Ponteix

Ponteix (/ˈpɒntɛks/, PON-teks) is a town in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, 86 kilometres (53 mi) southeast of Swift Current. It is on Highway 628, just north of Highway 13.

History

In 1908, Father Albert-Marie Royer from the Auvergne region in France established a parish and hamlet called Notre-Dame d’Auvergne north of Notukeu Creek.^[1] Five years later, the townsite was moved south of the creek when the Canadian Pacific Railway laid track there. After the move, the community was renamed Ponteix after Father Royer's former parish in France (Le Ponteix, commune of Aydat).^[2]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ponteix had a population of 577 living in 242 of its 276 total private dwellings, a change of 2.49% from its 2016 population of 563. With a land area of 1.19 km² (0.46 sq mi), it had a population density of in 2021.^[3]

Climate

According to the 2011 federal census, 175 of Ponteix's residents spoke both official languages (English and French).^[4]

Notukeu Regional Park

Notukeu Regional Park (49.7501°N 107.4854°W)^[5] is a regional park along the banks of Notukeu Creek and adjacent to Ponteix. The park has a campground, golf course, spray park, and swimming pool.^[6] It is a small park that was founded in 1964.

The campground has 30 serviced campsites plus a tenting area.^[7] The Ponteix Golf Club has grass greens and is a 9-hole, par 33 course that totals 2,485 yards. There is a licensed clubhouse and pro shop.^[8]

Attractions

• Plesiosaur Statue: Near Ponteix was the site of a plesiosaur find in the early 1990s. In 1995 community members and students of Ponteix school contributed small articles to this plesiosaur statue before it was filled with cement and painted by the townspeople in a ceremony commemorating the discovery of the original plesiosaur's bones.^[9]
• Notukeu Heritage Museum in Ponteix features prehistoric artifacts.^[10]
• Notre Dame D'Auvergne Catholic Church, a brick and concrete structure in Ponteix built in 1929, features twin steeples and houses a large wood carving of the Pieta.^[11] The Pieta statue came to Canada in 1909 and was saved when the 1916 church was destroyed by fire in 1923. A description of the oak statue in 1954 by Abbot Jerome Webber of St. Peter's Abbey claims it was made in France over four hundred years ago, was saved by peasants during the French Revolution and was once covered in pure gold.^[12]

Notable residents

• Mark Lamb — former NHL ice hockey player

See also

• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of francophone communities in Saskatchewan
• List of towns in Saskatchewan

References

1. ^ "Notukeu Creek". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
2. ^ "Town of Ponteix website". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
3. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
4. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
5. ^ "Notukeu Regional Park". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
6. ^ "Notukeu Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
7. ^ "Notukeu". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
8. ^ "Ponteix Golf Club". GolfPass. GolfPass. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
9. ^ "Big Things (Village of Ponteix, Saskatchewan)". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
10. ^ "Museums Association of Saskatchewan (Notukeu Heritage Museum)". Retrieved 2012-12-20.
11. ^ "Notre Dame D'Auvergne Catholic Church". Archived from the original on 2004-02-22. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
12. ^ "Saskatchewan’s Marian Shrines". Retrieved 2012-12-20.