Moosomin, a town in southern Saskatchewan, was founded in 1882. Located 20 kilometres west of the provincial boundary between Saskatchewan and Manitoba, it was the first Saskatchewan community established on "steel" with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Initially known as "siding No. 4" and the "Moosomin Station", the town quickly grew, boasting five general stores, five hotels, two livery stables, two blacksmiths, a doctor, a lawyer, a butcher, and a printer by 1884.
The town was incorporated in November 1887 and was named after Chief Moosomin, a well-known leader who led his band into treaty status, signing Treaty 6 at Battleford in 1880. R. D. McNaughton, the first merchant to arrive in Moosomin, founded the R. D. McNaughton Company, a general store operation that played a vital role in the early settlement.
The Moosomin Courier, the oldest community newspaper in the province, published its first issue on October 2, 1884. Now known as the World-Spectator, it continues to be published weekly.
Moosomin was also home to several military units, including the 16th Light Horse, the 10th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, the 217th Battalion, CEF, and the 101st Battery of the 22nd Field Regiment. The town also had a jail, the Moosomin Gaol, and a hospital, which was the only one between Brandon and Indian Head when it opened in 1905.
One of Moosomin's notable figures is General Andrew McNaughton, who was born in the town in 1887. He commanded Canada's overseas army during the Second World War and later became Minister of Defence.
Moosomin experienced significant growth in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the construction of a major potash mine to the north. The town continues to grow, with a population of 2,733 in 2010, up from 2,496 a year earlier.
This growth is attributed to several factors. The PotashCorp Rocanville potash mine, located just north of the community, is undergoing a $2.8 billion expansion. The $60 million Red Lily Wind Farm started producing power in February 2011. The twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway through Moosomin in November 2009 led to the establishment of several new businesses. The Southeast Integrated Care Centre has become a major health care centre for a large region of south-eastern Saskatchewan and south-western Manitoba. Additionally, there has been significant activity in the local oil patch, which is at the northern end of the Bakken Formation.
Several major projects are in the pipeline in Moosomin. Land has been purchased for two major hotel developments next to the Canalta Hotel, which opened in 2010. Land has also been purchased for Pipestone Villas, a major residential development. Moosomin Lake and Moosomin Lake Regional Park are located just fourteen kilometres south of the town.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Moosomin had a population of 2,657 living in 1,102 of its 1,207 total private dwellings. This represented a change of -3.1% from its 2016 population of 2,743. With a land area of 7.15 km2, it had a population density of 371.6/km2 in 2021.
Moosomin has also made its mark in popular culture. The town is mentioned in The Guess Who song "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon".
