Wilcox

Wilcox

Wilcox, Sask, incorporated as a village in 1907, population 339 (2011c), 222 (2006c). The Village of Wilcox is located 42 km south of REGINA and situated midway between MOOSE JAW and WEYBURN on the Soo Line Railway. Settlement began in the early 1900s with the majority of the area settlers being of Scandinavian or American descent who were seeking farmland or new opportunities. The townsite flourished as the railway brought settlers and supplies to the area, and was soon named after Albert Wilcox, the chief train dispatcher of the Soo Line Railway. Many farms that were HOMESTEADED in the early days of Wilcox still remain to this day.

In 1920 the Sisters of Charity of St Louis founded what would become the ATHOL MURRAY COLLEGE OF NOTRE DAME. In 1927 Père Athol Murray joined the Sisters of Charity and encouraged a liberal high school and university education for anyone regardless of their ability to pay. The university program ended in the 1980s but the high school remains, attracting students from all over the globe.

In the early days Wilcox was a service and commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural area. While this remains true to this day, the village's economy is also reliant on Notre Dame. Many of Wilcox's historical buildings are still present, several of which, such as the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce building (1912), are now operated by Notre Dame to provide additional classroom and office space. The sole industry is a clay processing plant for a nearby mine. The village is also the administrative centre for the Rural Municipality of Bratt's Lake No 129. While almost extinct elsewhere on the prairie landscape, 3 wooden grain elevators remain as landmarks.