Lumsden is a town in the Qu'Appelle Valley in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, 31 km northwest of the city of Regina. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Lumsden No. 189. The town functions as both a farming community and an unofficial suburb of Regina. Lumsden has an active artistic community, which consists of many writers, painters, and sculptors.[citation needed]
History
Settlers first arrived in 1881 and the area came to be commonly known as Happy Hollow. When the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway came through the community in 1889, the name was changed to Lumsden after Hugh Lumsden, a senior engineer with the railway.[6]
The town has repeatedly flooded, with major flood events occurring in 1892, 1904, 1916, 1948, and 1969. In 1974, Lumsden experienced the highest water levels in the town's history; volunteers from Regina and all surrounding communities came to help with sandbagging. The town subsequently straightened the Qu'Appelle River's channel and built dikes.[6] The Town was at risk for flooding again in 2011 after a wet fall winter of record snowfall; however, it did not flood.[7]
The community was chosen by Harrowsmith Magazine in 2002 as the "prettiest" town in the province.[8]
Centennial
Official town centennial celebrations were held in March 2005. In May 2005, Lumsden hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Lumsden Sports Centre. Hundreds of guests were entertained by Marny Duncan-Cary, the Lumsden Community Choir, the Riel Reelers, and the Lumsden & District Band and Jazz Ensemble. The event was held in celebration of both the town and the province's centenaries, and was the only engagement of Canada's Queen outside urban centres on that visit to Saskatchewan.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lumsden had a population of 1,800 living in 700 of its 732 total private dwellings, a change of -1.3% from its 2016 population of 1,824. With a land area of 4.92 km2 (1.90 sq mi), it had a population density of 365.9/km2 (947.6/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Each year since 1987, the Duck Derby Committee hosts a fundraiser in which thousands of numbered plastic ducks are raced down the Qu'Appelle River. Participants purchase a numbered duck which is entered in the race, and the first ducks across the finish line win their owners cash and prizes. Proceeds from the derby benefit the Lumsden Sports Center (rink) in town. The Duck Derby also hosts a variety of artists, musicians, traders, etc. who perform and sell their wares in town.[15]
Lumsden Scarecrow Festival
Lumsden hosts an annual Scarecrow Festival in September. Events of the day include a large street market, hay rides, activities for kids, food vendors, garage sales, outdoor movie and fireworks. The event usually draws thousands of people to town.[citation needed]
^Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
^ abMcLennan, David (2006). "Lumsden". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
