Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan 4.59

Pilot Butte is a town of over 2100 people located in the White Butte area between Highway 46 and the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is the 15th most populated town in the province, and the 31st largest community, the town is a neighbour to White City and Balgonie. Pilot Butte is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Edenwold No. 158 Pilot Butte, meaning "Lookout Point", was chosen in 1883 as the name for the settlement. The origin of the community name is derived from the flat-topped hill that served as a lookout for hunting buffalo (the Butte).HistoryThe Butte played a significant role in the lives of the Prairie Indians. Aboriginal people, who camped near Boggy Creek, used the Butte as a lookout and signal point.FoundingEuropean settlement in the area can be traced back to the 1840s. With the construction of the railway through the region in 1882, the area’s sand and gravel deposits were extensively utilized, and in the following years, as settlers began farming in the district, Pilot Butte developed. For a long time of its history, Pilot Butte was known as the "Sand Capital of Canada". Because of its location on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, significant settlement took place between 1880 and 1900. Sand and gravel deposits nearby were used during the construction of the railway. The history of Pilot Butte is marked by dramatic growth followed by decline and now by growth. Except for one or two houses on Railway Avenue, the most notable being the "Martin House", there are very few physical reminders of Pilot Butte's early development. Most of the original structures, one of the most prominent being the old Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) water tower, have either been dismantled or destroyed.