Eston

Town, pop 1,048, located SE of Kindersley on Hwys 44 and 30. The South Saskatchewan River and Eston Riverside Regional Park lie 23 km south of the town. The Eston area was opened to homesteaders in 1906, and settlers arrived from eastern Canada, the USA, and the British Isles. From 1914 to 1984, Eston experienced steady growth; then began a period of decline and challenges. Community leaders reacted with a series of successful locally based initiatives and economic development strategies which helped stabilize the population, create employment, and enhance the quality of life in the town. Today, the area economy remains based upon agriculture—the production of a wide variety of cereal grains and specialty crops, as well as cattle, bison, and elk—and Eston has a number of services and suppliers catering to the agricultural industry. Eston also has an RCMP detachment, banking, shopping, a weekly newspaper, and a K–12 School with approximately 225 students. Annual events in Eston include an indoor rodeo, the “World Super Gopher Derby,” Christmas lights, and “Communities in Bloom” competitions.

David McLennan