Town, pop 2,471, located 115 km SW of Saskatoon at the crossroads of two major Hwys: No. 4, following the historic north-south trail between Swift Current and the Battlefords; and east-west Hwy 7, linking Saskatoon, Kindersley, and Calgary. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1904–05, following what was known as the “Old Bone Trail” that ran southwest from Saskatoon and was known as such for the bison bones which were collected along it and shipped to eastern Canada to be made into lampblack and fertilizer. In 1907, a post office was established on an area farm and named Rosetown in honour of James and Ann Rose, from Lancashire, England, who had come to the district in 1905. With the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway in the region in 1908–09, settlers began arriving in larger numbers, and in 1909 businessmen were establishing themselves at the townsite. Rosetown, which was incorporated as a village in August 1909, attained town status on November 1, 1911. In the early 1920s its population was approaching 1,000. On the night of June 16, 1923, the “Rosetown Cyclone” struck. Area farm buildings were tossed to the wind and Rosetown’s business district was severely damaged, as was the community’s hospital. However, the community quickly rebuilt and prospered as a transportation hub and distribution centre situated in productive crop lands. Today, the community’s 200 businesses serve a trading area population of over 8,100 people. Area attractions include the petroglyphs and other archaeological sites near the village of Herschel, and the Twin Towers Ski Resort, located 3 km south of the hamlet of Stranraer.
David McLennan