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55-568: Melfort may refer to: Melfort, Saskatchewan , Canada Melfort (electoral district) , a former federal electoral district in Canada Melfort (provincial electoral district) , a provincial electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada Melfort Creek , a river in Saskatchewan, Canada Melfort, Zimbabwe See also [ edit ] Earl of Melfort [REDACTED] Topics referred to by

110-693: A CA$ 10 fee for a quarter section of his choice. If after three years he had cultivated 30 acres (12 ha) and had built a house (often just a sod house ), he gained title to the quarter. Homesteads were available as late as the 1950s, but the bulk of the settlement of the Prairies was 1885 to 1914. Legal surveys conducted before and after the Dominion Land Survey grid was laid out often have their own legal descriptions and delineations. Early settlement lots still retain their own original legal descriptions, but often have townships superimposed over them for

165-576: A particular quarter section is "the Northeast Quarter of Section 20, Township 52, Range 25 west of the Fourth Meridian", abbreviated "NE-20-52-25-W4." A section may also be split into as many as 16 legal subdivisions (LSDs). LSDs are commonly used by the oil and gas industry as a precise way of locating wells, pipelines, and facilities. LSDs can be "quarter-quarter sections" (square land parcels roughly 1 ⁄ 4  mi [400 m] on

220-615: A party of Metis symbolically stepped on a survey chain, beginning the Red River Resistance . Work resumed in 1871; however, the system was redesigned to use 6-mile townships with 640-acre sections based on a suggestion from Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories William McDougall , who advocated that most of the settlers would come from the United States, so it was "advisable to offer them lots of

275-563: A population density of 404.3/km (1,047.1/sq mi) in 2021. Melfort experiences a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ). The highest temperature ever recorded in Melfort was 41.1 °C (106 °F) on 19 July 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −47.2 °C (−53 °F) on 28 January 1966. The Agriculture Melfort Research Station is centred in Melfort along with many other agriculturally based industries. The Melfort Research Farm near Melfort

330-591: A side, comprising roughly 40 acres [160,000 m ] in area)—but this is not necessary. Many are other fractions of a section (a half-quarter section—roughly 80 acres [320,000 m ] in area is common). LSDs may be square, rectangular, and occasionally even triangular. LSDs are numbered as follows (north at top): Occasionally, resource companies assign further divisions within LSDs such as "A, B, C, D, etc." for example, to distinguish between multiple sites within an LSD. These in no way constitute an official change to

385-499: A size to which they have been accustomed." The Dominion Land Survey System still differed from the Public Land System because it contained road allowances. The Dominion Land Survey was enormous. Around 178,000,000 acres (720,000 km ) are estimated to have been subdivided into quarter sections, 27 million of which were surveyed by 1883 (14 years after the system's inception). The amount of work undertaken between 1871 and 1930

440-640: Is at 49° north , which forms much of the Canada–United States border in the West. Each subsequent baseline is about 24 miles (39 km) to the north of the previous one, terminating at 60° north , which forms the boundary with Yukon , the Northwest Territories , and Nunavut . Starting at each intersection of a meridian and a baseline and working west (also working east of the First Meridian and

495-672: Is currently a CNR interchange point and railway station on the Tisdale, St. Brieux and Brooksby Subdivisions. The government's Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services office was to be combined with Melfort's Comprehensive High School and the Cumberland Regional College. The Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate provides education to grades 7 to 12 and is a part of the North East School Division No. 200. Historically students in Melfort were educated at

550-503: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Melfort, Saskatchewan Melfort ( 2016 population 5,992) is a city in Saskatchewan , Canada, located approximately 95 kilometres (59 mi) southeast of Prince Albert , 172 kilometres (107 mi) northeast of Saskatoon and 280 kilometres (170 mi) north of Regina . Melfort became Saskatchewan's 12th city in 1980. Melfort

605-471: Is given justice by the amount of paperwork submitted: the maps, plans, and memos transferred by the Canadian government to the provinces filled approximately 200 railway cars. This did not include closed or dormant files, which would fill 9,000 filing cabinets and weigh about 227 tons. Until very recently , surveying to take distance and angular measurements was done with manually controlled instruments. Distance

