Nestled 90 km east of Saskatoon and 35 km west of Humboldt, Bruno, Saskatchewan is a unique prairie town with a rich history and vibrant community life. Under the leadership of Mayor Dale Glessman, Bruno stands out as the only prairie community to host an annual cherry festival.
Just 4 km west of Bruno, the historic Bruno Clayworks produced over one million bricks between 1905 and the 1960s. The unique sideways "T" shape of the bricks allowed rows to interlock when rotated 180º. Many of the area's buildings, including the heritage-listed Old Fire Hall and Jail, which now houses the Bruno Museum, were built from these bricks.
Bruno was named after Father Bruno Doefler, a German immigrant from Minnesota who arrived in the area in 1902. From 1911 to 1919, Father Doefler served as the Abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Saint Peter-Muenster. The territory, which included Bruno, was also known as St. Peter's Colony.
In 1919, the Ursuline Sisters opened a convent in Bruno, and by 1922, they had established St. Ursula's Academy. The original 1919 building was expanded in the 1950s to include a chapel. By 1952, the convent was home to 80 professed sisters, a significant increase from the 55 sisters in 1934. Further expansions occurred in 1962 with the addition of a gymnasium, and in 1977 with a new infirmary wing. The academy graduated its last class in 1982. Today, eight stained glass windows from the convent chapel can be found in the Holy Spirit Church in Saskatoon, Vanier Collegiate in Moose Jaw, and Villa Angela and the Humboldt Museum in nearby Humboldt.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bruno has a population of 604, residing in 274 of its 299 total private dwellings. This represents a slight decrease of -1.1% from its 2016 population of 611. With a land area of 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi), Bruno boasts a population density of 642.6/km2 (1,664.2/sq mi) in 2021.
