Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
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Prince Albert is the third-largest city (after Saskatoon and Regina) with a population of 41,640 as of 2001, in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated more-or-less in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the most northerly major centre as well to its being situated where the agricultural prairie of the south meets the forested and lakeland areas of the north. Prince Albert National Park, located just 50km north of the city, has a huge wealth of lakes, forest, and wildlife.
History
The first white man to come through the area that is now Prince Albert was Henry Kelsey in 1692. The first establishment in the area was a trading post set up by Peter Pond, which the area is now named after (1776).
James Isbister, an Anglo-Metis employee of the Hudson's Bay Company settled on the site of the current city in 1862. He farmed there until 1866, and had been joined by a number of families who called the site Isbister's Settlement. He later moved back to Prince Albert and lived out his remaining days there.
The community was founded in 1866, by Rev. James Nisbet, a Canada Presbyterian Church minister who came to establish a mission for the Cree, who named the community after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in honour of the deceased 1861 husband of Queen Victoria.
In 1884 Honore Jaxon and James Isbister were involved in the movement which brought Louis Riel back to Canada.
In the Northwest Rebellion of the following year, Prince Albert Volunteers bore the heaviest casualties of the fighting at the Battle of Duck Lake, and surrounding settlers took refuge with the North West Mounted Police in a hastily improvised stockade at Prince Albert fearing an attack by Gabriel Dumont which never came.
After the Battle of Batoche, Major General Frederick Middleton marched on to Prince Albert to relieve the town.
1885 also marks the year that Prince Albert was incorporated as a town under its first mayor, Thomas McKay.
In 1904, the settlement was incorporated as the city of Prince Albert, then named after Prince Albert Victor, father of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). Its government is of a council-mayor type.
By odd political coincidence, the federal constituency of Prince Albert has been represented by three prime ministers of Canada:
- John George Diefenbaker 13th Prime Minister, became the MP for Lake Centre in 1940 (redistributed into Prince Albert in 1953), Prime Minister from 1957 - 1963,
- William Lyon Mackenzie King 10th Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert from 1926 - 1945,
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier 7th Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert in the Saskatchewan provisional district (still part of Northwest Territories) in 1896, before returning to his Quebec East riding later that year.
Famous people from Prince Albert include sprinter Harry Jerome, singer Jon Vickers, and ice hockey player Johnny Bower. Prince Albert was also for a time home to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. As well, Boris Karloff, famous for his roles in horror films portraying characters like Frankenstein's Monster and The Mummy, resided in Prince Albert during the early 20th century.
In the early beginnings of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert was one of the choices to house either the University of Saskatchewan or the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. Due to Saskatoon's convenient location, the university was built there, and the penitentiary was built in Prince Albert.
Interesting facts
- The first stagecoach robbery in Saskatchewan occurred in 1886, when a lone outlaw held up a carriage.
- In 1884, 500 people turned up to hear Louis Riel speak. One month before this speech he had just returned from the United States following a political exile resulting from the Red River Rebellion in 1869 - 1870.
Sports
The city is home to the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. They play out of the 3,366 seat Art Hauser Centre.
Arts and Entertainment
Music Scene
Metal
- Prince Albert has housed a small metal scene for the past few years. Although, it remains primarily a teenage gathering, the metal scene continues to gain steam through the country. Some of the more prominent bands are Cessate, Dead Like God, and The Dirty Sanchez Orchestra. Because of this small metal scene, Prince Albert has the chance to see many struggling underground bands of the genre from all throughout the country. Currently, all the shows can be seen at the Muskoday First Nation south of the city.
Punk rock
- In the 1990`s the local punk band Oswald´s Walking Connection enjoyed some prominence being featured on a continental compilation CD and releasing a few independent recordings before breaking up. For a short time, the punk band Counter-State emerged, playing only once to a small crowd. Before the band's demise in late 2005, they were able to release the EP Fighting For Our Lives. Basing heavy influences on bands like Aus Rotten and Leftöver Crack, this band of street punks helped put Prince Albert on the map for Canadian punks everywhere.
Christian rock
- Prince Albert has a small Christian rock following. A couple of Christian pop punk bands have emerged in the last few years. Expense Paid and Roberta are two of those bands. Each of those bands are usually more popular in their home church.
Alternative rock
- Prince Albert has a small alternative rock scene. In the last few years bands have come and gone with 44 Slide achieving some success as they have recorded two albums. "Slave to the System" is a ten song full length album while their newest album "Greed" is a five song EP. 44 Slide has performed at various festivals in the city. But they have been well recieved in the the Saskatchewan capital Regina.
Country
- Prince Albert has been known for their country music scene across Saskatchewan.
- One of Prince Albert's foremost venue for showcasing local and talent from outside of the Prince Albert regin is the Country North Show. The Country North Show has been huge success since it's inception many years ago and has been a launching pad for many artists in the area.
- Various artists from the area have gone on to do bigger and better things. Those artists include Jessica Robinson and Donny Parenteau. After a stint as a Neal McCoy fiddle player, Parenteau returned home to launch his own solo career. Other artists stay in the city and become well known throughout the local country music scene. Heidi Munro, Rick Martin (sometimes alongside his band Country Connection), Steppin' Out, among others
- Parenteau and country/gospel artist Rick Martin have even won Saskatchewan Country Music Awards in their respective categories.
