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Community InformationWelcome to Ile-a-la Crosse, a place of beauty and peace. Our community is the second oldest in Saskatchewan, runner up to us is Prince Albert. We are located in one of the most beautiful regions of Northern Saskatchewan, where the air is always fresh, the water is pure and the trees are brilliant green. Nature's beauty jumps out at you, the different sights to see, many sounds and smells is truly wonderful.Our Town is full of history and we hope you get to enjoy it to it's fullest. In 1779, the Hudson Bay Company began to build posts along the inland rivers. In this same year, William Linklater set up a post here. Ile-a-la Crosse was one of the important fur trading places. Quite a few of the french traders married and lived here with their indian wives. The name Ile-a-la crosse translated from French to English would be: island of the cross. The name comes from the game La Cross played by the indians. When traders arrived, they watched the natives play on Big Island and therefore named the place they lived Ile-a-la Crosse. The majority of residents in Ile-a-la Crosse are Metis, another French word meaning "to mix". The Metis families of Ile-a-la Crosse are mainly descended from French Canadian or Scots ancestor from the Red River. More Information:
Reasons for visiting our village are endless. There is always something to do. We have a beautiful beach, a popular place in the summer. When the lake freezes over in winter, it is a great place for cross country skiing. The scenery here, in all four seasons, is amazing.
Because of Ile-a-la Crosse's long history, the town has a lot of culture. Soeur Marguerite Marie, Sister of the famous Louis Riel, is buried here. Their father was born in Ile-a-la Crosse. In the same area, Father Rossignol rests, our current school is named after him. Many of the people who worked in the mission are along side. There are two grave sites, the one mentioned above is located in Bouvierville, the other is in McKay Point.
When the lake freezes over, life in Ile-a-la Crosse changes. We have an active snowmobile club who host an annual snowmobile rally. There are recreational and contact hockey tournaments held each year. Minor hockey and ringette provide recreation for our youth. The curling rink has weekly leagues both youth and adults as well as weekend bonspiels. We have a new cross-country ski trail which is enjoyed by people of all ages. The large lake provides ample opportunities for ice fishing, trapping and hunting. Our town is very beautiful in the winter and on a nice day children can be seen enjoying themselves skating on the lake or sliding on the hills at McKay Point.
During the summer months here in Ile-a-la Crosse, we have numerous activities that take place. For instance, we have our annual Summer Festival, which falls on the first or second weekend in July. Some of the activities include West Coast Amusement, Slo-Pitch Tournament, Dunk Tank and Cabaret to wrap up the weekend. Other activities which happen throughout the summer are fishing derbies, fastball tournaments, beach volleyball and outdoor basketball games. There is also a driving range which opened in the summer of 1993. You can also go canoeing or boating while viewing the scenery and taking in some fishing at the river. There is a wide variety of wild berries which grow just outside town from blueberries to raspberries to saskatoons throughout the season.
There are many types of activities around the community of Ile-a-la Crosse that will entertain you throughout the day. At Flashpoint Video, there is a selection of video arcade games to play. They also have video game, and movie rentals available. We have outdoor facilities such as an all purpose court used for basketball, rollerblading and hockey. We have a beach volleyball court which is full many evenings in the summer. Fastball, Slo-Pitch and Little League are played at the ball diamonds nearby. Our Curling rink and arena are located within walking distance. The focal point of this area is the Y.A.C. (Youth Activity Centre) where many activities are provided daily for local youth. Then there's the Entertainment Centre where many events are held such as dances, potluck suppers, and caberets. They also have Bingos nearly every night. Doors open at 7:30pm and begins at 8:00pm. Another place for Bingo is on TV or the radio, it is broadcasted from CILX Radio at 92.5 and on cable channel 3.
Ile-a-la Crosse was the first Roman Catholic mission in Saskatchewan. It was founded on September 10, 1846. In 1846, Monsieur Lapleche and Frere Alexandra Tache arrived in Ile-a-la Crosse by canoe from St. Boniface. Within two days of their arrival, they gave medical help from the dispensary and a month later they opened a boarding school. It was later destroyed by fire in 1867. The mission and Grey Nuns resumed, they worked in 1917 and despite fire in 1920 and 1925 remained to assume direction. In 1945, the Ile-a-la Crosse mission had a church, a school, hospital, and an orphanage. It was because of the mission that Sister Riel came to Ile-a-la Crosse in 1871. Today, the church, named after St. John the Baptist, holds mass every Sunday at 10:30am. in the summer months, mass is often held at the Grotto near the beach. The Grey Nuns are still here and live at the old school beside the hospital.
The school here in Ile-a-la Crosse runs classes from Kindergarten to grade 12. Approximately 400 students attend. The school is built on the old mission grounds. Late in the fall of 1972, Rossignol School was partially destroyed due to fire. It was then rebuilt and has little problems since.
Site Updated on March 10, 2010 |