User:Evan D. Radford/sandbox

Industry, Services, and Transportation
Given the rise and fall in population of this southern prairie community, Willow Bunch has hosted and said farewell to a variety of businesses, services, and industries. Scanning historical records and personal stories, one can find everything from Jean-Louis Légaré’s cheese factory, in operation from 1887-1894, to Joanne Prefontaine’s photography business, For Real Photography, in full operation today.

If past records and current conditions indicate anything about the area, they show the area breads entrepreneurship: whether numbering 286 currently or 1,348 in 1929, residents seem to have a knack for being industrious, always looking to expand a new building purchased, or a new business started. From the first Métis in the area, looking for better hunting grounds in 1871, to a thriving museum, housed in a building nearly 100 years old, stories of growth and expansion abound in this quaint town’s history.

Industry
Agriculture has been and continues as Willow Bunch’s largest industry, with Spring Wheat, Durum, Oats, Barley, and Flax seeing the most consistent production over the last 30 years, since 1982. Among these top five crops, the most productive year over the past 70, was in 1993 when 71.5 bushels per acre of Oats were produced. These numbers are gathered from the rural municipality of Willow Bunch, RM 42, an area spanning 1,047.8 square kilometers. As of the 2011 Canadian census, there were 102 farms in the Willow Bunch area, operated by a total of 125 farmers. The average age of farm operators in the area is 53.4, while the average farmer's age overall in Saskatchewan is 54.2. In the area, there are 16 animal production farms and 86 crop production farms.

Along with a sustainable agricultural industry, Willow Bunch has seen the trademark grain elevators and rail lines that allow the industry to thrive. In 1925, CN expanded its railway into the town, operating up until the mid-2000s. The Saskatchewan Trails Association lists the rail line between Willow Bunch and Bengough as being abandoned around 2005.

For a large portion of the 1900s, four massive grain elevators towered over Willow Bunch. They were owned by United Grain Growers Ltd., Saskatchewan Pool Elevators Ltd., McLaughlin Company Ltd., and McCabe Brothers Grain Co. Ltd. Today, only one elevator remains, built in 1983, originally owned by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, and now jointly owned and operated as Prairie Giant Processing Inc. It is used for storage and cleaning.

In days past, the mining industry was a particular boon to residents of the town and area. Immigrants who had experience with coal mining in Europe, located lignite coal in the area and developed coal mines, including open pit, shaft, and straight cut. Twenty three different mines were in operation during the early to mid-1900s, all with different owners. Frédérick Desjardins’ mine stands out as the longest operating, continuing until the late 1950s. Currently, the nearest coal mine is in Coronach: the Popular River Mine employs 800 people.

Services
Despite its declining numbers in population, Willow Bunch still offers a variety of services to its residents and others in the surrounding area. Most notable is the town’s Thrift Shop. It is owned by the town, but managed and operated by Valerie Bellefleur and her husband, Gerald, who is also a town councillor. The building itself was built in 1909, first used by the Canadian Bank of Commerce until 1911. It has seen use as a café, a butcher’s shop, and restaurant, while the upper floor usually served as a residence. Other services include: a volunteer fire department; an auctioneering service; the Jolly Giant Pub; the Stagecoach Motel; a Conexus Credit Union; a community rink, library, and swimming pool; the Hills of Home Senior Centre Club; a variety store; the RM office for the region; and several other services and businesses. In the vicinity of the town, one can find the scenic Willow Bunch Golf Club, nestled in Jean-Louis Légaré Regional Park.

Transportation
There are two highways servicing Willow Bunch. Highway 36 runs on a north-south axis, eventually reaching the United States border at the Coronach Border station, and extending north to highway 13. Highway 705 intersects Willow Bunch on an east-west axis, spanning 63 kilometers west to Wood Mountain, and extending more than 230 kilometers east, stopping at provincial highway 47.

--Evan Radford (talk) 00:19, 13 November 2013 (UTC)