Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan
| Buffalo Narrows | |
|---|---|
| Northern village | |
New village centre in Buffalo Narrows
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 Buffalo Narrows
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| Coordinates: 55°51′14.4″N 108°29′2.4″W / 55.854000°N 108.484000°WCoordinates: 55°51′14.4″N 108°29′2.4″W / 55.854000°N 108.484000°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Saskatchewan
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| Government | |
| • Mayor | Estelle Laliberte |
| • MLA Athabasca | Buckley Belanger |
| • MP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | Georgina Jolibois |
| Area | |
| • Total | 68.63 km2 (26.50 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,153 |
| • Density | 16.8/km2 (44/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC−6) |
| Postal code | S0M 0J0 |
| Highways |
 Hwy 155
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| Post office established | 1936 |
Buffalo Narrows is a northern village in Northern Saskatchewan. It is a community of 1,153 people. Located at the "Narrows" between Peter Pond Lake and Churchill Lake, tourism and resource extraction (logging, fishing) are its main economic activities.
Buffalo Narrows or Détroit du Boeuf as it was called in French was founded in the early 20th century as a trapping, mink ranching and fishing settlement by Scandinavian traders.
The community developed around an earlier Dene settlement. John Macoun, who was travelling the fur trade route from Methye Portage to Lac Île-à-la-Crosse visited the "Narrows" in September 1875. He described his visit to this old community in the following lines: "After sunrise, a head wind sprang up with which we battled all day and reached the "Narrows," that connect Buffalo and Clearwater lakes, before dark. Chipewyan House is situated at the eastern end of the "Narrows," and at the head of Clearwater Lake. Here the Chipewyans have built themselves a number of houses."
Chipewyan House where Macoun stayed for about four days was probably a small outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company much like Buffalo House at Dillon and Bull's House on the La Loche River.
Clearwater Lake (or Clear Lake) was renamed Churchill Lake in 1944 and Buffalo Lake was renamed Peter Pond Lake in 1932.
Buffalo Narrows is notable for its scenery and its bridge that crosses the Kisis Channel. The bridge was officially opened in 1981 replacing a ferry that was set up in 1957. This channel links Peter Pond Lake and Churchill Lake.
The dunes of Buffalo Narrows Sand Dunes Park located 5 km north of downtown create a 10 km fine sandy beach along the southwest shore of Big Peter Pond Lake (55°53′35.90″N 108°36′39.64″W / 55.8933056°N 108.6110111°W). The park, which is 3,650 hectares (14.1 square miles) in size, includes the peninsula that nearly cuts Peter Pond Lake in two creating Little Peter Pond, the southern section and Big Peter Pond, the northern section. Formerly Crown land, the recreation area was transferred to the Northern Village of Buffalo Narrows in 2003. The community has assumed the responsibility for its maintenance and development. The beach is a nesting site of the vulnerable sparrow-sized piping plover.
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Wikipedia