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660-544: Is located at the junction of two primary route highways, Highway 3 and Highway 6 where they meet with secondary Highway 41 . Approximately 327 km (203 mi) of Highway 6 contributes to the CanAm Highway between Corinne and Melfort. Approximately 96 km (60 mi) of Highway 3 contribute to the CanAm Highway between Melfort and Prince Albert. Melfort is approximately 174 km (108 mi) northeast of

715-469: Is slightly shorter than the south. Only along the baselines do townships have their nominal width from east to west. The two townships to the north of a baseline gradually narrow as one moves north, and the two to the south gradually widen as one moves south. Halfway between two base lines, wider-than-nominal townships abut narrower-than-nominal townships. The east and west boundaries of these townships therefore do not align, and north–south roads that follow

770-590: Is the Lower Saskatchewan - Nelson and the area is characterized by a prairie ecozone. The Tiger Hills Uplands ecozone provides rich soil to grow a diversity of crops. Melfort Research Farm is located south of Melfort in the Boreal Shield ecozone and the Churchill drainage basin . The farm's main purpose is to research crops and crop systems for northern prairie black and grey soil zones. The Melfort branch of

825-582: Is the reason base lines are not exactly 24 miles (39 km) apart. In townships surveyed from 1871 to 1880 (most of southern Manitoba, part of southeastern Saskatchewan and a small region near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), there are road allowances of 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 chains (30 m) surrounding every section. In townships surveyed from 1881 to the present, road allowances are reduced both in width and in number. They are 1 chain (20 m) wide and run north–south between all sections; however, there are only three east–west road allowances in each township, on

880-600: The Manitoba Act as they had been promised in 1870. In the case of the closely clustered settlements of Edmonton, St. Albert, and Fort Saskatchewan in the Alberta District, a militant "settlers' rights" movement developed which demanded action from the federal government to grant the settlers legal title to their land and to end claim jumping . The movement even resorted to vigilante action against suspected claim jumpers. Most of these grievances were resolved by 1885, which

935-533: The North West Territories with Benjamin Rothwell as the first postmaster. The community became a village on November 4, 1903, and incorporated as a town July 1, 1907. It finally became the twelfth city of Saskatchewan on September 2, 1980. Three one-room school houses used the name "Melfort". Melfort School District No. 54, later called Tiger Lily No. 54 17, near Pleasantdale . (Pleasantdale post office

990-466: The Canadian Legion has assembled a photographic display of the geographic memorials designated to honour the war dead. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Melfort had a population of 5,955 living in 2,575 of its 2,788 total private dwellings, a change of -0.6% from its 2016 population of 5,992 . With a land area of 14.73 km (5.69 sq mi), it had

1045-521: The Canadian Pacific Railway was granted 25,000,000 acres (100,000 km ) for the construction of its first line from Ontario to the Pacific. These sections are colloquially called CPR sections regardless of the railway they were originally granted to. Sections 11 and 29 were school sections . When school boards were formed, they gained title to these sections, which were then sold to fund

1100-528: The Coast Meridian ), nearly square townships were surveyed, whose north–south and east–west sides are about 6 miles (9.7 km) in length. There are two tiers of townships to the north and two tiers to the south of each baseline. Because the east and west edges of townships, called "range lines", are meridians of longitude , they converge towards the North Pole . Therefore, the north edge of every township

1155-528: The Dominion Land Survey marked a new era for western Canada. Railways were making their way to the West and the population of western regions began to increase. The introduction of the survey system marked the end of the nomadic ways for the First Nations and Metis. This did not go over well and was a catalyst to the events of the Red River Rebellion . Being a surveyor was not easy. The hours were long,

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1210-409: The Dominion Land Survey system, but nonetheless often appear as part of the legal description. In summary, the hierarchy of the division of Western Canada went as follows: Between certain sections of a township run "road allowances" (but not all road allowances have an actual road built on them). The road allowances add to the size of the township (they do not cut down the size of the sections): this

