Gull Lake, Saskatchewan
History
The history of the Gull Lake community dates back to 1906, when a development company Conrad and Price acquired and surveyed the town site and subdivided it into blocks. Unlike most other towns located along the Canadian Pacific Railway main line, Gull Lake was not planned and established by the railroad. In fact, there was some animosity from the railroad towards this town that bucked their plan.
From 1906 to 1909 there was no municipal government or authority other than Conrad and Price: the company had full jurisdiction over civic affairs. In 1909 the citizens of Gull Lake had their community incorporated as a village.
Before 1906 the town of Gull Lake was part of the famed Ranch 76 that stretched over most of southwestern Saskatchewan. There are still a few buildings in the town that were part of the ranch.
The origin of the name Gull Lake comes from the Cree word for the area, Kiaskus (kiyaskos) which means "little gull".
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gull Lake had a population of 908 living in 407 of its 494 total private dwellings, a change of -13.2% from its 2016 population of 1,046. With a land area of 2.4 km (0.93 sq mi), it had a population density of 378.3/km (979.9/sq mi) in 2021.
| 2021 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 908 (-13.2% from 2016) | 989 (+2.5% from 2006) |
| Land area | 2.40 km (0.93 sq mi) | 2.50 km (0.97 sq mi) |
| Population density | 378.5/km (980/sq mi) | 395.6/km (1,025/sq mi) |
| Median age | 43.2 (M: 42.0, F: 44.0) | 48.3 (M: 46.8, F: 49.6) |
| Private dwellings | 494 (total) 407 (occupied) | 475 (total) |
| Median household income | $73,000 |
Climate
Gull Lake Experiences a Humid Continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers and long, cold winters.
| Climate data for Gull Lake | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14 (57) |
15 (59) |
20.6 (69.1) |
30 (86) |
38 (100) |
39 (102) |
37 (99) |
40 (104) |
37.8 (100.0) |
29 (84) |
21.5 (70.7) |
14.4 (57.9) |
40 (104) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −6.1 (21.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
17.8 (64.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25 (77) |
18.2 (64.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −11.5 (11.3) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
4.6 (40.3) |
10.6 (51.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
17 (63) |
10.8 (51.4) |
4.9 (40.8) |
−4 (25) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −16.8 (1.8) |
−13.8 (7.2) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.9 (48.0) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.6 (−41.1) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−9 (16) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
0 (32) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−25.5 (−13.9) |
−33.5 (−28.3) |
−41.5 (−42.7) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.1 (0.71) |
13.7 (0.54) |
22.3 (0.88) |
26.5 (1.04) |
64.9 (2.56) |
64.6 (2.54) |
52.9 (2.08) |
41.3 (1.63) |
35.9 (1.41) |
15.7 (0.62) |
12.4 (0.49) |
19.6 (0.77) |
387.9 (15.27) |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Economy
Agriculture is the top employment field with many surrounding farms and ranches, with some work in the oil fields as well.