The Town of Wynyard is located along the Yellowhead Highway(Highway #16) in East-Central Saskatchewan. Wynyard is about an equal distance from three major centers, namely Regina (175 km), Saskatoon (200 km), and Yorkton(150 km). Wynyard is a community of approximately 1,800 people, although, people from Wynyard like to say that our size is 2,000. Wynyard has a solid business sector, with a strong emphasis on agriculture, lots of recreation facilities, and a very strong arts & culture community.
The Beginning
In the very early 1900s, Wynyard was settled by a group of Icelandic settlers who were drawn to the area by the Quill Lakes. They were soon followed by a large contingent of Ukrainian settlers and then by those of British and Polish descent. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) came through Wynyard very early and was a major force in the growth of this fine community.
How did Wynyard get its name?
The name Wynyard was, like many Saskatchewan settlements, named after an official with the Canadian Pacific Railway. In this case, Wynyard was the family name of the wife of this particular CPR official. From its humble beginnings, Wynyard was incorporated as a Village in 1908 and a Town in 1911.
How has Wynyard expanded?
Agriculture has always been a key factor in the development of Wynyard. However, other areas of economics have played a major role. As stated earlier, the CPR’s arrival was a great economic growth engine. The 1950s saw the arrival of Crawford’s Foods, a poultry processing plant. This plant has gone through many incarnations. Currently, it is known as Lilydale Poultry and is housed on the same site as the original Crawford’s plant. Lilydale currently employs approximately 500 people. With these two economic engines in place, a very successful retail and trade sector was established and enhanced over the years.
Throughout the years, Wynyard has seen a steady population growth up to, and including, the 1980s. Since then, Wynyard’s population has held fairly steady at the 2,000 mark.