Beaver Flat
| Beaver Flat | |||
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| Location in Saskatchewan | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Saskatchewan | ||
| Region: | Census Division No. 7th | ||
| Rural municipality: | Excelsior No. 166 | ||
| Coordinates : | 50 ° 24 ′ N , 107 ° 24 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 92 ha | ||
| Residents : | 72 (as of 2016) | ||
| Population density : | 78.3 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Central Time ( UTC − 6 ) | ||
| Postal code : | S9H 3X1 | ||
| Area code : | +1 306 | ||
| Mayor : | Bill Bresett | ||
| Website : | www.beaverflatsk.ca | ||
Beaver Flat is a resort village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan . It is within the parish of Excelsior No. 166 on the southern edge of Lake Diefenbaker .
The village is located approximately 57 km north of Swift Current . The Highway 628 ends at the edge of Beaver Flat.
history
Today's Resort Village Beaver Flat was created with the creation of Lake Diefenbaker. The three politicians John Diefenbaker, Jimmy Gardener and Tommy Douglas discussed building a dam with a lake in the 1950s. Louis St. Laurent, then Prime Minister of Saskatchewan Province, was against these plans. He found it pointless to create a reservoir in the middle of the arid and barren prairie landscape of southwest Saskatchewan. In addition, the area around what is now Lake Diefenbaker was only sparsely populated in the 1950s.
However, John Diefenbaker had his own agenda. After moving in 1959, the plans for the construction of the dam could be realized. Within a few days, hundreds of people and professionals were working and building the largest man-made water dam in history. The wall was 5000 m long and 64 m high. In addition to this, a second, somewhat smaller dam was built 45 km southeast at the confluence of the Qu'Apelle River. The excavated earth was transported away with the help of excavators and trucks. A rock that had been exposed after the excavation had to be blown up, otherwise it would have posed a danger to shipping. After that, the work was largely completed and the future lake could be flooded.
The Goodwin department, founded under the government of Ross Thatcher in the 1960s, drew up a plan that included measures for the necessary infrastructure. Roads were built and electricity and water lines were laid according to this grid plan. Thatcher's department also planned to create properties to later rent or sell. After a brief construction freeze and a meeting of the administrative organization in Swift Current, Ernie Wittal was officially appointed as the first mayor of Beaver Flat on April 1, 1981. During his tenure, the name was also changed from Goodwin Subdivision to Beaver Flat.
In the years that followed, numerous facilities and recreational opportunities were built around Lake Diefenbaker, including a marina, golf course, playgrounds and several shops.
Demographics
In 2006 Beaver Flat had about 58 inhabitants. By 2011 this number had fallen by 31% to 40 people. At the same time, the area was reduced from 63.2 km² to 43.6 km². According to the 2016 census, the place has 72 inhabitants. The number of living spaces rose to 78.5 km². The average age is 56–59 years.