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| Geography |  Wood Mountain is a Village located in south central Saskatchewan, a few kilometres (kms) north of the original location of the famous North West Mounted Police (NWMP) post. For several years the NWMP monitored Sitting Bull and the thousands of Sioux who fled to this area after the battle at Little Big Horn.
The Village is 1 km from the junction of Highways 18 and 358. The Red Coat Trail, Highway 13, runs through Limerick to the north of us. Assiniboia is 15 minutes east of Limerick, and Lafleche is 15 minutes west. The nearest cities in Canada are Moose Jaw (2 hours), Swift Current (2.2h), and Regina the Capital of Saskatchewan (2.5h).
| | History | Wood Mountain's first European settlers came in the 1870s, when about 35 Métis families moved here after the failure of the Red River Rebellion. Boundary Commission survey teams came through shortly after to mark the 49th parallel. They built the cabins that in 1874 became the first Wood Mountain NWMP post. Chasing out the whiskey traders didn't take long, and the post was closed the next year.
Today Wood Mountain is a peaceful area, but during the days of Sitting Bull and James Walsh this was one of the most politically volatile spots in North America. The famous Sioux Medicine Man Sitting Bull and as many as 5,000 of his Sioux followers took refuge here from the United States (U.S.) Army after the battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. General George Custer and his Seventh Cavalry were virtually wiped out when they foolishly attacked the Sioux and the Canadian Government was concerned that Sitting Bull might attack Canadians.
Superintendent James Walsh, commanding officer of Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, was sent to lay down the law to the Sioux. Walsh earned Sitting Bull's respect when he rode into the hostile-looking camp, with only a handful of constables. Sitting Bull agreed to the Canadian laws and within months of that agreement, a new Wood Mountain detachment was constructed for 22 NWMP officers. Walsh built a home nearby and spent most of his time in the Wood Mountain region until he was transferred to Fort Qu'Appelle in 1880. The Sioux kept their promise to abide by Canadian law, but the Canadian Government never granted them permanent status. By 1879 the Sioux were beginning to starve because fires set in the U.S. kept the buffalo south of the border. The U.S. Government offered amnesty and food to the Sioux, so many of them with only a few hundred remaining in Canada with Sitting Bull. Jean-Louis Legare, a trader from the Willow Bunch area, spent a great deal of effort and provided supplies to feed the starving Sioux.
After Legare's effort was exhausted, Sitting Bull realized he had been defeated and returned to the U.S. with a few more of his people. Not all of the Sioux left though, and their decedents still live in the area to this day.
| | Economic Information | Today the Village enjoys a great sense of community with the surrounding farms, ranches, and towns. We have many unique attractions and hope that you will be able to experience them sometime.
As more people moved onto the prairies at the Turn of the 20th Century, farming and ranching changed the landscape. Where there once were buffalo, cattle became the dominant grazing animal, and cereal grains were grown where once short grass prairie was all the eye could see. Farming and ranching play a big role in the lives of the residents here. Saskatchewan agriculture feeds a large portion of the world.
Sprinkle Fresh Spring Water & Naturally Canadian Fresh Spring Water are two successful businesses located in the town of Wood Mountain, where supplied with the remarkable water from Flowing Springs Ranch.
Wood Mountain Café is located in what was the Wood Mountain curling rink. The Café is for sale. There is a kitchen, two dining sections, washrooms, storage, and the rink.
Rivards's Refrigeration and Air Conditioning provides domestic refrigeration services as well as agricultural and automotive air conditioning repair.
The Post Office is located in the Rural Municipality (RM) building, selling stamps, providing fax and mail service from Monday to Friday. Post Office boxes and mail slot are accessible 24 hours every day.
| | Attractions | Various recreation and other services are available in the Village including Red Cross Swimming Lessons located at the Regional Park pool. The Wood Mountain Horticultural Fair is held every year in August, at the Wood Mountain Community Hall.
The east block of Grasslands National Park is only 20 kms southwest of Wood Mountain. Information for the park is available at the Rodeo Ranch Museum in the Wood Mountain Regional Park, or in the town of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, where tours of the park are also available.
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