Foam Lake is a small town of 1,100 people in Saskatchewan, along the Yellowhead Route #16 of the Trans-Canada, and about 90 km NW of Yorkton.
Foam Lake History
The area around Foam Lake was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples, including the Cree and Saulteaux, who were visited by European explorers in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
It was not until the late 1800s that settlers began to arrive in significant numbers, and the town of Foam Lake was officially established in 1905, when the Canadian Northern Railway (CNR) built a line through the area. The town was named for nearby Foam Lake, a body of water that had foam-like bubbles on its surface during windstorms.
The railway brought a period of growth and prosperity for Foam Lake, which attracted settlers from across Canada and Europe. The town became an important transportation hub for agriculture, for the local crops of mainly wheat, barley, and oats.
After World War II, Foam Lake continued to grow and develop, and several new schools, a hospital, and other public facilities were built. Foam Lake has a number of cultural and recreational attractions, including parks, museums, and festivals.