Coronach

Town, pop 822, located due S of Moose Jaw on Hwys 18 and 36, 19 km from the Canada-US border. The area landscape is one of gently rolling hills, which are underlain by substantial deposits of lignite Coal. The land supports grain Farming, particularly red spring wheat, and livestock production. The region only began to be settled between 1908 and 1914. Like most communities in the province, Coronach was hit hard by the Depression and Drought of the 1930s, but it rebounded in the post-war era. Also, while many communities again began to decline in the 1960s and 1970s, here the downturn was halted by a pivotal moment in Coronach’s history: although coal had been mined in the area since the early 1900s, it was not until the mid-1970s that the significance of the resource was realized. The richness of the coal seams in the area was a determining factor in SaskPower’s decision to locate a new major power-generating station and coal mine in the immediate vicinity of the community. Within a few years, the village of just over 300 mushroomed into a bustling business centre with a population of over 1,000. The Poplar River Power Station and the Poplar River Coal Mine employ approximately 300 people today. The community hosts an agricultural fair in July and the Poplar River Indoor Rodeo in September.

David McLennan