Wilkie

Wilkie

 Wilkie, Sask, incorporated as a town in 1911, population 1301 (2011c), 1222 (2006c). The Town of Wilkie is located in east-central Saskatchewan 160 km west of Saskatoon. Wilkie developed as a stopping place on the Medicine Hat Trail when Charles J. Logan established a general store there in 1906. Two years later the Canadian Pacific Railway gave Wilkie a direct link to the outside world. The town became a railway hub and terminal for 4 branch lines. Settlement and business in the town increased dramatically, reaching a population of 1500 just 6 years after its founding. At one time the railway employed over 600 people. The town took as its name the surname of the president of the Imperial Bank of Canada, Daniel R. Wilkie. While the first major economic base for the town was in the construction of the railway, this was soon replaced by agriculture. Agriculture remains Wilkie's major economic activity. The town now serves as a service and retirement centre for the surrounding area. The Wilkie Museum is a collection of 6 buildings including the Wilkie Press with its equipment still in working order.