Île-à-la-Crosse Sakitawak (Cree name) |
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Northern village | |
Forts of Île-à-la-Crosse by George Back in 1820
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Coordinates: 55°27′N 107°53′W / 55.450°N 107.883°WCoordinates: 55°27′N 107°53′W / 55.450°N 107.883°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Saskatchewan |
Trading Post | 1776 |
Mission founded | 1846 |
School founded | 1860 |
Government | |
• Type | municipal |
• Mayor | Duane Favel |
• Administrator | Diane McCallum |
• MLA Athabasca | Buckley Belanger |
• MP Desnethé— Missinippi—Churchill River |
Rob Clarke |
Area | |
• Total | 23.84 km2 (9.20 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,365 |
Metis settlement | |
Time zone | CST |
• Summer (DST) | CST (UTC) |
Postal code | S0M 1C0 |
Area code(s) | 306 |
Highways | Hwy 155, Hwy 908 |
Waterways | Churchill River, Beaver River |
Website | http://www.sakitawak.ca/ |
Official name | Île-à-la-Crosse National Historic Site of Canada |
Designated | 1954 |
Île-à-la-Crosse is a northern village located in the boreal forest of northwest Saskatchewan. Situated on a peninsula on the western shore of Lac Île-à-la-Crosse it is accessed by Highway 908 off of Highway 155. It is located within the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.
The Cree name for Île-à-la-Crosse is Sakitawak which means "where the rivers meet".
Île-à-la-Crosse is the second oldest community in Saskatchewan, Canada, The community has a rich history being connected to the Churchill River, Beaver River and Canoe River systems.
It became the administrative centre of the English River District of the Hudson's Bay Company and an important supply depot on the fur trade route during the latter part of the 18th century and most of the 19th century. The English River District headed by the Chief Factor of Île-à-la-Crosse included other posts on Beaver Lake in Alberta and on Green Lake, Lac La Loche and Lac la Ronge in Saskatchewan.
In 1846 a Roman Catholic mission was established by Father Alexandre-Antonin Taché and Father Louis-François Richer Laflèche of the Oblate Order. and in 1860 three Grey Nuns arrived founding a school and a hospital.