Watrous - population about 1800, is located 110 kms SE of Saskatoon & 175 kms NW of Regina, smack dab in the middle of the Canadian grainbelt. The town thrives on its booming agricultural economy, with additional employment opportunities available at the 3 potash mines in the area. Watrous is also a popular tourist destination due to its close proximity to Manitou Beach on the shores of Little Manitou Lake with its healing waters.

Watrous is also home to the “Multi-Million Dollar Mile”, so called because of the unusual number of dealers selling cars, trucks, RV's and farm implements there. These dealers operate here, & in other areas of low-cost rural Saskatchewan, because the low margin/high volume trade allows highly competitive pricing. People from the cities often buy their vehicles & equipment in such centers.

Another item of note - Watrous is also home to CBK, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) prairie transmitter. Believe or not, Watrous was chosen as the location for the transmitter over other locations back in 1939 mainly because of the minerals in the area soils - minerals give the soil greater conductivity and hence, greater coverage. At that time, it was the only CBC outlet between Winnipeg and Vancouver. The original transmitter was replaced in 1974, the 465 foot tower blew down during a violent windstorm in 1976, & an extra emergency transmitter was installed in 1980. There has been talk of moving the transmitter from Watrous, but "soil conductivity" still prevails to keep it here, radiating the most powerful signal in the West!

A little history - Watrous was founded in 1906 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway established a divisional point at the town site. In fact, the town was named after Frank Watrous Morse, the general manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific. (‘Watrous’ was chosen to provide alphabetical continuity to the communities along that rail line.) The community was incorporated as a village in 1908 and as a town in 1909. An extensive historical account of Watrous & nearby Manitou Beach, plus a photo album, can be found here in the drop-down menu under “Tourism”. http://townofwatrous.com/

Area attractions: The main area attraction is Manitou Beach, home of Manitou Springs Mineral Spa, Canada's largest indoor mineral spa. Their web site: http://www.manitousprings.ca/

Also found at Manitou Beach is Danceland, an old-fashioned dance hall known for its horsehair floor. Built on the lakeshore in 1928, the large building takes up 13000 sq ft with 5000 of that taken up by the original maple dance floor. Their web site: http://www.danceland.ca/

Manitou Beach is also the home of Camp Easter Seal, a summer camp specifically designed for adults and children with disabilities. The Camp Easter Seal site was the first provincial park in Saskatchewan, then it became a resort for upscale clientele in the 20's and 30's. The camp's web site: www.abilitiescouncil.sk.ca/main/html/services/camp/index.html