downtown and features a creek, swans and an amphitheatre. "Wakamow Park" follows the Moose Jaw River and features both natural and maintained areas. There are many trails throughout the park for hiking and biking. There are also RV camping and canoe rentals in the park.

The Warriors are Moose Jaw's hockey team which plays in the Western Hockey League at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre.

Local institutions include 4 high schools, 15 elementary schools, and the 57-member Moose Jaw Fire Department. Moose Jaw is also home to the Palliser Campus of SIAST.

It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway.

The largest lake in southern Saskatchewan, Old Wives Lake, is located 30 km southwest of the city.

Template:Canada CP 2001

Demographics

Racial Groups

Origins of "Moose Jaw"

The origins of the name "Moose Jaw" are vague, though it appears to be of First Nations origin. One local legend holds that the Indian word Moosoochapiskanissippi means "the river shaped like the jaw of a moose". The name of the settlement might come from the creek that flowed through the settlement.

Another legend holds that the name comes from the word Moosoochapiskun which means "the place where the white man mended the cart with the jawbone of the moose."

A third legend explains that the name came from the Cree word moosegaw which means "warm breezes". In the winter, Moose Jaw is often warmer than the surrounding communities.

15 Wing Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw is the Canadian city with the highest number of relatively cloudless days which makes it a good site for training pilots. Since 1940, military pilots have trained here. It is currently the home of 15 Wing and the Snowbirds, the air demonstration team of the Canadian Forces.

15 Wing Moose Jaw, located just south of the city, is Saskatchewan's only military base. It is the site of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) pilot-training program and home of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds (aka 431 (AD) Squadron) it is also home to 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School and the 15 Wing Air Traffic Control Squadron.

The airport at 15 Wing Moose Jaw averages over 120,000 aircraft movements per year. In absolute terms this places it as one of the busiest airports in Canada. When one considers that flying operations normally occur during a 10.5 hour window each weekday the resulting density and complexity of air traffic places it as one of the most challenging air traffic control environments in North America. On May 27, 1977, the 15 Wing ATC Squadron controlled a total of 3,301 aircraft takeoffs and landings in a 24-hour period, thereby setting an all-time North American record that has since not been surpassed.

On Sunday, July 10 2005, on the last day of the Moose Jaw Air Show, Bobby Younkin and Jimmy Franklin, were killed in a mid-air collision at 4:20 pm, Central time during a truly amazing air show routine billed as the Masters of Disaster. The crash happened before 20,000 stunned spectators, and the Air Show was stopped immediately.

The annual Saskatchewan Air Show has been cancelled for the 2006 season; however, it was not related to the Masters of Disaster incident. The civil Saskatchewan Air Show Association (SASA) cites financial considerations.

Sports Teams

Moose Jaw is a very athletic city. Baseball has been an important part of Moose Jaw since its first days; the city won territorial championships in 1895. Notable sports teams of Moose Jaw:

Tunnels of Moose Jaw

People from Moose Jaw have been told about the tunnels underneath their city for many generations. They were told that smugglers and criminals, such as legendary American gangster Al Capone, used to use them as hideouts. The tunnels are now used as a tourist attraction and two interactive tours of the tunnels are now available. One tour is about the bootlegging days of Al Capone; the other is about the Chinese immigrants who lived in the tunnels in the early part of the 20th century. It is Moose Jaw's main tourist attraction[2] and has attracted people from all over the world.

Ku Klux Klan

Although Moose Jaw is known as the 'Friendly City', it is not well-known that the city was the centre of the Ku Klux Klan in Saskatchewan. The first KKK rally in Moose Jaw was held on June 7, 1927, with over four hundred members attending. The second (and last) Klan rally was held on the 26th of October, in 1927. It was held only ten days after the KKK organizer Hugh Emmons's arrest. Over one thousand people attended. It was the last rally, but in 1929 the KKK sponsored a Labour Day picnic in River Park. There were racist speeches and a cross burning, but the focus of the day was on sporting events. Soon after the picnic, the Klan faded away from Moose Javians minds.

Royalty

Moose Jaw has had many members of the Royal Family visit the city. Edward, Prince of Wales, who owned a ranch in Alberta, visited in 1919, 1924, and 1927. Prince George, future king and father of Queen Elizabeth II, paid a visit in 1926. King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later known as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) visited during the Royal tour in 1939. Queen Elizabeth II first visited in 1959, and has come to the city a few times since.

Media

  • Moose Jaw Times-Herald - daily newspaper - Website
  • 800 CHAB - Oldies - Website
  • 100.7 CILG-FM Country 100 - Website

Famous Moose Javians

Notable persons who were born or lived in Moose Jaw:

See also: List of mayors of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

  North: Chamberlain | Craik | Davidson  
West: Swift Current Moose Jaw East: Regina
  South: Assiniboia  

50°24′N 105°33′W / 50.400°N 105.550°W / 50.400; -105.550

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