Saskatchewan Highway 9

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9
Highway 9
Saskota Flyway
Length:	606.2 km[1] (376.7 mi)
South end:	North Dakota Highway 8
North end:	Provincial Road 283
Rural municipalities:	Eniskillen No. 3, Moose Creek No. 33, Moose Mountain No. 63, Wawken No. 93
Major cities:	Yorkton
Provincial highways in Saskatchewan < Hwy 8 Hwy 10 >

Highway 9, Saskota Flyway is a provincial paved undivided highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.^[2] It runs from North Dakota Highway 8 at the US border near Port of Northgate until it transitions into Provincial Road 283 at the Manitoba border.

The Saskota Flyway (Highway 9) is known as the International Road to Adventure, because it takes you from Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, all the way south to Bismarck, North Dakota^[3]

Highway 9 is about 593 km (368 mi.) long. Highway 9 passes through Carlyle, Yorkton, Canora, Preeceville, and Hudson Bay. It intersects Highway 1, Highway 16, and Highway 5. Highway 9 is a gravel surfaced road from Hudson Bay north to the junction with Sk 55.

[edit] Communities

The Port of Northgate, as well as Elcott^[3] are unincorporated areas of Enniskillen No. 3 Rural municipality. The highway crosses the Souris River before reaching Alameda a town of 308 residents in 2006^[4], was incorporated in 1907.^[5] The Saskota Flyway crosses Moose Mountain River before passing through Carlyle. Carlyle is a town of 1,257 persons in 2006^[4], and is located at the intersection of Sk 9 with Sk 13, the Red Coat Trail.^[6] Carlyle has been dubbed the

gateway to the Moose Mountain resorts.

^[7] White Bear Lake, Kenosee Lake and Carlyle Lake are north of Carlyle^[8]

The land in this area was surveyed by 1881 ... A space of sixty- six feet wide between sections was left for a road allowance, every mile running north and south and every two miles running east and west.^[9]

The prairie dirt trails were the first used. Walking plows could loosen up earth, then two horse scrapers called fresnoes, could grade the low places. These projects could be undertaken by pioneer settlers who wished to work to help pay homestead taxes. Two horse teams were replaced by fours horse teams and larger scrapers. Crawler tractors eventually replaced horse teams to pull larger scrapers and graders.

No. 9 was surveyed in 1929 and graded in 1930-31. These roads were first gravelled in 1930-31 and 1933. This made for safer driving in rainy weather, but very dusty in dry weather. Sometimes these clouds of dust were the cause of accidents on the highways. Next these roads were re-built for oiled surfaces - No. 9 to the lakes in 1956, and south of town in 1964-65....The oiled surface reduced the dust hazard, but kept breaking up under heavy loads...When potash was discovered...better surfacing was requited. So the highway were once again built up to make them wider, and No. 9 got heavy-duty paving to withstand the heavy loads. This was done in 1969-1970...^[10]

A government road project of 1931 connected White Bear Lake to Fish Lake. Harry Cochrane and his crew began in the south at White Bear Lake, Bill Henderson and his crew began in the north at Fish Lake.^[8] The first name of Kenosee Lake was Fish Lake.^[11] The Scenic Highway Relief Project was begun traveling south to north west of the present highway.

The route was blazed, trees felled, stumps dynamited, and the cleared area ploughed, in order to prepare it for the construction.^[12]

All this work as soon overgrown with native flora, and the road was never developed between McGurk Lake to the south and Stevens Lake and Hewitt Lake at the north end.^[13][14]

About 1952, rural municipal councils realized they had to improve their road system to accommodate heavier loads and faster traffic.... road standards were set by the Government. Finally it was agreed the Government would pay sixty percent and the municipality the remainder^[15]

