Rural Municipality Mountain View Area 135 ha Area code 306 | Province Saskatchewan Census division 12 Post office founded N/A Population 65 (2006) | |
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Weather -21°C, Wind E at 27 km/h, 75% Humidity | ||
Herschel saskatchewan
Herschel is a special service area in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is the seat of the Rural Municipality of Mountain View No. 318 and held village status prior to December 31, 2006. The population was 30 people in 2006. The community is located 37 km northwest of the Town of Rosetown at the intersection of Highway 31 and Highway 656 along a Canadian Pacific Railway line.
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History
Herschel was founded by German Canadians and settled mainly by Mennonites. The village was named in honour of 19th Century English physicist and astronomer Sir John Fredrick William Herschel.
In 1935, a major fire destroyed 18 homes and businesses in Herschel. The blaze destroyed three general stores, the post office, a harness shop, the drug store, a pool hall, the Royal Hotel, a Chinese laundry, a hardware store, the municipal office, a restaurant, homes and other structures. Poor local roads were blamed for the extent of the blaze, with fire engines from Rosetown unable to reach the community for more than four hours.
In 2005, fossils of a plesiosaur were discovered in a coal mine ravine southwest of Herschel, and now, along with native petroglyphs attracts visitors from around the world. The fossils were described as a new species, Dolichorhynchops herschelensis.
The Vancouver backpack manufacturer Herschel Supply Co. named itself after the place, the birthplace of ancestors of its founders, in 2009.