Choiceland

Town, pop 370, located 42 km NW of Nipawin, just N of the junction of Hwys 6 and 55. Choiceland is situated in the forest fringe of the northernmost agricultural region of eastern Saskatchewan. The beginnings of the Hanson Lake Road and Narrow Hills Provincial Park are located north of the town. Settlement of the area began in the early 1920s, the first arrivals being primarily of British origin. As the community developed, it became somewhat cosmopolitan as people of German, Ukrainian, Polish, Dutch, and Chinese descent arrived. Schools and a post office were established in the district in the late 1920s; however, with the arrival of the railroad in 1932, the post office relocated to the newly established townsite and a new school was then built in the burgeoning community. Today, the community has a number of businesses and services, many of which are involved with the district’s agricultural industry. Choiceland has a library, a museum, three churches, a K–12 school, and a volunteer fire department. Recreational facilities include a Curling rink, an indoor arena, ball diamonds, a campground, a paddling pool, and a community hall. The Wapiti Valley Ski Area, 25 km south of Choiceland on the Saskatchewan River, offers 90 vertical metres of skiing with runs over a kilometre long.

David McLennan