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Watson, Saskatchewan

Coordinates: 52°7′N 104°31′W / 52.117°N 104.517°W / 52.117; -104.517
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Watson
Town
Main Street
Main Street
Motto: 
Industrial Crossroads of Saskatchewan
Watson is located in Saskatchewan
Watson
Watson
Location in Saskatchewan
Watson is located in Canada
Watson
Watson
Watson (Canada)
Coordinates: 52°7′N 104°31′W / 52.117°N 104.517°W / 52.117; -104.517
CountryCanada
Provinces and territories of CanadaSaskatchewan
Rural Municipalities (RM)Lakeside No. 338
Post office founded (as Vossen)1904-04-01
Incorporated (village)1906-05-01
Incorporated (town)August 1, 1908
Government
 • MayorNorma Weber
Area
 • Total2.83 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total697
 • Density274.7/km2 (711/sq mi)
 • Summer (DST)CST
[1][2][3][4][5]

Watson is a town of 777 residents in the Rural Municipality of Lakeside No. 338, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Watson is located on the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 6, the Canam Highway. Watson is approximately the same distance from Saskatoon which is to the west, and Regina to the south, which gives rise to its town motto, "Industrial Crossroads of Saskatchewan".

History

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Settlers began arriving in the early 1900s, many of them German American Catholics.[6] The first post office in the area was established on April 1, 1904 and named Vossen after its postmaster, Frank J. Vossen Jr.[7] It was changed to Watson on May 1, 1906, in advance of the village's incorporation on October 6, 1906.[1] The village became a town on August 1, 1908.[8] The town's namesake is Senator Robert Watson. Senator Watson, originally owned the land the town was built on.[9] Watson celebrated its first Santa Claus Day in 1932, and in 1996 erected a 25-foot (7.6 m)-high Santa Claus to commemorate the event.[10][11][12]

Demographics

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In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Watson had a population of 707 living in 319 of its 356 total private dwellings, a change of 1.4% from its 2016 population of 697. With a land area of 2.96 km2 (1.14 sq mi), it had a population density of 238.9/km2 (618.6/sq mi) in 2021.[13]

Canada census – Watson, Saskatchewan community profile
2011
Population777 (8.1% from 2006)
Land area2.83 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Population density274.7/km2 (711/sq mi)
Median age48.0 (M: 45.5, F: 49.1)
Private dwellings364 (total) 
Median household income$N/A
References: 2011[14] earlier[15][16]

Geography

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Jansen Lake, Houghton Lake, Lenore Lake, Ironspring Creek, and the Quill Lakes are all close to Watson.

McNab Regional Park

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McNab Regional Park (52°07′22″N 104°31′42″W / 52.1227°N 104.5284°W / 52.1227; -104.5284)[17] is a regional park on the south side of Watson.[18] Access is from Highway 6. The park has a golf course, campground, mini-golf, swimming pool, and playground. The golf course is a 9-hole, par 35 grass greens course. The men's tees total 3,174 yards while the women's total 2,946. The clubhouse is licensed and there are rentals available.[19]

The park, founded in 1980, was named after the Peter McNab family. Peter McNab was a professional ice hockey player who played on five different NHL teams during the 1970s and 1980s. Max McNab, who also played in the NHL and was born in Watson, was there at the time to officially open the park.

In 2001, the park was upgraded with an expanded golf course, grass greens, a new clubhouse, and a larger pool complex.[20]

Transportation

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The town is located at the junction of Saskatchewan Highway 5 and Saskatchewan Highway 6.

Railway

Melfort Subdivision C.P.R—serves Lanigan, Leroy, Watson, Spalding[21]

Margo Subdivision Canadian National Railway[22]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Urban Municipality Incorporations" (PDF). Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  3. ^ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  4. ^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  5. ^ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  6. ^ McLennan, David (2006). "Watson". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  7. ^ "Watson". Post Offices and Postmasters. Library and Archives Canada. January 31, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  8. ^ "Watson: Incorporating Village as a Town" (PDF). Government of Saskatchewan. August 1, 1908. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  9. ^ "Community Profiles: Watson". SaskBiz. Enterprise Saskatchewan. 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  10. ^ Solonyka, Ed. "Santa Claus Watson, Saskatchewan". Large Canadian Roadside Attractions. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  11. ^ Yanciw, David (September 17, 2002). "Town of Watson". Big Things: The Monuments of Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  12. ^ "Tourism". Town of Watson. 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  13. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  15. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "McNab Regional Park". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "McNab Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  19. ^ "McNab Regional Park, Watson, Sk". McNabPark. Town of Watson. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "McNab". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  21. ^ Waghorn, J.R. (January 1925). Waghorn's Guide. Winnipeg: The Guide Co. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  22. ^ "Maps and Network | Our Services | cn.ca".
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