- One of the biggest supports of the country music scene in the area has been Six Shooters Saloon.
Concerts
- The Northern Lights Casino also helps to bring in many small independent and major country and native bands to the city. Some artists include Freddy Fender, Donny Parenteau, Michelle Wright, among others.
- In the summer of 2005 Tom Cochrane did a live free show promoting the Live 8 concert later in the year. It was held in Prime Ministers Park.
- 12th Street Station is a venue at the Prince Albert Winter Festival. It showcases a variety of genres such as blues, rock, jazz, among others. It has grown in popularity each year.
Drama
Carlton High School is known for its productions dealing with topics such as Nazism, dark Gothic romances, and light hearted children's plays. Every year, three productions are put on with one being the children's play that tours the public elementary schools in November. The next play is put on in early March and is a contestant in the region 7 drama festival. The final play is often presented in early May, consisting of a large cast and crew. Most often this play is of Shakespearean orient but with a strange modernized twist. As well, the drama club often does a short film to complement the final play.
Festivals
Every year Prince Albert has a variety of festivals, fairs, shows, etc. for you to check out. Different times of the year yield different festivals.
- Canada Day celebrations
- Downtown Street Fair
- Farm Fair
- Focus on Women
- Founders Day
- Kidzfest- 2006 special guest is Fred Penner.
- International Childrens Festival
- Prince Albert Exhibition
- Prince Albert Winter Festival
- Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest - Holds concerts in conjunction with this provincial event
- Shakspeare in the Park
- Taste of PA
- Vintage Power Machines Thrashing Festival
Economy
The future of wood processing in Prince Albert is in doubt because of an October 5, 2005 announcement by Weyerhaeuser stating it would be closing down the Pulp and Paper Mill located just east of the city. The closure began on January 3, 2006 with paper production being stopped. The pulp mill continued operating until April 13, 2006, when the Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill officially closed. The 690 people who were employed by Weyerhaeuser lost their jobs. It is expected that many more jobs will be lost because some other businesses in the forestry industry relied mainly on the Pulp and Paper Mill. The closure is speculated to have a negative impact on the economy, causing housing prices to drop.
Prince Albert's primary industries are mining, forestry and agriculture. A maximum-security penitentiary also exists to the west of the city.
Education
The city has a total of five high schools. St. Mary High School, and Rivier Academy (private, all-girls) are part of the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, while Carlton Comprehensive High School (largest high school in Saskatchewan), WESMOR (Acronym of the rural elementary schools Wildrose, East Central, Spruce Home, Meath Park, Osborne, and Redwing), and P.A.C.I (Prince Albert Collegiate Institute) are in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division.
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division operates 26 schools and the Prince Albert Catholic School Division operates nine schools.
Post-secondary schools found in Prince Albert include the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Woodland Campus, First Nations University of Canada (Northern Campus), Gabriel Dumont Institute, and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT).
Local media
Radio stations
- AM 540 - CBK, CBC Radio One
- AM 900 - CKBI, country music radio "Country 900"
- FM 88.1 - CJLR-3, MBC Radio
- FM 89.1 - CBK-1, CBC Radio Two
- FM 90.1 - CKSF, La Première Chaîne
- FM 99.1 - CFMM, contemporary hit radio "Power 99FM"
- FM 101.5 - CHQX, active rock "Mix 101FM"
Television stations
- Cable 2 - CBKFT-2, SRC
- Cable 6 - CBKST-9, CBC (formerly CKBI)
- Cable 8 - CIPA, CTV
- Cable 9 - Saskatchewan Communications Network
- Cable 10 - Shaw Cable community channel
Newspapers
- Prince Albert Daily Herald
- Prince Albert Shopper
- Rural Roots
Famous Prince Albertans
Notable persons who were born or lived in Prince Albert include:
- 44 Slide- up and coming alternative band with two cd's released
- Johnny Bower - former NHL player
- John Diefenbaker - deceased former Prime Minister of Canada
- Bryan Glynn - former NHL player turned city police officer
- Kim Issel - former NHL player turned city police officer
- Harry Jerome - sprinter
- Dave Manson - former NHL player who is an assistant coach with WHL's Prince Albert Raiders
- Richard Tapper - swimmer, who competed for New Zealand at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- John V. Hicks - poet (Note: John V. Hicks was not born in Prince Albert, he moved there with his parents at a young age)
- Jon Vickers - singer
- Rick Wilson - Dallas Stars assistant coach
External links
Attractions
- [Cooke Municipal Golf Course]
- [Waskesiu Golf Course]
- [Elk Ridge Resort]
- [Prince Albert National Park]
- [Waskesiu]
- [Prince Albert History]
- [Prince Albert Historical Society]
| North: Prince Albert National Park | ||
| West: Shellbrook | Prince Albert | East: Melfort |
| South: Saskatoon |
|
| Saskatchewan |
|---|---|
| Census Divisions: | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 |
| Cities: | Estevan - Flin Flon (part) - Humboldt - Lloydminster (part) - Melfort - Melville - Moose Jaw - North Battleford - Prince Albert - Regina - Saskatoon - Swift Current - Weyburn - Yorkton |
| See also: | List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan |
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