Cabri

Town, pop 483, located approximately 65 km NW of Swift Current on Hwy 32, and 60 km N of Gull Lake via Hwy 37. In 1908 settlers were arriving in the Cabri district, and the village grew quickly. By 1918, an impressive string of nine Grain Elevators lined the railway tracks, and by 1921 Cabri had a population of over 500. Low precipitation in the 1930s discouraged many area farmers, who left. But after World War II Cabri, like many other Saskatchewan communities, entered a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth. Agricultural technology had improved, and with Irrigation, fertilizers and herbicides the heavy clay gumbo produced higher yields. Oil was discovered in the region in the early 1950s; the TransCanada Pipeline, constructed in 1956, ran just a few kilometres from town. By 1971, the town’s population had swollen to 737. In subsequent decades, however, with improved roads, fewer people Farming the countryside, and the abandonment of passenger rail service, the population returned closer to the community’s historic average. Although agriculture and its subsidiary activities remain the backbone of the district, the recent discovery of large reserves of natural gas in the area has injected money into the local economy and provided some off-farm employment. Today, Cabri remains an important centre in the district, with many businesses, services, and recreation opportunities. The Cabri Brass Band became renowned throughout the province; one of its members, Bobby Gimby (1919–98) later gained national attention as the composer of the 1967 Centennial song “Canada”; he received the Order of Canada for his contribution to the country’s national identity.

David McLennan