Harris, Saskatchewan

Village of Harris

Location of Harris in Saskatchewan

Coordinates: 51°43′59″N 107°34′44″W / 51.733°N 107.579°W / 51.733; -107.579
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan
Region Saskatchewan
Census division 12
Rural Municipality Harris
Post office Founded 1906 (at an outlying location)
1909 (at the village's current site)
Incorporated (Village) 1909
Government
  Mayor Ron Genest
  Administrator Rhonda Leonard
  Governing body Harris Village Council
Area
  Total 0.72 km2 (0.28 sq mi)
Population (2006)
  Total 187
  Density 259.5/km2 (672/sq mi)
Time zone CST
Postal code S0L 1K0
Area code(s) 306
Highways Highway 7
[1][2][3][4]

Harris is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was named for Richard Elford Harris, an early settler.

History

Richard Elford Harris (1849–1919) was a homesteader who settled two miles north of the current village site in 1904. A small hamlet grew near the farm, and Harris was the first postmaster when the community's post office opened in 1906.[5]

When the railroad was constructed in 1908, it passed to the south of the hamlet. As a result, the community, including the post office, moved the two miles to its current site near the railroad in 1909. Harris was incorporated as a village on August 10, 1909.[5]

In 1914, the village played a key role in the Great Ruby Rush, in which approximately 3,000 prospectors flocked to a location twenty miles northwest of the village due to reports of ruby deposits. The entire event was later determined to be a hoax created by the owners of a hotel in Harris (no longer standing), as a gimmick to get more customers.[5] The so-called rubies were garnets, a common mineral.

St. Brigitte Roman Catholic Church is one of several designated historical building in the town.[6]

"Harris' Great Ruby Rush Hoax" Rock

The plaque mounted on the large rock next to the Harris Museum reads in part:

Headline. Saskatoon Star Phoenix: July 1914 "Quartz Discovered 20 Miles N.W. of Harris" Suddenly the ruby rush was on! Lasting 10–12 days, at its height 3000 people were involved at the site, staking out claims and digging up stones. Tents housed saloons, restaurants (one egg at 1 dollar), and this rock, guarded by armed guards, containing the so-called rubies. The ruby rush was soon discovered to be a hoax as the rubies were garnets of little value. This ruby rock was moved from its original site in 1990.

Demographics

Canada census – Harris, Saskatchewan community profile
2006 2001
Population: 187 (-19.4% from 2001) 232 (- 5.3% from 1996)
Land area: 0.72 km2 (0.28 sq mi) 0.72 km2 (0.28 sq mi)
Population density: 259.5/km2 (672/sq mi) 321.9/km2 (834/sq mi)
Median age: 53.3 (M: 52.5, F: 52.5) 47.0 (M: 47.2, F: 46.8)
Total private dwellings: 114 126
Median household income: $N/A $N/A
References: 2006[7] 2001[8]

Notable people

Harris was the birthplace of National Hockey League player Quintin Laing.

Climate

Climate data for Harris
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10
(50)
13.3
(55.9)
21
(70)
33.9
(93)
37.2
(99)
41.5
(106.7)
40.6
(105.1)
38
(100)
37
(99)
31.1
(88)
22
(72)
16.1
(61)
41.5
(106.7)
Average high °C (°F) −10.6
(12.9)
−6.2
(20.8)
1
(34)
11.7
(53.1)
19
(66)
23.2
(73.8)
25.4
(77.7)
25
(77)
19
(66)
11.6
(52.9)
−0.6
(30.9)
−8.1
(17.4)
9.3
(48.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −15.9
(3.4)
−11.7
(10.9)
−4.8
(23.4)
4.8
(40.6)
11.6
(52.9)
16.1
(61)
18.3
(64.9)
17.4
(63.3)
11.7
(53.1)
4.8
(40.6)
−5.9
(21.4)
−13.4
(7.9)
2.7
(36.9)
Average low °C (°F) −21.3
(−6.3)
−17.2
(1)
−10.5
(13.1)
−2.2
(28)
4.1
(39.4)
9
(48)
11
(52)
9.8
(49.6)
4.3
(39.7)
−2.1
(28.2)
−11.2
(11.8)
−18.7
(−1.7)
−3.8
(25.2)
Record low °C (°F) −45.6
(−50.1)
−43.9
(−47)
−37.2
(−35)
−27.2
(−17)
−17.2
(1)
−3.3
(26.1)
1.1
(34)
−3.3
(26.1)
−13.9
(7)
−25
(−13)
−34
(−29)
−42.5
(−44.5)
−45.6
(−50.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 22.3
(0.878)
11.9
(0.469)
19.3
(0.76)
28.6
(1.126)
48.1
(1.894)
70
(2.76)
64.3
(2.531)
43.4
(1.709)
31.3
(1.232)
18.3
(0.72)
19.4
(0.764)
23.3
(0.917)
400.1
(15.752)
Source: Environment Canada[9]

Points of interest

The Harris Museum and associated artifacts:

Other places:

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harris, Saskatchewan.

Footnotes

  1. National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters
  2. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home, Municipal Directory System, archived from the original ( Scholar search) on November 21, 2008
  3. Canadian Textiles Institute. (2005), CTI Determine your provincial constituency
  4. Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005), Elections Canada On-line
  5. 1 2 3 McLennan, David (2008), Our Town: Saskatchewan Communities from Abbey to Zenon Park, Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, p. 161, ISBN 978-0-88977-209-0
  6. "St. Brigitte Roman Catholic Church" (PDF), Saskatchewan Register of Heritage Property, Government of Saskatchewan, retrieved 2011-03-20
  7. "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  8. "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  9. Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 27 July 2010

Coordinates: 51°43′59″N 107°34′44″W / 51.733°N 107.579°W / 51.733; -107.579

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