Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a town in central Saskatchewan, Canada, and is located near the South Saskatchewan River. This is the most populated city in the province of Saskatchewan since the mid eighties of last century, when the population surpassed the provincial capital, Regina. The city has about 232, 000 inhabitants.

The name Saskatoon comes from the word of the tribe of Cree for special, sweet purple berries that grow in the area. The town was named the City of bridges, for the seven that cross the river.

The region where today Saskatoon is located was inhabited long before Europeans arrived. Today, many Saskatoon residents identify themselves as descendants of different tribes - Cree, Dakota and Assiniboine.

In 1882, the based in Toronto Colonisation Society provided free twenty-one parcels of land, which includes the River South Saskatchewan. The idea of the society was to avoid having a town, which sells alcohol, and create a community where prohibition reigns.

Settlers who arrived in this area were led by John Neilson Lake. They arrived at the place where today Saskatoon is located and founded the first permanent settlement. To reach it, the settlers traveled by train from Ontario to Moose Jaw and then continued by wagon with horses, as the railway line at that time came to Saskatoon.

In 1885, the Northwest Rebellion affected the small community in various ways. Some residents joined the battle and were buried along with other soldiers in the cemetery of the pioneers. In 1901, in the city Saskatoon lived one hundred and thirteen people.

Saskatoon in 1906 was recognized as a city. At that time it had four thousand five hundred people. This includes residents of Saskatoon, Riversdale and Nutana. In 1955 the territory of the city joined Montgomery Place, and in 1956 joined Sutherland, which became part of the rapidly growing city of Saskatoon.

Eighty-five percent of the population of the city is white Canadians, 8.9 percent are aborigines. The rest are minorities, some of which are combined.

Health care needs in Saskatoon cover the entire region. Patients are served by several hospitals including the Royal University Hospital and City Hospital.