1265-437: The Fourth Meridian," abbreviated "52-25-W4." In Manitoba, the First Meridian is the only one used, so the abbreviations are even more terse, e.g., "3-1-W" and "24-2-E.". In Manitoba legislation, the abbreviations WPM and EPM are used: "3-1 WPM" and "2N4-2 EPM". Every township is divided into 36 sections , each about 1 mile (1.6 km) square. Sections are numbered within townships in a boustrophedon pattern, beginning with

1320-527: The Hudson's Bay Company. Covering about 800,000 square kilometres (310,000 sq mi), the survey system and its terminology are deeply ingrained in the rural culture of the Prairies. The DLS is the world's largest survey grid laid down in a single integrated system. The first formal survey done in western Canada was by Peter Fidler in 1813. The inspiration for the Dominion Land Survey System

1375-565: The Melfort School District Unit 54. The Melfort Journal , owned by Postmedia Network , is the city's weekly newspaper. Jim Pattison Group owns two radio stations in Melfort, country station CJVR-FM , and adult hits station CKJH . Dominion Land Survey The survey was begun in 1871, shortly after Manitoba and the North-West Territories became part of Canada, following the purchase of Rupert's Land from

1430-622: The Mustangs in 1996. Other notable Mustang alumni include Willie Mitchell of the Los Angeles Kings and Ruslan Fedetenko formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers. Municipal affairs are handled by the city's mayor , Glenn George and council. City council currently consists of George and six councillors. The Rural Municipality of Flett's Springs No. 429 office is located on McDonald Avenue West in Melfort and provides municipal rural affairs to

1485-717: The North East Leisure Centre, was taken down to make way for the new Kerry Vickar Centre. Melfort offers countless recreational opportunities for families and friends including swimming, camping, skiing, fishing, and golfing, among other things. Hockey is a key part of Saskatchewan's lifestyle and Melfort is no different. The Melfort Mustangs play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League . The Mustangs are well known in Canadian hockey circles in many ways—for instance Marc Habscheid , past coach of Canada's World Junior team, started his coaching career with

1540-525: The banks of Stoney Creek before relocation due to the surveying of the Canadian Northern Railway . Melfort was named to honour Mrs. Reginald Beatty (née Mary Campbell, 1856–1916), wife of one of the early settlers (1884). She was born on the Melfort estate, south of Oban , in Argyllshire , Scotland . Melfort's first post office was established August 1, 1892, in the provisional district of

1595-600: The company exactly five per cent. Although the HBC sold all these sections long ago, they are still often locally called "the Bay section " today. Resulting in a " checkerboard pattern ", odd-numbered sections (except 11 and 29) were often used for railway land-grants. The Prairies could not be settled without railways, so the Dominion government habitually granted large tracts of land to railway companies as an incentive to build lines. Notably,

1650-627: The company when it transferred its claim over the West to Canada in 1870. The rights of the pre-DLS settlers was a major political issue in the West in the late nineteenth century. The settlers claimed squatters' rights over the land they had already farmed, but the sizes and boundaries of these farms were poorly defined, leading to frequent disputes. As well the Métis in the Southbranch settlements of Saskatchewan were particularly concerned with their land rights given that they had not been well protected by

1705-452: The continent, but were determined using 19th-century technology. The only truly accurate benchmarks at that time were near the prime meridian in Europe. Benchmarks in other parts of the world had to be calculated or estimated by the positions of the sun and stars. Consequently, although they were remarkably accurate for the time, today they are known to be several hundred metres in error. Before

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1760-529: The deal that transferred Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company to Canada, the HBC retained five per cent of the "fertile belt" (south of the North Saskatchewan and Winnipeg rivers ). Therefore, Section 8 and three-quarters of Section 26 were assigned to the company. Additionally, the fourth quarter of Section 26 in townships whose numbers were divisible by five also belonged to the HBC in order to give

1815-511: The initial construction of schools. The rural school buildings were as often as not located on school sections; frequently, land trades were made between landowners and the school for practical reasons. The remaining quarter sections were available as homesteads under the provisions of the Dominion Lands Act , the federal government's plan for settling the North-West. A homesteader paid

