Indigenous Martensville and Warman: Treaty 6, Nations and Community

About Martensville and Warman

Martensville and Warman are neighbouring cities just north of Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory. Martensville, on Highway 12, grew from farmland that Isaac Martens and his son Dave began selling off in 1939; many Mennonites working in Saskatoon settled there to stay connected to the Hague–Osler Mennonite communities. It became a city in 2009. Warman, on Highway 11, the Louis Riel Trail toward Prince Albert, was named for American journalist Cy Warman, who wrote about the building of the Canadian Northern Railway, and it grew at the junction of two rail lines. Warman gained city status in 2012, and its Diamond Rodeo and Family Days are a major annual gathering. Both communities expanded quickly alongside Saskatoon, offering newer housing and local services to residents who commute into the larger city. The South Saskatchewan River lies to the east, crossed by the Clarkboro Ferry.

Martensville and Warman history

Long before either city existed, the Northern Plains peoples gathered at Wanuskewin, reached by Highway 11 in Saskatoon. The heritage park says people have met there for more than 6,400 years. The land around both cities falls under Treaty 6, first signed at Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876. Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop were head chiefs of the Carlton bands. The treaty added a medicine chest and a famine and pestilence clause, terms not found in earlier numbered treaties. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that signatories and the Crown still disagree over whether the land was shared or ceded. Warman grew at the junction of the east-west Canadian Northern Railway and the north-south QLLS line. It stayed small until the 1950s. Martensville started as a farm. In 1953 a relocated schoolhouse became the community's focal point. The first business, the Avenue "A" Service Station, opened when the hamlet formed in 1961. Martensville became a village in 1966 with 784 residents, then a town in 1969. Water and sewer lines were finished in 1976, and growth took off. The population doubled from 960 in 1976 to 1,966 in 1981.

Treaty and territory

Martensville and Warman are on Treaty 6 territory, the lands of the Cree and other nations, and the homeland of the Métis.

Nearby: Saskatoon · Osler · Dalmeny · Langham · Hague

Indigenous Martensville and Warman today

The two cities share an active reconciliation effort. The Prairie Rivers Reconciliation Committee formed in January 2018. Its founders were Great Plains College, the City of Warman and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. Warman Mayor Sheryl Spence and Charmain Laroque of Prairie Spirit School Division have co-chaired it. More than 40 representatives have joined the committee. They come from Warman, Martensville, Osler, Dalmeny, Aberdeen, Corman Park and Duck Lake. One Arrow First Nation and Mistawasis First Nation also take part, along with groups like Mennonite Central Committee. The committee focuses on education and relationship-building in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. In 2019 the committee held a planning retreat at Wanuskewin. Martensville has hosted its Rural Reconciliation Conference, with the 2019 edition aiming for 400 attendees. Wanuskewin, reached from Highway 11, offers interpretive trails, galleries, guided tours, tipi sleepovers and weekend dance and music presentations. It shares the evolving cultures of the Northern Plains peoples and is one of Canada's proposed UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Life in Martensville and Warman

Both cities are among the fastest-growing in the province. Warman counted 12,419 people in the 2021 census, up 12.7 per cent from 2016, the highest growth of any Saskatchewan city. It was named Canada's fastest-growing city in 2017. The average resident is about 35 years old. Warman has about 202 acres of connected park space. Its Diamond Rodeo Arena, Home Centre Communiplex and Brian King Centre host more than 75 family programs a year. Martensville is home to about 11,900 people and roughly 400 licensed businesses. Motorsport fans know it for Sutherland Automotive Speedway, a NASCAR venue that runs the A&W Street Stock 100 each September. The city also has an aquatic centre, an athletic pavilion and more than 30 annual community events.

Martensville and Warman seasons and weather

Winters north of Saskatoon are cold with frequent wind chill, so a warm hoodie layered beneath a parka is standard. Summers are warm and sunny, good for a tee and a hat.

More on the region: Indigenous Saskatchewan · all of Canada.

Keep learning in the XUSI Journal

• Treaty 6 and Saskatoon: Where XUSI Comes From
• The Numbered Treaties, Explained
• Métis History in Saskatchewan: Places to Learn and Visit
• Residential Schools in Saskatchewan: Where to Start Learning
• All Journal articles

Martensville and Warman questions