Carlyle was the headquarters for 725 kilometres (450.49 miles) of highway and six separate Department of Highway crews. These crews provide winter maintenance such as removing snow and ice, and summer maintenance such as drainage, sign and guard rail repair. Langbank is an unincorporated area of Silverwood No. 123 Rural municipality.^[4] Pipestone Creek is traversed by Sk 9 between Langbank and Whitewood.^[3] Whitewood had a population of 869 in 2006^[4] and is located at the intersection of Sk 1 TransCanada Highway and Sk 9.^[6] The Qu'Appelle River and Round Lake demark the northern perimeter of Ochapowace Indian Reserve. Stockholm, a village of 323 in 2006,^[4] is situated at the beginning of the concurrency of the Saskota Flyway with Sk 22.^[1] Dubuc a village of 55 folk^[4] is north of Crooked Lake and Crooked Lake Provincial Park.^[6] In 1926, Bangor was located on Sk 9 and not Dubuc.^[3] Kaposvar Creek is crossed en route to Crescent Lake^[3] an unincorporated area of Cana No. 214 Rural municipality.^[4] Leech Lake is west of the Saskota Flyway. Upper and Lower Roussay Lakes, Crescent Lake and Leech Lake are south of Yorkton. Yorkton first settled May 10, 1882 as York Town by the York Colonization Farmers Company.^[16] Yorkton, a city of 15,038 residents in 2006,^[4] is at the intersections of Sk 9, Sk 10 and Sk 16 the Yellowhead.^[6] In 1922 a sever flood covered about 50 % of the land between Yorkton and Canora taking out road and railway grades.

Grades on which there has been no water for the past nine years have been submerged. The Canora road is under water for two miles, and the only mode of transportation to the Reman school is by boat. Almost all the bridges in Wallace Municipality are washed out....the roads between Canora and Yorkton are washed out in so many places that it will be well into the summer before auto traffic between these places will be possible.^[17]

Ebenezer a village of 139 people in 2006^[4] is next on the journey. Whitesand River is traversed on the way to the town of Canora. Canora with 2,013 residents on the 2006 census^[4] is located at the intersections of the Saskota Flyway with Sk 651 and Sk 5. Crooked Hill Creek is crossed en route to Sturgis. The Assiniboine River, and South Etomami River pass near Sturgis.^[18] Sturgis & District Regional Park is located south of the highway.^[18] The Assiniboine River also ran slongside the town of Preeceville.^[18] In 1926, Preeceville was the northern terminus of Sk 9.^[3] It has grown to be a town of 1,050 residents (2006).^[4] Local Improvement District (L.I.D.) 18-B-2 evolved in 1909 to L.I.D. No. 334 changed names to the rural municipality of Preeceville was incorporated January 1, 1913.^[19] A few places sprang up along the rail line between Preeceville and Hudson Bay, according to the 1948 Waghorn's Saskatchewan map.^[20] This area between Preeceville and Hudson Bay is the Porcupine Mountain Forest Reserve.^[20] Crossing the Red Deer river, the next settlement is Hudson Bay. The Etomami River, Little Swan River and Swan River are south of Hudson Bay. First incorporated as the Village of Etoimami (also recorded as Etoimomi)^[21] on August 22, 1907, then the village of Hudson Bay Junction in 1909. On November 20, 1946, the Town of Hudson Bay Junction was created, and on February 1, 1947, the term junction was dropped becoming the town of Hudson Bay.^[21][22] The Junction was the Fir River, Etoimami River joining with the Red Deer River.^[21] The town of Hudson Bay was termed

Saskatchewan's Port of Entry to the Port of Churchill and Gateway to Hudson's Bay.^[21]

The town has a population of 1,646 on the 2006 census.^[4] Quite a few rivers were traversed after Hudson Bay before crossing the Manitoba Saskatchewan border en route to The Pas, Manitoba. Fir River, Chemong River, and Waskwei river are all near Wildcat Hill Wilderness Provincial Park.^[6] The Wildcat Hill Wilderness Provincial Park was previously the Pasquia Hills Forest Reserve.^[20] Carrot River marks the northern perimeter of the Saskota Flyway, as the road runs parallel to this river before leaving Saskatchewan and after entering Manitoba.

[edit] List Junctions Major Intersections

[edit] External links

• How Roads Were Built
• Unofficial Saskatchewan Highways website

[edit] Notes