Moose Jaw, the "friendly city", is in the heart of the grain country, at the confluence of the Moose Jaw River and Thunder Creek. It is an industrial town and has a turbulent history; there are at least three versions of how it got its name, the most popular being that it comes from "moosegaw", the Cree word for warm breezes, since it is warmer here in winter than elsewhere in the vicinity.
Moose Jaw has Canada's busiest airfield (at the Canadian military base, south of the town) which is also home to the famous Snowbirds aerial acrobatic group.
In 1881 two land surveyors from Canadian Pacific decided that the point where the railroads met should be where the Moose Jaw River met Thunder Creek. The fertile soil soon meant that people settled here permanently once the railroad was finished and Moose Jaw became a town in 1903 after it had grown to be an major junction. It also became important for its grainstores and meat-processing.
In the Roaring Twenties Moose Jaw, at the end of a direct line from Chicago, was from where Al Capone and his fellow gangsters ran their liquor empires during Prohibition. A few of the old buildings are still to be seen on Main Street.
Crescent Park, which claims to be the "Jewel of the Prairies" has an outdoor swimming pool, war memorial gardens, a library, tennis and lawn bowling and an art gallery. The park covers some six city blocks and is very popular in summer.
The Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery in Crescent Park puts on touring exhibitions of art, history and science. Among the 3000 items are clothing, Sioux and Cree beadwork, farming tools, etc. There is also a permanent exhibition of Canadian art.
Address: Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, 461 Langdon Crescent, Moose Jaw, SK S6H0X6, Canada
Phone: 1 (306) 692-4471, Fax: 1 (306) 694-8016
Guided tours are offered while riding an electric streetcar that operated from 1911 to 1932. Tours include historic homes and businesses, interesting facts and legends, and tour you through parkland. The trolley tour also features the Murals of Moose Jaw, which recount history on the sides of buildings.
The Wild Animal Park, established in 1929, covers about 203 ha (502 acres) in the river valley south of Moose Jaw. It has about 300 native and exotic creatures, as well as a children's zoo and amusement center.
The Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum in Moose Jaw features a General Store, Town Hall, Printing Shop and Schoolhouse over 40 acres. The ship was built by Tom Sukanen, a Finnish settler, who planned to sail the boat home to his native country.
Hours:
May 15 to September 20: 9am-5pm; Sun:12pm-6pm
Tips: Open weekends after September 20th until freeze up.
The Tunnels of Moose Jaw are a group of underground tunnels with costumed guides who recreate characters from Moose Jaw history. Archival displays document materials spanning the late 1800's to 1930' showing original photographs, land titles and newspaper articles.
Address: Tunnels of Moose Jaw, 18 Main Street North, Moose Jaw, SK S6H3J6, Canada
Phone: 1 (306) 693-5261, Fax: 1 (306) 693-7275
Hours:
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Tips: Hours vary throughout the year. Open year round.
Open all year round, Wakamow Valley is a scenic park on the Moose Jaw River east of the town. Its name is Cree for loop and alludes to the spot where the Moose Jaw River loops abruptly from north to east.
The Western Development Museum on Diefenbaker Drive in Moose Jaw, which was opened in 1976, is worth a visit since it is the only museum documenting the history of transport on the prairies. It gives an account of transport by road, rail, water and air, and includes automobiles, horse-drawn ambulance (1907), trucks, steamers and locomotives, even a ferry, as well as a railway station complete with telegraph office.
Address: Moose Jaw Western Development Museum, 50 Diefenbaker Drive, Moose Jaw, SK S6J1J9, Canada
Phone: 1 (306) 693-5989, Fax: 1 (306) 691-0511
Hours:
January 1 to March 31: 9am-5pm; Closed: Mon
April 1 to December 31: 9am-5pm; Closed: Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
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