Local time Saturday 1:56 PM | Province Saskatchewan | |
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Titanic is an unincorporated community in Duck Lake No. 463, Saskatchewan, Canada, midway between Saskatoon and Prince Albert National Park. The community is located four kilometers north of Highway 212, approximately 20 km west of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, about 5 km east of Fort Carlton. Originally settled by French Canadians and named Mourey for a local Catholic priest, its postmaster applied to have the name changed to Titanic in 1912, following the tragedy of the RMS Titanic earlier that year. It was first among nearly 30 communities across the country which petitioned the postmaster general to change their names to Titanic that same year. The name "Mourey" had been adopted just seven months prior to the disaster, so historical attachment did not run deep. Furthermore, another town by the same name, named for the same priest, existed in southern Saskatchewan, causing confusion and misdirection of mail. A new name solved the problem, while honoring the ship and its passengers.
Map of Titanic, SK, Canada
But the community has disintegrated like its namesake. The school closed in 1959, the church four years later, and the post office itself in 1967. Today, a cemetery and memorial grotto to the church that once stood can be found.