Robsart, Saskatchewan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hamlet of Robsart | |
 |
|
| Motto: "The Town With a Bright Future" (1915) | |
  Hamlet of Robsart
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Saskatchewan |
| Region | Southwest Saskatchewan |
| Census division | 4 |
| Rural Municipality | Reno |
| Post office Founded | 1912 |
| Incorporated (Village) | 1910 |
| Government | |
| - Former Mayor | Archie Smiley |
| - Administrator | Lacelle Kim |
| - Governing body | Reno No. 51 |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.71 km² (0.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 7 |
| - Density | 8.8/km² (22.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC) |
| Postal code | S0N 2G0 |
| Area code(s) | 306 |
| Highways | Highway 13 Highway 18 |
| Waterways | Cypress Lake |
| [1][2][3][4] | |
Robsart is a small hamlet in the southwestern part of Saskatchewan located on Redcoat Trail, about 50km east of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border and is about 175km south west of Swift Current.
Contents |
[edit] Population
Robsart, like so many other communities throughout Saskatchewan, has struggled to maintain a sturdy population causing it to become a semi ghost town.
Prior to January 1, 2002, Robsart was a village, but it was restructured as a hamlet on that date.[5]
Demographics
According to the Canada 2001 Census:
| Population: | 15 (- 21.1 from 1996) |
| Land area: | 1.71 km² |
| Population density: | 8.8 people/km² |
| Median age: | NA (males: NA, females: NA) |
| Total private dwellings: | 11 |
| Mean household income: | $NA |
[edit] History
In 1910, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased a quarter section of land in southwest Saskatchewan and called it Robsart. The land was named after Amy Robsart, from the Sir Walter Scott book, Kenilworth. Three years after the land was bought a man named Henry Abbott led the first settlers to the new community, shortly after their arrival, businesses started to go up quickly. Two of the first Businesses were a general store and feed mill. Following them were 30 other businesses, including a dentist, jeweller, and a surgeon.
[edit] Depression begins
 |
To meet Wikipedia's quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. The current version of this article or section is written in an informal style and with a personally invested tone. It reads more like a story than an encyclopedia entry. Please see specific examples noted on the talk page. Editing help is available. |
In the late twenties Robsart's explosive prosperous beginnings began its long decline. A grain elevator fire in 1929 was an ominous sign of things to come. The following year saw another blaze wipe out a large section of the business core.
The Depression years, with accompanying droughts, falling grain prices and poor crop yields, witnessed further business closures. Many merchants, staggered by crippling financial losses, packed and left for greener pastures.
The beleaguered community struggled on but never with the same early pioneer optimism. Locals and nearby farmers rallied in the eighties to renovate a new community hall but slowly, one by one, most remaining businesses and homes were boarded up. By the end of 2000, only half a dozen people were left in the town. Prairie phantoms had clearly taken over.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture is the top employment field with many surrounding farms and ranches.
[edit] Railway
In 1914 the arrival of the railway brought even more prosperity for the small prairie community. New businesses were opening almost weekly, bringing new hotels, cafés, churches, livery barns, schools, a banks, grain elevators, and a few years later its very own hospital. The town was so prosperous that were postcards of the town telling that Robsart was “A town with a bright future.”
Ten years after the town of Robsart was established it had a population of 350 residents, its own town hall, mayor, town council, and around more than 50 businesses.
[edit] Education
Robsart no longer has a school, but those who live in Robsart are sent to the neighboring village of Consul which has a school that covers Kindergarten to Grade 12 serving approximately 100 students.
[edit] Notable buildings
- Robsart Hospital
- Robsart School House
- Beaver Lumber Co. Ltd.
- Robsart Community Hall
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters, <http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/post-offices/001001-100.01-e.php>
- ^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home, Municipal Directory System, <http://www.municipal.gov.sk.ca/index.html>
- ^ Canadian Textiles Institute., CTI Determine your provincial constituency, <http://www.textiles.ca/eng/nonAuthProg/redirect.cfm?path=IssPolContacts§ionID=7601.cfm>
- ^ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Elections Canada On-line, <http://www.elections.ca/home.asp>
- ^ Covered population 2002. Saskatchewan Health. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
[edit] External links
- Saskatchewan City & Town Maps
- Saskatchewan Gen Web - One Room School Project
- Post Offices and Postmasters - ArchiviaNet - Library and Archives Canada
- Saskatchewan Gen Web Region
- Online Historical Map Digitization Project
- GeoNames Query
- 2001 Community Profiles
- Saskatchewan Cemetery Records
 |
Cypress Hills | Maple Creek | Ravenscrag Piapot |
|
|||
| Vidora Consul |
 |
Eastend | |||||
 Robsart  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
| Havre | Chinook | Claydon Grasslands National Park |
|
|||||||||||
