White Bear, Saskatchewan
| White Bear, Saskatchewan | |
|---|---|
| Organized hamlet | |
 White Bear, Saskatchewan
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| Coordinates: 50°52′51″N 108°13′07″W / 50.88083°N 108.21861°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Region | Southwest Saskatchewan |
| Census division | 4 |
| Rural Municipality | Lacadena |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Lacadena No. 228 |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 13 |
| • Density | 8.8/km2 (23/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST |
| Area code(s) | 306 |
| Highways | Highway 342 |
| Waterways | South Saskatchewan River |
White Bear is a hamlet in Lacadena Rural Municipality No. 228, Saskatchewan, Canada. Listed as a designated place by Statistics Canada, the hamlet had a population of 13 in the Canada 2006 Census. The hamlet is located approximately 55 miles (89 km) northwest of Swift Current on the north side of the South Saskatchewan River.
The hamlet's name comes from the sighting of a probable but now extirpated white prairie grizzly bear by an Assiniboine warrior on the shores of a neighbouring lake during the Palliser Expedition of the 1850s. Records from early Metis settlers and the NWMP state the last roaming herd of American buffalo being slaughtered in the hills of the Missouri Coteau located 25 miles (40 km) northeast around 1879.
During the 1930s White Bear was a bustling community of approximately 250 residents with two grocery stores, a school, four grain elevators and three garages servicing an area of 200 families, but has since dwindled to a population of 13 in 2006. Part of the death is attributed to federal policy CN Rail line in that area of Saskatchewan. It is interesting to note that the region rarely suffered poor crops, except during the droughts of the Great Depression and 1988. It is connected to the rest of the province through Highway 342, albeit a now-decrepit road featuring signs with Imperial units in portions. Farmers from the area played prominently in the socialism that would later define Saskatchewan then Canada through the introduction of Medicare and state-ran insurance. The White Bear Hotel remains the only business in operation, noted for its hot wings and hospitality.
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