Carrot River, Saskatchewan

Carrot River oskatask sipiy
Town
A quiet Sunday on Main Street A quiet Sunday on Main Street
Carrot River
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Region	North-East Saskatchewan
Census division	14
Rural Municipality	Moose Range
Post office Founded	1931
Incorporated (Village)	1941
Incorporated (Town)	1948
Government
• Mayor	Bob Gagne
• Administrator	Kevin Trew
• Governing body	Carrot River Town Council
• Federal Electoral District of Prince Albert M.P.	Randy Hoback (2011)
• Provincial Constituency of Carrot River Valley M.L.A.	Fred Bradshaw (2011)
Elevation	358 m (1,175 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,000
• Density	706.4/km2 (1,830/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC−6)
Postal code	S0E 0L0
Area code(s)	306
Highways	Highway 23
Waterways	Emmons Creek, Carrot River
Website	Official Website

Town of Carrot River, SK - The town sign, featuring "Big Bert", the prehistoric Crocodile found on the bank of the Carrot River, on the edges of town.

Looking down Railway Avenue. Although some of the original wooden grain elevators have been removed, some remain alongside newer steel structures.

Carrot River is a town located in northeast Saskatchewan (population: 1000) in Canada. The administrative offices of the Shoal Lake Cree Nation are located in Carrot River.

History

The name Carrot River comes from the Plains Cree word for river of wild carrots, referring to the wild carrots growing along the Carrot River. Settlement was slow until the Canadian National Railway came in 1931 bringing farmers from the south. The building of roads and drainage ditches improved land conditions around Carrot River. It became a village in 1941 and incorporated as a town on April 1, 1948.

Economy

In 1963, the Squaw Rapids Hydro-Electric was built 50 km north of Carrot River, forming Tobin Lake, an excellent fishing and recreation area close to the town which brings lots of tourism from all over the world. It was renamed to E.B. Campbell HydroElectric Dam in honour of E.B. (Bruce) Campbell, a former SaskPower president, who was the assistant chief engineer during the construction of this station. The dam consists of eight units with a combined generating capacity of 288 net MW.

The Weyerhaeuser sawmill once provided the town's largest source of employment. The operation has recently undergone a $14 million upgrade, although on February 20, 2008, Weyerhaeuser stated the mill would close permanently. In 2011, Edgewood Forest Products, after purchasing the mill, began production of wood for China.

Premier Sask Inc. harvests peat, a decayed matter and the forerunner to coal and has a packing and shipping plant at Carrot River. Expanding markets for peat have allowed the Carrot River plant to expand. Premier Sask Inc. ships approximately 1.6 million four cubic foot bales per year.

Attractions

• Carrot River is home to an acclaimed golf course at Pasquia Park, located six miles south of the town.
• Tourism was bolstered by the discovery of Big Bert, the remains of a 92-million-year-old crocodile near Pasquia Park on the shores of the Carrot River; these were the first such remains to be found in North America.
• To the north of Carrot River is Tobin Lake, a top fishing and recreation lake created by the E.B. Campbell HydroElectric Dam. Carrot River provides one of the few accesses to Tobin Lake and its many boat launches and beaches, as well as being the closest community to the hydroelectric station.

Sports

The town is also the home of the Tri-Town Thunder Junior B. Hockey Team. Games in the town are split between Arborfield and Zenon Park. Games located in Carrot River often draw crowds of 300-500, and play-off games draw crowds of 500-1000.

External links

• Town of Carrot River
• Pasquia Regional Park
• Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan