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Alsask
Special service area
Special Service Area of Alsask
The Alsask radome is visible for miles in every direction and owned by the Canadian Civil Defence Museum
AlsaskShow map of Milton No. 292AlsaskShow map of Saskatchewan
Coordinates: 51°22′47″N 109°59′49″W / 51.37972°N 109.99694°W / 51.37972; -109.99694
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Region	West-Central
Rural Municipality	Milton No. 292
Post office established	January 1, 1911
Incorporated (village)	November 22, 1910
Incorporated (town)	November 1, 1912
Restructured (special service area)	January 1, 1947 (village) July 30, 2009 (SSA)
Government
• Governing body	Milton No. 292
Area
• Total	1.87 km (0.72 sq mi)
Population
• Total	113
• Density	60.4/km (156/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-06:00 (CST)
Postal code	S0L 0A0
Area code	306
Highways	Highway 44

Alsask is a special service area in the Rural Municipality of Milton No. 292, in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Alsask is located 60 km (37 mi) west of the town of Kindersley. Highway 44 runs to the east of Alsask, and Highway 7 lies a few kilometres to the north. The community had a population of 113 in the 2021 Canadian census (a 1.8% increase from 111 in the 2016 Canadian census).

The community's name combines the names of Alberta and Saskatchewan, although it is a misconception that it straddles the border between the two provinces. It lies approximately 300 m (980 ft) east of the Alberta border and while the community lies completely within Saskatchewan, the local cemetery is actually in Alberta. Alsask's most notable landmark is one of three remaining radar domes that for many years operated as Canadian Forces Detachment Alsask as part of the Pinetree Line, operated by the Canadian Armed Forces. Southeast of the town is Alsask Lake.

History

Alsask incorporated as a village November 22, 1910; two years later on November 1, 1912, it was decided the village was large enough to incorporate into a town. By 1916 the population of Alsask had reached 300.

The Great Depression in Canada hit Alsask hard, and the village struggled with maintaining its population. The town was reverted to a village on January 1, 1947.

Things began to change; in 1959 with the establishment of Royal Canadian Air Force Station Alsask, a 169 ha (418 acres) base was established next to the town site, and by the early 1970s the population had reached over 800, though the village never reverted to town status. The base was disbanded in 1987.

Since the closure of the RCAF Station Alsask, the village population continued to decline; by 2009, the Village of Alsask was dissolved as a political entity, and a motion was accepted to join the Rural Municipality of Milton as a special service area on July 30, 2009.

Heritage sites

CFD Alsask became a designated heritage site in 2002. The site is the former Royal Canadian Air Force Alsask Station, a Cold War era, military base and Pinetree Line radar dome, open to public only a handful of days per year for guided tours operated by the Canadian Civil Defense Museum.<civildefencemuseum.ca>Military Heritage Site - Google Maps</ref> Few of the original buildings remain. Most notably, the "Gopher Dip" indoor swimming pool as it was known during the lifespan as a military site, is still in use. During the summer months the swimming pool is well used, attracting many children and families from surrounding communities. The site also includes a bowling alley built to entertain families of the RCAF and Alsask and area residents.

The Old Alsask School operated from its opening in 1913 until 1976 when the property was taken over by the Village of Alsask. In 2002 the building was restored as a community centre and is now listed as a Municipal Heritage Property.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Alsask had a population of 113 living in 50 of its 67 total private dwellings, a change of 1.8% from its 2016 population of 111. With a land area of 1.87 km (0.72 sq mi), it had a population density of 60.4/km (156.5/sq mi) in 2021.

Health

Alsask was part of the Heartland Regional Health Authority which was amalgamated with the Saskatchewan Health Authority

Climate

Alsask experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk). Winters are long, cold and dry, while summers are short and warm. Precipitation is low, with an annual average of 299.8 mm (11.80 in), and is heavily concentrated in the warmer months. There is a weather station located about 11 km (6.8 mi) southeast of the community, adjacent to Alsask Lake.

