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| Geography |  The Rural Municipality (RM) of White Valley is located in Southwest Saskatchewan, 18 miles north of the United States border, 34 miles east of the Alberta border, and 20 miles south of Number 1 Highway. Provincial Highways numbers 13 and 37 run through portions of the municipality. Swift Current, Saskatchewan and Medicine Hat, Alberta are the nearest major urban centres.
The northern portion of the municipality is comprised of the east end of the Cypress Hills. The Frenchman River, an international waterway, dissects the municipality.
| | History | In 1912, residents of townships 4, 5, and 6 in ranges 19, 20, and 21 west of the 3rd meridian organized themselves into a nine township municipality. The ratepayers within this area elected six councillors and a reeve to represent them. The municipality was incorporated and the councillors took office on January 1, 1913. In December 1921 an unusual occurrence took place at municipal elections when a plebiscite was held concerning disorganization. It carried by a majority of 3 ½ to 1; however disorganization did not take place.
In 1922, the Town of Eastend and the RM of White Valley occupied the same building and the secretary-treasurer for the town also became the secretary-treasurer for the RM of White Valley. The two municipalities shared administrative services until December 31, 1981 at which time they decided to separate the positions. In January 2001 an agreement was formulated to once again share administrative staff. The municipalities have continued to be housed in the same building throughout the years.
In 1967, a vote was held to determine if the municipality should amalgamate part of the Local Improvement District (L.I.D.) into its boundaries. The result was 85 for and 85 against, so the Saskatchewan Government turned over a portion of the L.I.D. The end result was a 21 ½ township municipality with the number of councillors increasing from six to ten, plus the reeve.
The sparse population of the municipality and the vast distances between rural residential sites and the nearest urban centres results in several hundred miles of roads and trails.
| | Economic Information | Southwest Saskatchewan, and in particular the region south of the TransCanada Highway and west of number 37 Highway, is the least populated portion of the agricultural sector of the province. The rural population is widely dispersed within the region, with farmers enjoying the largest average farm size in the province.
The agriculture industry is well mixed between ranching and grain production. The PFRA has developed an irrigation system which produces many tons of hay for local and commercial use. The oil and gas industry, together with two major pipelines, play a major role in the municipality's economic viability. There are three locally run grazing co-ops, plus a provincial lands branch lease, known as Arena Community Pasture, which consists of 31,280 acres.
| | Attractions | The municipality is rich in archaeological and paleontological finds. The RM of White Valley is where 'SCOTTY' the Tyrannosaurus rex lived, died, and was resurrected. Tours to the excavation site of the T-Rex commenced in 1994.
The RM of White Valley, in conjunction with the Town of Eastend, developed the Eastend Community Tourism Authority to promote the area as a tourist destination. The focal point for this group was the construction of a paleontological museum to house 'Scotty'. The construction and installation of the displays for the T-rex Discovery Centre were completed in 2003. The T-rex Discovery Centre operates in partnership with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum as a scientific and educational facility.
Other attractions in the municipality are:
White Mud Pits-clay mined for pottery, bricks, etc.
The North West Mounted Police (NWMP) Post 1889-1914 outpost situated at the east end of the Cypress Hills.
Continental Divide-geological feature where north of line creeks and rivers run northeast to Hudson Bay, and south of the line they run south to the Gulf of Mexico.
Jones Peak-breath taking, sweeping view of the Frenchman River Valley.
Chocolate Peak-burning coal seam strikingly altered the appearance of this butte.
Wilkinson Memorial Observatory-built in the 1940s by a local blacksmith interested in astronomy. The original hand ground telescopes have been replaced with a modern telescope.
Crazy Horse camp-Sioux Indian warrior chief who helped Sitting Bull defeat Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn, fled across the Medicine Line and reportedly set up camp at this location.
Self guided driving tours to the various attractions in the area can be downloaded from the T.rex Centre website or picked up at the Visitor Centre at the Eastend Historical Museum.
| | Other Info | A portion of the northwest corner of the municipality was purchased through treaty land entitlement by the Nekaneet First Nation.
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