The Bridge City on the Saskatchewan River — seven bridges cross the South Saskatchewan through the city's heart, the farmers' market overflows with Saskatoon berries, and a genuine food and arts scene thrives in the shadow of the Northern Lights
Saskatoon is Saskatchewan's largest city — a prairie city on the South Saskatchewan River known for its seven historic bridges (more than almost any city its size in the world), its Métis and First Nations heritage, and a genuine contemporary food and arts scene. The Broadway Avenue and Riversdale districts have emerged as some of Canada's most interesting independent restaurant corridors. Saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia, also called serviceberries) are a native plant of the northern prairies — their sweet, almond-flavoured berries are the city's signature food, appearing in pies, ja…
The South Saskatchewan River valley was the winter camp and gathering ground of Cree, Assiniboine, and Sioux peoples for thousands of years before European settlement. John Lake, a temperance colonist, founded Saskatoon in 1882 as a prohibition settlement — the original colonists' intent was to establish a city free from alcohol, a plan that lasted until 1906. The city grew explosively during the great prairie wheat boom of 1905–1913, when Saskatoon was briefly one of the fastest-growing cities in the British Empire — its population went from 113 in 1901 to 12,000 in 1906 to 28,000 in 1913. T…