Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia : O : OX : OXB : Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Oxbow () is a Canadian town in the province of Saskatchewan.
According to the 2001 Canadian census, the town's population is 1,132; the town's area is 3.10 square km; population density is 364.6 per square km; the median personal income of persons 15 years old and older was $26,918; median family income was $65,249; and median household income was $53,006.
As of 2004, the mayor was Jim Brock.
The town's official motto is "Progress with pride", but the town's weekly paper, the Oxbow Herald, has long included two other unofficial town mottoes on its masthead: "Queen of the Scenic Souris" (a reference to the Souris River, near which Oxbow is situated) and "Where Oil and Agriculture Meet" (a reference to the town's two major industries).
The town's first settlers arrived in 1891, and the town was incorporated in 1904. The town was named after the "oxbow" in the Souris River near which the town is situated. Etymogically, the word "oxbow", as applied to a river, is a metaphor for the harness worn by an ox. The Latin word for "oxbow" is "boscurvis", and, therefore, the word "Boscurvis" has long been a favourite of the town, being a name of a street, a school, and the Masonic Lodge. Although most residents now prefer the term "Oxbowite", traditionalists insist on being called "Boscurvites".
The town's postal code is S0C 2B0 and all phone numbers in town are prefixed with "483" (thus, they all take the form 1-306-483-####).
Literary References
Renowned Canadian journalist Ralph Allen came from Oxbow. Allen was the author of several books, including the novel Peace River Country (1958) and Ordeal By Fire: Canada, 1910-1945 (1961), a history of Canada during the period of the two world wars. In 1967, Christina McCall Newman edited a collection of Allen's columns from Maclean's entitled The Man From Oxbow. Oxbow's town museum is named in Allen's honour.
There is a reference to Oxbow in My Discovery of America by Farley Mowat (1985). The book is a memoir detailing why Mowat was denied entry to the US in 1985. In the Appendix, he points out that one of the reasons was that he had supported an Oxbow group that was opposed to nuclear weapons at the Minot Air Force Base.
Oxbow was also infamously the target of an article by Edmonton author W. P. Kinsella (who was catapaulted to fame when his book Shoeless Joe (1980) was made into the movie Field of Dreams by Kevin Costner in 1989). Kinsella was sent to Oxbow by Saturday Night magazine after Oxbow had the dubious distinction of having Canada's highest per-capita murder rate.
Famous People from Oxbow
Hockey player Theoren Fleury was born in Oxbow in 1968. He was raised in Russell, Manitoba.
Hockey Player Reg Kerr was born in Oxbow, Oct 16 1957. He played 7 seasons in the NHL, with the Cleveland Barons, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Edmonton Oilers.
External links
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