Marshall

Marshall's Town Symbol.

David McLennan

Town, pop 608 (2006c), 633 (2001c), is located approximately 16 km southeast of Lloydminster on the Yellowhead Hwy. As such, its origins and development are tied to the arrival of the Barr colonists in 1903. A mile northwest of the present town of Marshall, on NW6-49-26-W3, a Barr Colonist by the name of Lewis Stringer homesteaded with his sons. On December 1, 1904 a post office was established here, operating under the name Stringer. It was here, too, that the first church in the Colony was built, an Anglican Church known as St. George’s on the Trail. Other men set up a store, and it is said a blacksmith worked in the locale as well. When the Canadian Northern Railway came through in 1905, the location of the present community was determined, and the church, the post office, and the other businesses relocated to the site. Over the next few years, a number of new businesses were started. The emerging hamlet was named Marshall; however, exactly why is uncertain. The Stringer Post Office officially adopted the name on August 1, 1906. The first school in Marshall was built in 1907. By the beginning of 1914, the community had developed sufficiently enough to warrant incorporation, and the Village of Marshall was legally constituted on January 21 that year. In 1916, the population was 81, and for the first half of the twentieth century the community grew very little and its population remained fairly stable. In 1951, the village numbered 98 residents. In the following decades, however, Marshall grew substantially, propelled by a booming oil and gas industry. By 1961, the population was 161; in 1981 it was 453; and by the mid-1990s the community numbered more than 600. Marshall attained town status on October 26, 2006. A large oil tank on the highway on the north side of Marshall is the town symbol, painted upon it are the words, “Welcome to Marshall: Black Gold Country!” Work in the oil fields and related services, as well as agriculture, form the basis of the regional economy; however, many who live in the town commute to work in Lloydminster, and Marshall has developed into a flourishing bedroom community due to its proximity to the city. Local businesses in Marshall include a credit union, a restaurant, a hotel and a bar, the post office, a store, and several other small, home-based businesses. The community has a library, two halls, a skating rink, ball diamonds, and a skateboard park. Marshall School is a K-9 facility, which had 142 students enrolled in the fall of 2006. Marshall is situated in the RM of Wilton No. 472.

David McLennan