Notable people

Notable persons who were born, grew up or lived in Alsask:

• Bob Adams – Track and field athlete
• Karin Plato – Canadian jazz vocalist and composer
• Lorne Shantz – Politician, and former MLA in the British Columbia Legislature

See also

• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of hamlets in Saskatchewan

References

1. ^ "Search for Municipal Information". Government of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
2. "Alsask". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
3. ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Data table Alsask, Dissolved municipality (DMU) Saskatchewan [Designated place]". Retrieved March 9, 2022.
4. National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters, archived from the original on October 6, 2006
5. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home, Municipal Directory System, archived from the original on November 21, 2008
6. Canadian Textiles Institute. (2005), CTI Determine your provincial constituency, archived from the original on September 11, 2007
7. Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005), Elections Canada On-line, archived from the original on April 21, 2007
8. "Municipal Directory System" (PDF). Government of Saskatchewan. p. 225. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
9. "Alsask Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
10. ^ Municipal History - Urban Incorporated Dates
11. Alsask Radar Dome Archived August 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
12. "Restructured Villages". Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
13. Military Heritage Site - Tourism Saskatchewan
14. CFS Alsask Dome - Off The Beaten Path – with Chris & Connie
15. Alsask School - Community Centre Archived July 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine - Government of Saskatchewan Register of Heritage Property Database
16. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
17. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
18. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
19. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
20. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
21. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
22. Saskatchewan Health Authority
23. "Alsask Hardene". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. November 25, 2021. Climate ID: 4020130. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
24. "State of Bliss (A profile of Karin Plato)". Retrieved March 9, 2022.

v t e Places adjacent to Alsask
Esther, Alberta Loverna Marengo Merid Sibbald, Alberta Alsask Flaxcombe Municipal District of Acadia No. 34 Cuthbert Hardene

v t e Division No. 13, Saskatchewan
Towns	Cut Knife Kerrobert Kindersley Luseland Macklin Scott Unity Wilkie
Villages	Brock Coleville Denzil Dodsland Flaxcombe Landis Major Marengo Marsden Neilburg Netherhill Plenty Ruthilda Senlac Smiley Tramping Lake
Rural municipalities	Kindersley 290 Milton 292 Winslow 319 Oakdale 320 Prairiedale 321 Antelope Park 322 Grandview 349 Mariposa 350 Progress 351 Heart's Hill 352 Reford 379 Tramping Lake 380 Grass Lake 381 Eye Hill 382 Buffalo 409 Round Valley 410 Senlac 411 Cut Knife 439 Hillsdale 440 Manitou Lake 442
First Nations	Little Pine Poundmaker
Indian reserves	Little Pine 116 Poundmaker 114
Unincorporated communities	Special service areas Alsask Primate Rockhaven Hamlets Cactus Lake Adanac Artland Ava Baldwinton Baljennie Beaufield Brass Broadacres Buccleugh Bush Carruthers Cathkin Cavell Cloan Cosine Court Cutoff Junction Dewar Lake Donegal Driver Druid Evesham Fairmount Freemont Fusilier Gallivan Grosswerder Handel Hearts Hill Hillam Hoosier Kelfield Leipzig Lilydale Loverna Merid Millerdale Onward Phippen Pinkham Poyser Red Pheasant Reford Revenue Reward Rutland St. Alphege Salvador Sunnyglen Superb Swarthmore Swinburne Thackeray Tako Tatsfield Unity Station Unwin Verendrye Wallisville Whitepool Wilbert Winter Wolfe Yonker
See also: Municipalities in Saskatchewan Census divisions of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities

• Milton No. 292, Saskatchewan
• Designated places in Saskatchewan
• Former villages in Saskatchewan
• Special service areas in Saskatchewan
• Populated places disestablished in 2009
• 1911 establishments in Saskatchewan
• Division No. 13, Saskatchewan