Rama Saskatchewan Information

Rama (2016 population: 80) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Invermay No. 305 and Census Division No. 9. It is located 44 km west of Canora and 60 km east of Wadena at the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 754. Rama is on the banks of a tributary of Spirit Creek, which is a tributary of the Whitesand River.[8] The Spirit Creek Dam and its reservoir are located just east of the Village. The rail siding and passenger platform at what is now the village was named Rama in 1904 by Canadian Northern Railways. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool archives show the name was from the Rama area of Ontario.[9] The municipal corporation has been named Rama since its inception in 1919, but the name was not declared official by other levels of government until years later, in 1956. While other names such as Silver Hill (1907) were discussed for the village or school district they were ultimately passed over and for simplicity’s sake the decision was made to keep with the name already given to the train platform and siding there. Rama is assigned a UN/LOCODE of CA-RMA. Until 1899 a large area directly to the east of Rama, around the north end of Good Spirit Lake, was reserved for the Doukhobors; this reserve was called the Good Spirit Lake Annex. It was part of the South Colony.[10] The people settled eight communal villages in this area of almost 170,000 acres.[11] Decisions of the Canadian government in early 1907 caused almost all of these communal farm villages to be deserted for individual homesteads by 1918. The families moved on to southern British Columbia or to individual farmsteads.[12] Rama incorporated as a village on December 18, 1919.[13] The first British-Canadian surveys in the Assiniboia district were completed in this area for the British crown by around 1879, by 1890 the provisional government began to encourage European immigration to the area. At about the same time the site for Rama was being surveyed a large wave of immigrant homesteaders were coming to the province from all over the world. The settlers that arrived to homestead in the area of Rama were largely of Eastern European origin.[14] Some of the first area families lived south of the town site. They were documented as the Landstad’s, Murray’s, Dean’s, and Lockhart’s all on or near the former Pelly Trail to the south of Rama. John Berge (and family) are listed as homesteaders in the area near the rail siding. Rama is located on the banks of a tributary of Spirit Creek[28] and is found at the junction of Highways 5 and 754[29] in Saskatchewan’s aspen parkland region.[30] This area is part of the east central region of the province.[31] Growing zones are geographical areas which are generally determined by the lowest sustained temperature in that area achieved during the year and other climate variables.[32] Rama and the surrounding area finds itself in Growing Zone 1b.[33] Growing zone 1 is defined as having the lowest temperature achieved of below -45.6 °C or -50 °F with the first frost usually occurring by September 12 and the last frost of the spring on or about May 22.[34] Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture studies show the available Corn Heat Units in this area to be in the 1,401-1,800 range. While suitable for silage, these conditions are quite unfavorable to grow corn in.[35] The soils in the community and the nearby farmland are generally black with a heavy clay base.[36] Growing seasons are short and high soil PH (alkalinity) are challenging growing conditions for many types crops, trees and plants. Despite these challenges, cereal crop production often exceeds other areas of the province. In the 1950s, the Canora area held nearly 500 country elevators within a 30 miles radius in order to handle all the grain produced from the region. Being located in the middle of North America has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, Saskatchewan is located so far away from any large bodies of water (Great Lakes, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean) that any moderating effect these bodies of water would have on the temperature here is negligible. Because of this, Saskatchewan as a whole is considered to have a temperate continental climate. In the summer the days are very long and hot, in the winter the days become shorter and very cold, making for a temperature range that can exceed 65 °C or more.[37] Hours of sunlight and frequently clear skies are an important feature of the climate here. Hours of sunlight typically exceeding 2,300 hours annually.[38] In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rama had a population of 70 living in 31 of its 37 total private dwellings, a change of -12.5% from its 2016 population of 80. With a land area of 0.67 km2 (0.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 104.5/km2 (270.6/sq mi) in 2021.[41] In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Rama recorded a population of 80 living in 38 of its 48 total private dwellings, a 6.3% change from its 2011 population of 75. With a land area of 0.67 km2 (0.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 119.4/km2 (309.3/sq mi) in 2016.[42] Industry in the community consists mainly of ‘family’ or corporate farming with several small and medium-sized farming support businesses. While self-employment in farming is the generally accepted occupation in the area, Olysky and the Rama Co-Operative Assoc., as well as area farms, also provide employment opportunities to area residents and newcomers looking for work. Located in Rama is the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, an homage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France. Many of these grottoes in Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta were created by Fr. Anthony Sylla and his parishioners.[43] Sylla arrived in Saskatchewan in 1909 and by 1933 was in charge of the parish in Rama. By 1939 he began to establish the shrine and pilgrimage site. The shrine was largely completed during the next two years.[44] Updates, landscaping changes, and additions to the grounds have continued gradually until today.[45] Every year on August 14 and 15 (since 1941) St. Anthony’s parish holds a ‘Pilgrimage’. Mass is held in several languages, and a candlelight procession occurs. The shrine in Rama is located west of St. Anthony’s church.[46] Heritage horse drawn seeding and farming demonstrations are held in the village annually in the spring and fall (seeding and harvest). Teamsters hitch their horses up to vintage farm equipment such as discs, seeders, and ploughs as spectators watch horse powered farming.[47][48] Nearby the farmland gives way to many lakes and rivers fed by streams, swamps, and other wetlands. Ducks, geese and many other migratory birds congregate here and in the nearby Quill Lakes area during the spring and fall migrations. In the fall, hunters from the local area as well as visitors from other provinces, the United States, and around the world come to this area for the birds and many other game animals.[49] Nearby parks and recreational opportunities include Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park,[50] Whitesand Regional Park,[51] Camp Whitesand,[52] and Leslie Beach.[53] Winter recreational activities include snowmobiling with an extensive network of groomed trails located nearby.[54] The surrounding area offers activities such as hockey, curling, Ukrainian Dance, figure skating, and softball to name a few. Rama is former home of the Rama Rams softball team and the Rama Rebels recreational hockey club. Media related to Rama, Saskatchewan at Wikimedia Commons Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama,_Saskatchewan