Oxbow

Town, pop 1,132, located approximately 60 km E of Estevan on Hwy 18. The name of the town was derived from the oxbow bend in the Souris River, which passes along the community’s south side. Settlers, largely of English, Irish and Scottish origin, began homesteading in the district in 1882. The community grew very rapidly: by 1916, the population was 678, and that number remained relatively constant through several decades. In the mid-1950s, significant development began in the area’s oilfields, and for several years the region experienced boom times as drilling rigs, industry-related services and personnel moved into the area. Today, oil and gas, as well as agriculture, drive the regional economy. Highlights of the Oxbow area include the new Moose Creek Regional Park and Golf Club, the Alameda Dam, Bow Valley Park, and the Ralph Allen Memorial Museum, named after the locally raised and renowned Canadian journalist, war correspondent, and author. Another of the town’s famous sons is hockey player Theoren Fleury, who was born in Oxbow in 1968 and was the first player in the history of the NHL to score three short-handed goals in one game. Oxbow’s weekly newspaper, the Oxbow Herald , has been published since 1903.

David McLennan