Saskatoon Fun Facts

Below are some interesting 'fun facts' about Saskatoon.

Weather

The coldest day ever recorded in Saskatoon was -50°C in 1893. The lowest wind chill ever recorded was -61.9°C. The highest temerature that was ever recorded was 41°C in 1988.

Nick Names

The Bridge City - This name refers to the seven bridges that cross the South Saskatchewan river that runs through the city (it is also occasionally referred to as "The Paris of the Praries for the same reason).

The Hub City - This nick name goes back years as Saskatoon has always been the "hub" of Saskatchewan.

Toontown - Following the release of the film "Who Framed Roger Rabit" in 1998, the city became popularly know as "Toontown", after a similiarly named location in the movie. The name was used prior to the release of this movie but became increased popularity after its release.

POW City - POW stands for Potash, Oil and Wheat. This nickname became popular in the 1960s and 1970s.

Saskatoon Sister Cities

Umeå (Västerbotten, Sweden)

Shijiazhuang (Hebei, China)

Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

Tampere (Pirkanmaa, Finland)

Natural Disaster

Saskatoon’s first and only recorded earthquake occurred, at 9:15 am on May 15, 1909. It lasted about 30 seconds and was felt as far away as Winnipeg and Lethbridge.

Saskatoon in Music

The Canadian rock group The Guess Who recorded a song in the 1970s called "Running Back to Saskatoon."

Johnny Cash co-wrote with Johnny Horton the song "The Girl From Saskatoon."

Sammy Kershaw has a verse in his song "Anywhere But Here" that goes "Well I hear it's cold up in Saskatoon but it couldn't be colder than our bedroom."

A recent band named City and Colour has a verse in their song "Comin' Home" that goes "I've been through the Rockies, I've seen Saskatoon."

The punk band named No Fun At All has a song "Extraordinary Mind" that has a line that goes "Sunday afternoon, I was bending every spoon / Stopping all the clocks in Saskatoon."

The Tragically Hip song "Wheat Kings" has a line that says "Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies" which is a reference to Saskatoon.

Soul Coughing has a song "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" that states, "Saskatoon is in the room."

Saskatoon in Televsion and Movies

In the movie Hannibal Rising from 2007 which is a prequal to The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal who is the main character is looking for someone in a small town south of Saskatoon.

In the movie Slap Shot, Sonny James sings a song called "A Little Bit South of Saskatoon."

In one episode of the animated series "The Simpsons", Homer Simpson who is the main character obtains a Canadian health card in order to get cheap drugs. He is told that be can buy enough drops "to make Regina look like Saskatoon."

Saskatoon in Literature

In the Mark Twain novel "A Connecticut Yankee in King Aruther's Court" a character avoids being burned at the stake as a heretic by conjuring a solar eclipse. Midway through the string of nonsense that he spouts as an incantation is the phrase, "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan."

Notable People from Saskatoon

Kaare Andrews - Comic Book Artist
Mel Angelstad - Professional Hockey Player (Retired)
Colby Armstrong - Professional Hockey Player (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Brent Ashton - Professional Hockey Player (Retired)
Mike Babcock - Professional Hockey Coach (Detriot Red Wings)
Jon Ballantyne - Jazz Musician, Artist
Wade Belak - Professional Hockey Player (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Allan Blakeny - Former Premier of Saskatchewan
Derek Boogaard - Professional Hockey Player (Minnesota Wild)
Sandy Burnett - Record Producer
Ethel Catherwood - Olympic Medalist
John Diefenbaker - Former Prime Minister of Canada
Shane Endicott - Professional Hockey Player (Dallas Stars)
Sylvia Fedoruk - Former Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
Don Freed - Singer/Songwriter
Dawna Friesen - NBC Journalist
Michael Garnett - Professional Hockey Player (Atlanta Thrashers)
Glenda Goertzen - Author
Tom Grummett - Comic Book Artist
Stu Hart - Former Professional Wrestler
Ray Hnatyshyn - Former Governor General of Canada
Gordie Howe - Former Professional Hockey Player
Regan Lauscher - Canadian Luge Champion
Catriona LeMay Doan - Olympic Medalist
Keith Magnuson - Former Professional Hockey Player
Yann Martel - Booker Prize Winning Author
Andrea Menard - Muscian/Actress
Cameron Mitchell - Actor
Joni Mitchell - Muscian/Artist
Farley Mowat - Novelist
Jim Pattison - Billionaire
Northern Pikes - Rock Band
Roy Romanow - Former Premier of Saskatchewan
Theresa Sokyrka - Muscian/Artist
Brent Sopel - Professional Hockey Player (Vancouver Canucks)
David Sutcliffe - Actor
Jarret Stoll - Professional Hockey Player (Edmont Oilers)
Roderick Toombs (Rowdy Roddy Piper) - Former Professional Wrestler
Shannon Tweed - Actress/Playboy Playmate
Cam Ward - Professional Hockey Player (Carolina Hurricanes)
Wide Mouth Mason - Rock Band
Dafydd Williams - Physician/Astronaut
Janet Wright - Actress
Henry Woolf - Actor

Royal Visitors

Queen Elizabeth II - 1951, 1959, 1978, 1987, 2005
Edward VIII - 1919
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth - 1939
Duke of Edinburgh - 1951, 1959, 1978, 1987, 2005
Princess Margaret - 1980
Prince Charles (The Prince of Wales) - 2001
Princess Anne (The Princess Royal) - 1982, 2004
Prince Andrews (The Duke of York) - 1984
Prince Edward (The Earl of Wessex) - 1978