Preeceville

Town, pop 1,074, located in the north-eastern parkland, about 105 km N of Yorkton at the junction of Hwys 9, 47, and 49. The vast area of the Porcupine Provincial Forest lies to the north, and Preeceville sits along the upper reaches of the Assiniboine River. Fur trading activity in the area dates to the latter 1700s. Ranching activities, which had begun in the late 1800s, gave way to homesteads after the township was surveyed in 1900. The Canadian Northern Railway arrived in 1912; on February 6 of that year the fledgling hamlet was incorporated as a village, its name honouring the Preece family upon whose land the community was built. With the arrival of the rails, settlement of the district increased, many settlers being of Scandinavian and Ukrainian origins. The community experienced a period of rapid growth during the 1940s, its population almost doubling over the decade. On November 30, 1946, Preeceville attained town status with a population of 540; it had a peak population of 1,272 in 1986. The area economy is based on agriculture, a combination of grain and livestock production. Preeceville is a supply and service centre for a trading area population of approximately 5,500. Major annual events include: the Preeceville Lions Trade Show each April; “Western Days,” the summer fair held in July; and the Musher’s Rendezvous, a major winter festival featuring sled dog races that attract competitors from as far away as Minnesota, the Yukon, and Alaska.

David McLennan