Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan

Settlement, early heyday and decline The area that is now Pilot Butte contains over 20 known archaeological sites, indicating pre-contact Indigenous presence in the immediate area. The butte played a significant role in the lives of the local Indigenous peoples, who camped near Boggy Creek and used the butte as a lookout and signal point; Beginning in 1874 at Fort Qu'Appelle, Treaty 4 was signed between the Queen Victoria and various First Nation band governments, with its coverage spanning the Pilot Butte area. By 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway had made its way through the District of Assiniboia; between Pilot Butte and Regina a crew set a company record for the most track laid in a single day. With the construction of the railway through the region, the community was established and the area's sand and gravel deposits were extensively utilized. The origin of the name is derived from the flat-topped hill located in the community that served as a lookout for hunting buffalo. Early homes in the community were built on the south side of the track using bricks from the local red brick plant, which began production in 1890. Because of Pilot Butte's location on the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline, significant settlement took place between 1880 and 1900, and a second brick plant began production in 1900. station, 1915 The settlement had grown greatly since its founding; a post office opened in October 1903, and in 1913 Pilot Butte was incorporated as a village. similarly to the building of the railway, the new highway attracted new residents to move to Pilot Butte, as the village became a popular option for those wanting to live in a town but commute to the city. In 2001, the Regina Express junior hockey team, who play in the Prairie Junior Hockey League, were relocated to Pilot Butte. The team was renamed to the Pilot Butte Storm in 2003 to remember the 1995 storm, In 2002, Pilot Butte hosted the Western Canadian Softball Championships, Pilot Butte received federal and provincial funding for wastewater treatment upgrades in 2017. In 2018, a diverging diamond interchange opened on the Pilot Butte access road as part of the Regina Bypass project, only the second of its kind in Canada. From 2016 to 2021, Pilot Butte was the fastest growing population centre in Saskatchewan, recording a 23.4% increase in population at the 2021 census. == Geography ==

The town is situated on a broad, flat, treeless and largely waterless plain. The Butte Hill, the hill which the town is named after, is the highest point in the area. Like in Regina, all of the town's trees, shrubs, and other plants were hand-planted, and because of the Pilot Butte storm, which destroyed most trees in the town, many have been re-planted since 1995. Pilot Butte has warm summers and cold, dry winters, prone to extremes at all times of the year. Precipitation is heaviest from June through August in the form of rain, while snow is common in the winter. An average summer day has a high of , although temperatures can reach as high as , while the average winter day has a low of , with temperatures reaching below . }} ==Demographics==

In the 2021 census conducted by Statistics Canada, Pilot Butte had a population of living in of its total private dwellings (at an average household size of 2.7), a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The median age is 36.8 years old, which is lower than the median age of Canada at 41.8 years old. As a population centre, Pilot Butte had a population of 2,364 in 2021 (making it a "small population centre"), with of the subdivision's making up this densely populated area. Pilot Butte is part of the Regina census metropolitan area (CMA), which in the 2021 census had a population of 249,217, a change of 5.3% from its 2016 population of 236,695. Immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 80 persons or 3.0% of the total population of Pilot Butte. The most commonly identified ethnic or cultural origins in Pilot Butte in the 2021 census were German (915 or 34.8%), English (715 or 27.2%), Scottish (505 or 19.2%), Irish (455 or 17.3%), and Ukrainian (420 or 16.0%). Nearly all Pilot Butte residents know English (2,625 or 99.8%), while other languages known by residents include French, Tagalog, Russian, German, and Ukrainian. The largest religious groups were Christianity (1,450 or 55.1%) and Irreligion (1,175 or 44.7%). In the 2016 census, 2.7% of Pilot Butte residents identified as a visible minority and 2.3% as Aboriginal. == Arts and culture ==

The town hosts the Annual Pilot Butte outdoor rodeo on the third weekend of June every year since 1993, complete with cabaret featuring current country headline musicians. Pilot Butte also has the Golden Sunset Recreational Club (55+ Club), the Pilot Butte Beavers/Cubs/Scouts, a library, the Pilot Butte Photo Bunch and the Pilot Butte Riding Club. == Attractions ==

Pilot Butte features multiple parks, most notably Inland Park, which is home to the Butte Hill, the municipal office, four baseball diamonds, the indoor and outdoor rinks, public library, two play structures, a splash park, and a skate park. The Discovery Ridge housing development is home to a pond, soccer field, and biking and walking paths. Nearby to Pilot Butte is White Butte Trails Recreation Site, which home to trails for cross-country skiing in the winter and biking and running in the summer. Also near Pilot Butte are various golf courses, including Westfalia, Green Acres, Murray, and Tor Hill. == Sports ==

Pilot Butte has been home to the Pilot Butte Storm, a team in the Prairie Junior Hockey League, since their relocation from Regina in 1995. The team was originally called the Pilot Butte Express but were renamed to the Pilot Butte Storm in 2003 to remember the Pilot Butte storm of 1995. The Storm are four-time winners of the Prairie Junior Hockey League and won bronze at the Keystone Cup in 2011. In 2002, Pilot Butte hosted the Western Canadian Softball Championships on its ball diamonds. Pilot Butte also hosts annual slow-pitch tournaments. Pilot Butte’s annual rodeo has attracted visitors to the town every summer since 1993. ==Government==

Pilot Butte was initially incorporated as a village in 1913, but subsequently dissolved in 1923 due to population loss. In 1963, the community reincorporated as a village, and in 1979 it gained town status for the first time. While the village council began in 1963, the first person to be elected to the position of mayor of the town council was John Dueck in 1980. Today, Pilot Butte is governed by a council that consists of one elected mayor and six elected councillors as well as a town administrator. == Infrastructure ==

Today, Pilot Butte is home to a post office, school, church, library, gas station, and various restaurants and manufacturing plants. Recreational facilities in town include an indoor and outdoor rink, four ball diamonds, a splash park, and various other parks. Pilot Butte is located along provincial highways 46, 362, and 624. Highway 362, more commonly called the Pilot Butte access road, connects the town to the Trans-Canada Highway. Pilot Butte is also located along the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline, a significant factor in the town’s early development; however, this line has not been served by passenger rail since 1990 and had not stopped in Pilot Butte since the closure of its station in the interwar period. The nearest airport serving passengers is Regina International Airport. There is also Pilot Butte Airport, an airstrip 2 kilometres south of the town. ==Education==

Pilot Butte is home to Pilot Butte School, an elementary school with Pre-K to grade 8 education. The current school building was constructed in 1958, with a large expansion and renovation in 1988 giving the building more classrooms, a science lab, home economics lab, stage, art room, and a larger gymnasium. High school students from Pilot Butte attend Greenall School in Balgonie. == Media ==

The Town of Pilot Butte has distributed the News and Views newsletter since October 1987. ==Notable people==

Notable people that were born in or lived in Pilot Butte include: • Lee Chambers, writer, film director, and producer; lived in Pilot Butte • Clayton Gerein, wheelchair athlete and seven-time Paralympian; lived in Pilot Butte • Reuben Ross, diver and two-time Olympian; grew up in Pilot Butte • Myroslaw Stechishin, Ukrainian-Canadian activist and public figure; lived in Pilot Butte == See also ==