Lumsden is a town in the Qu'Appelle Valley in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, 31 km northwest of the city of Regina. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Lumsden No. 189. The town functions as both a farming community and an unofficial suburb of Regina. Lumsden has an active artistic community, which consists of many writers, painters, and sculptors.[citation needed]
Lumsden | |
|---|---|
 James Street | |
  Lumsden  Lumsden | |
| Coordinates: 50°38′47″N 104°52′03″W / 50.6463°N 104.8676°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Census division | 6 |
| Rural Municipality | Lumsden |
| Established | 1881 |
| Incorporated (Village) | January 10, 1899 |
| Incorporated (Town) | March 15, 1905 |
| Government | |
| • Chief Administrative Officer | Monica Merkosky[1] |
| • Governing body | Town Council |
| Area | |
| • Land | 4.06 km2 (1.57 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 1,824 |
| • Density | 402.0/km2 (1,041/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| Postal code | S0G 3C0 |
| Area code | 306 |
| Highways | Highway 11 Highway 20 |
| Waterways | Qu'Appelle River |
| Website | www |
| [2][3][4][5] | |
History
editSettlers first arrived in 1881 and the area came to be commonly known as Happy Hollow. When the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway came through the community in 1889, the name was changed to Lumsden after Hugh Lumsden, a senior engineer with the railway.[6]
The town has repeatedly flooded, with major flood events occurring in 1892, 1904, 1916, 1948, and 1969. In 1974, Lumsden experienced the highest water levels in the town's history; volunteers from Regina and all surrounding communities came to help with sandbagging. The town subsequently straightened the Qu'Appelle River's channel and built dikes.[6] The Town was at risk for flooding again in 2011 after a wet fall winter of record snowfall; however, it did not flood.[7]
The community was chosen by Harrowsmith Magazine in 2002 as the "prettiest" town in the province.[8]
Centennial
editOfficial town centennial celebrations were held in March 2005. In May 2005, Lumsden hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Lumsden Sports Centre. Hundreds of guests were entertained by Marny Duncan-Cary, the Lumsden Community Choir, the Riel Reelers, and the Lumsden & District Band and Jazz Ensemble. The event was held in celebration of both the town and the province's centenaries, and was the only engagement of Canada's Queen outside urban centres on that visit to Saskatchewan.
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lumsden had a population of 1,800 living in 700 of its 732 total private dwellings, a change of -1.3% from its 2016 population of 1,824. With a land area of 4.92 km2 (1.90 sq mi), it had a population density of 365.9/km2 (947.6/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
| 2021 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,800 (-1.3% from 2016) | 1,631 (+7.1% from 2006) |
| Land area | 4.92 km2 (1.90 sq mi) | 4.06 km2 (1.57 sq mi) |
| Population density | 366/km2 (950/sq mi) | 402.0/km2 (1,041/sq mi) |
| Median age | 41.2 (M: 39.6, F: 42.4) | 42.4 (M: 38.8, F: 45.6) |
| Private dwellings | 732 (total) 700 (occupied) | 626 (total) |
| Median household income | $107,000 |
Climate
editLumsden exhibits a continental climate (Köppen Dfb), closely bordering on a semi-arid climate (BSk)
| Climate data for Lumsden | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
38.3 (100.9) |
40.5 (104.9) |
43.3 (109.9) |
41.1 (106.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
31.5 (88.7) |
22.8 (73.0) |
15 (59) |
43.3 (109.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −9.5 (14.9) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
1.7 (35.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
24 (75) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −15.2 (4.6) |
−12 (10) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
17.8 (64.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−13.1 (8.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −21 (−6) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
5 (41) |
9.6 (49.3) |
12 (54) |
10.4 (50.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−18.5 (−1.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.8 (−54.0) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−44.4 (−47.9) |
−47.8 (−54.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 16.3 (0.64) |
12.1 (0.48) |
16.4 (0.65) |
23.3 (0.92) |
51.4 (2.02) |
57 (2.2) |
68.7 (2.70) |
40.6 (1.60) |
36 (1.4) |
20.8 (0.82) |
11.6 (0.46) |
19.2 (0.76) |
373.2 (14.69) |
| Source: Environment Canada[14] | |||||||||||||
Community events
editLumsden Duck Derby
editEach year since 1987, the Duck Derby Committee hosts a fundraiser in which thousands of numbered plastic ducks are raced down the Qu'Appelle River. Participants purchase a numbered duck which is entered in the race, and the first ducks across the finish line win their owners cash and prizes. Proceeds from the derby benefit the Lumsden Sports Center (rink) in town. The Duck Derby also hosts a variety of artists, musicians, traders, etc. who perform and sell their wares in town.[15]
Lumsden Scarecrow Festival
editLumsden hosts an annual Scarecrow Festival in September. Events of the day include a large street market, hay rides, activities for kids, food vendors, garage sales, outdoor movie and fireworks. The event usually draws thousands of people to town.[citation needed]
Sports history
editIn 2006, the Lumsden Arena became the site of the second edition of the Western Women's Hockey League championship, between the Calgary Oval X-Treme and the Minnesota Whitecaps.[16] The town frequently hosts games for the Saskatchewan Prairie Ice, now of the Western Women's Hockey League.
The Lumsden Monarchs are a senior men's ice hockey team that was a founding member of the Highway Hockey League in central Saskatchewan in 1965.[17]
Notable people
edit- Illingworth Kerr — artist (1905-1989)
- Edith Fowke — Canadian folklorist (1913-1996); born in Lumsden
- Tanner Glass — hockey player with the NHL, graduated from Lumsden High School
- Joe Fafard — died in Lumsden in 2019
- John Cullen Nugent — artist (1921-2014)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Administration - Lumsden
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Archived from the original on 6 October 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ a b McLennan, David (2006). "Lumsden". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ Book, Patrick (16 April 2011). "Lumsden closes main bridge as flood water levels rise on Qu'Appelle River". News Talk 980. Rawlco Radio. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Harrowsmith Country Life Index from 1997 to present" (PDF). Harrowsmith Country Life. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 20 August 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 18 July 2021.
- ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 6 September 2010
- ^ Benjoe, Kerry (8 September 2015). "The Lumsden Duck Derby - 28 years and going strong". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "WWHL - Western Women's Hockey League". Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2006.
- ^ "History Archive | Highway Hockey League".
External links
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