1870-487: The largest provincial city, Saskatoon along Highway 41 (turning onto Highway 5 ) and approximately 94 km (58 mi) southeast of Prince Albert via the CanAm Highway. Melfort (Miller Field) Aerodrome ( TC LID : CJZ3 ), is located 2.6  NM (4.8 km; 3.0 mi) west of Melfort. In 1925, Melfort was listed as a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station on the CPR Melfort Subdivision. Melfort

1925-594: The north side of sections 7 to 12, 19 to 24 and 31 to 36. This results in a north–south road allowance every mile going west, and an east–west road allowance every two miles going north. This arrangement reduced land allocation for roads, but still provides road-access to every quarter-section. Road allowances are one of the differences between the Canadian DLS and the American Public Land Survey System , which leaves no extra space for roads. As part of

1980-567: The sake of convenience or for certain tasks. Urban developments superimpose new survey lots and plans over the older section and township grid also. Certain areas otherwise within the surveys' boundaries were not part of the survey grid, or not available for homesteading. These were Indian reserves , pre-existing "settlements" divided into " river lots " based on the French system used in Quebec, and lands around Hudson's Bay Company trading posts reserved for

2035-425: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melfort&oldid=1215308524 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

2090-429: The small unincorporated areas of Claggett, Ethelton, Ethelton Airport, Flett Springs, Lipsett, McMichael, Melfort Airport, Minto Park, Pathlow, and Taylorside. Melfort is in the federal electoral district of Prince Albert with their Member of Parliament being Randy Hoback . Provincially, the area is within the constituency of Melfort with its MLA being Todd Goudy . He was preceded by Rod Gantefoer. Melfort

2145-458: The southeast section (in contrast to the US which starts from the northeast), as follows (north at top): In turn, each section is divided into four quarter sections (square land parcels roughly 1 ⁄ 2  mi [800 m] on a side): southeast, southwest, northwest and northeast. This quarter-section description is primarily used by the agricultural industry. The full legal description of

2200-835: The survey system have to jog to the east or west. These east–west lines halfway between baselines are called "correction lines". Townships are designated by their "township number" and "range number". Township 1 is the first north of the First Baseline, and the numbers increase to the north. Range numbers recommence with Range 1 at each meridian and increase to the west (also east of First Meridian and Coast Meridian). On maps, township numbers are marked in Arabic numerals , but range numbers are often marked in Roman numerals ; however, in other contexts Arabic numerals are used for both. Individual townships are designated such as "Township 52, Range 25 west of

2255-413: The survey was even completed it was established that for the purposes of laws based on the survey, the results of the physical survey would take precedence over the theoretically correct position of the meridians. This precludes, for example, any basis for a boundary dispute between Alberta and Saskatchewan on account of surveying errors. The main east–west lines are the baselines . The First Baseline

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2310-482: The time away from civilization was longer, and the elements were unforgiving. A survey party generally consisted of up to 20 members, which would include a party chief, chain men, a cook, people to saw trees, a recorder, and people to turn angles . All travel was either on horseback or by foot. To begin surveying a party chief would have to buy approximately $ 400 worth of instruments. These instruments included an alidade , dumpy level , theodolite , Gunter's chain (which

2365-428: The township and concession system used in eastern Canada was not satisfactory. The first meridian was chosen at 97°27′28.4″ west longitude and was established in 1869. Another six meridians were established after. A number of places are excluded from the survey system: these include federal lands such as First Nation reserves, federal parks, and air weapon ranges. The surveys do not encroach on reserves because that land

2420-492: Was divided into five basic surveys. Each survey's layout was slightly different from the others. The first survey began in 1871 and ended in 1879 and covers some of southern Manitoba and a little of Saskatchewan. The second and smallest survey, in 1880, was used in only small areas of Saskatchewan. This system differs from the first survey because rather than running section lines parallel to the eastern boundary they run true north–south. The largest and most important of these surveys

2475-546: Was established before the surveys began. When the Hudson's Bay Company relinquished its title to the Dominion on July 15, 1870, via the Deed of Surrender , it received Section 8 and all of Section 26 excluding the northeast quarter. These lands were gradually sold by the company and in 1984 they donated the remaining 5,100 acres (21 km ) to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Association . The surveying of western Canada

