Watson
Town
Main Street
Main Street
Motto: 
Industrial Crossroads of Saskatchewan
Watson is located in Saskatchewan
Watson
Watson
Location in Saskatchewan
Watson is located in Canada
Watson
Watson
Watson (Canada)
Coordinates: 52°7′N 104°31′W / 52.117°N 104.517°W / 52.117; -104.517
CountryCanada
Provinces and territories of CanadaSaskatchewan
Rural Municipalities (R.M.)Lakeside
Post office founded (as Vossen)1904-04-01
Incorporated (village)1906-05-01
Incorporated (town)August 1, 1908
Government
 • MayorNorma Weber
Area
 • Total2.83 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total697
 • Density274.7/km2 (711/sq mi)
 • Summer (DST)CST
[1][2][3][4][5]

Watson is a town of 777 residents in the Rural Municipality of Lakeside No. 338, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Watson is located on the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 6, the Canam Highway. Watson is approximately the same distance from Saskatoon which is to the west, and Regina to the south, which gives rise to its town motto, "Industrial Crossroads of Saskatchewan".

History

Settlers began arriving in the early 1900s, many of them German American Catholics.[6] The first post office in the area was established on April 1, 1904 and named Vossen after its postmaster, Frank J. Vossen Jr.[7] It was changed to Watson on May 1, 1906, in advance of the village's incorporation on October 6, 1906.[1] The village became a town on August 1, 1908.[8] The town's namesake is Senator Robert Watson. Senator Watson, originally owned the land the town was built on.[9] Watson celebrated its first Santa Claus Day in 1932, and in 1996 erected a 25-foot (7.6 m)-high Santa Claus to commemorate the event.[10][11][12]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Watson had a population of 707 living in 319 of its 356 total private dwellings, a change of 1.4% from its 2016 population of 697. With a land area of 2.96 km2 (1.14 sq mi), it had a population density of 238.9/km2 (618.6/sq mi) in 2021.[13]

Canada census – Watson, Saskatchewan community profile
2011
Population777 (8.1% from 2006)
Land area2.83 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Population density274.7/km2 (711/sq mi)
Median age48.0 (M: 45.5, F: 49.1)
Private dwellings364 (total) 
Median household income$N/A
References: 2011[14] earlier[15][16]

Geography

Jansen Lake, Houghton Lake, Lenore Lake, Ironspring Creek, and the Quill Lakes are all close to Watson.

McNab Regional Park

McNab Regional Park (52°07′22″N 104°31′42″W / 52.1227°N 104.5284°W / 52.1227; -104.5284)[17] is a regional park on the south side of Watson.[18] Access is from Highway 6. The park has a golf course, campground, mini-golf, swimming pool, and playground. The golf course is a 9-hole, par 35 grass greens course. The men's tees total 3,174 yards while the women's total 2,946. The clubhouse is licensed and there are rentals available.[19]

The park, founded in 1980, was named after the Peter McNab family. Peter McNab was a professional ice hockey player who played on five different NHL teams during the 1970s and 1980s. Max McNab, who also played in the NHL and was born in Watson, was there at the time to officially open the park.

In 2001, the park was upgraded with an expanded golf course, grass greens, a new clubhouse, and a larger pool complex.[20]

Transportation

The town is located at the junction of Saskatchewan Highway 5 and Saskatchewan Highway 6.

Railway

Melfort Subdivision C.P.R—serves Lanigan, Leroy, Watson, Spalding[21]

Margo Subdivision Canadian National Railway[22]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "Urban Municipality Incorporations" (PDF). Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  2. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  3. ↑ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  4. ↑ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  5. ↑ Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  6. ↑ McLennan, David (2006). "Watson". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  7. ↑ "Watson". Post Offices and Postmasters. Library and Archives Canada. January 31, 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  8. ↑ "Watson: Incorporating Village as a Town" (PDF). Government of Saskatchewan. August 1, 1908. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  9. ↑ "Community Profiles: Watson". SaskBiz. Enterprise Saskatchewan. 2009. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  10. ↑ Solonyka, Ed. "Santa Claus Watson, Saskatchewan". Large Canadian Roadside Attractions. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  11. ↑ Yanciw, David (September 17, 2002). "Town of Watson". Big Things: The Monuments of Canada. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  12. ↑ "Tourism". Town of Watson. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  13. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  15. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  16. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  17. ↑ "McNab Regional Park". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "McNab Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "McNab Regional Park, Watson, Sk". McNabPark. Town of Watson. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "McNab". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  21. ↑ Waghorn, J.R. (January 1925). Waghorn's Guide. Winnipeg: The Guide Co. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  22. ↑ "Maps and Network | Our Services | cn.ca".
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