2530-594: Was established in 1935 by the Federal Minister of Agriculture. It is one of the three field sites of the Saskatoon Research Centre (SRC). SRC is one of nineteen research branches of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada . Melfort is near a large diamond exploration site. The ongoing diamond exploration by a joint venture between Shore Gold Inc. Newmont Mining Corporation of Canada in the Fort à la Corne district

2585-771: Was expected to begin mine construction in 2012. Within the city of Melfort is the Melfort Golf & Country Club, which hosts an 18-hole grass greens golf course, and the Spruce Haven picnic area. A show ring, grandstand, museum, and exhibition building are all located within the Melfort Exhibition Grounds. The Melfort & District Museum next door showcases pioneering equipment, tools, farm machinery, archival documents as well as early settler's buildings Neighbouring points of interest are Fort Carleton , Duck Lake , and Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm . Melfort

2640-663: Was formerly called the "City of Northern Lights" due to the frequency with which the aurora borealis appears. However, in 2016, Melfort became "Play Melfort" due to its vast recreation programs and facilities. The city is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Star City No. 428 and the Rural Municipality of Flett's Springs No. 429 . It is also the administrative headquarters of the Peter Chapman First Nation band government . A few kilometres southeast of current location of Melfort settlers established themselves on

2695-434: Was home to the 2006 Saskatchewan Winter Games , the 1988 Saskatchewan Summer Games, the 1996 Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior 'A' Hockey Championships , the 1995 Saskatchewan Men's Curling Pool Tankard finals and the 2002 Saskatchewan women's Scott Tournament of Hearts finals. The Kerry Vickar Centre, a multi purpose sports and leisure facility, opened in the autumn of 2009 The previous multi-use facility at that location,

2750-527: Was measured using either a chain or more recently a transit or range finder. To turn angles, a theodolite was used. To find their location, they used astronomical observations, and to find elevation, levels and barometers were used. To see over long distances, towers were constructed from timber in flat and wooded areas. The most important north–south lines of the survey are the meridians : The meridians were determined by painstaking survey observations and measurements, and in reference to other benchmarks on

2805-527: Was previously named Windgap and was located at Township 41, Range 18 west of the 2nd Meridian ). Melfort School District No. 318 was established in 1904 at Clemens, Rural Route 1, Melfort. Melfort School District No. 1037 was the last one-room school house to use this name. Melfort is on the banks of Melfort Creek in the Carrot River Valley . The valley is noted for its black loamy soil and productive agricultural lands. The drainage region for Melfort

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2860-544: Was replaced by a steel tape), and a solar compass or a vernier compass. The Dominion Land Survey system was proposed in 1869 by John Stoughton Dennis . The initial plan, though based on the square townships of the American Public Lands Survey System , involved 9-mile townships divided into sixty-four 800-acre sections consisting of four 200-acre lots each. Work to establish the first meridian and few township outlines began and quickly ended in 1869 when

2915-414: Was the plan for Manitoba (and later Saskatchewan and Alberta) to be agricultural economies. With a large number of European settlers arriving, Manitoba was undergoing a large change so grasslands and parklands were surveyed, settled, and farmed. The Dominion Land Survey system was developed because the farm name and field position descriptions used in northern Europe were not organized or flexible enough, and

2970-493: Was the third, which covers more land than all the others surveys put together. This survey began in 1881. That method of surveying is still used in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The fourth and fifth surveys were used only in some townships in British Columbia. The reason that the Canadian government was pushing to subdivide Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta was to affirm Canadian sovereignty over these lands. The United States

3025-528: Was undergoing rapid expansion in the 1860s, and the Canadian government was afraid that the Americans would expand into Canadian territory. Canada's introduction of a railway and surveying was a means to discourage American encroachment. Sir John A. Macdonald remarked in 1870 that the Americans "are resolved to do all they can short of war, to get possession of our western territory, and we must take immediate and vigorous steps to counteract them." The beginning of

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