Indigenous Melfort: Treaty 6, Nations and Community
An introduction to Melfort: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
About Melfort
Melfort lies in the parkland belt of east-central Saskatchewan, about 90 km east of Prince Albert and 178 km northeast of Saskatoon. The city sits in the Carrot River Valley, known for fertile black loam soils, and serves as an agricultural hub with meat processing, feed mills, seed cleaning plants and grain storage. Its nickname, the City of Northern Lights, comes from the aurora displays often seen overhead. Post-secondary programs are offered at the Melfort campus of Suncrest College, created in 2023 when Cumberland College and Parkland College merged. Local attractions include the Melfort and District Museum, the Kerry Vickar Centre for performances and gatherings, and the Northern Lights Palace arena and pool. Kinistin Saulteaux Nation, a Treaty 4 nation headquartered in Tisdale and a member of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, has its main reserve roughly 39 km southeast of the city.
Melfort history
Cree, Saulteaux, Dene and Nakota peoples knew these lands long before homesteads, and the region is part of the Métis homeland. Farming here has an early written record. French explorer Chevalier de la Corne reportedly grew grain in the Carrot River region as early as 1753. The City’s history notes that Indigenous friends advised Reginald Beatty to settle beside Stoney Creek in 1884. His family homesteaded on its banks, and many more families arrived after 1892. Reginald Beatty also helped the Saulteaux leader Chief Kinistin secure reserve land through the Department of Indian Affairs. Chief Kinistin had moved north in 1885 to escape the Resistance, then returned to choose land. The reserve was created in 1900. The Canadian Northern Railway surveyed a new townsite in the summer of 1902. Mary Campbell Beatty named it Melfort after her family’s estate in Argyllshire, Scotland. The rail line arrived in 1904, and the settlement moved to meet it. Melfort became a village in 1903 and a town on July 1, 1907. It became Saskatchewan’s twelfth city on September 2, 1980. A census on July 21, 1906, counted 448 residents.
Treaty and territory
Melfort is on Treaty 6 territory, the lands of the Cree and other nations, and the homeland of the Métis.
Nearby: Tisdale · Kinistino · Star City · Beatty · Kinistin Saulteaux Nation
Indigenous Melfort today
About 12.5 percent of Melfort residents identified as Indigenous in the 2021 census. The Kinistin Saulteaux people trace their roots to ancestral territory north of the Great Lakes. They later moved to the Qu’Appelle Valley, and Chief Kinistin adhered to Treaty 4 at Fort Pelly on August 24, 1876. The Nation’s main community sits at the west end of Kipabiskau Lake. A clerical error once recorded the reserve’s name as Kinistino. The band has about 800 members, and roughly 300 live on reserve. As a Saskatoon Tribal Council member, it offers wellness programming that includes culturally relevant services. In the city, the Melfort & District Museum acknowledges that it stands on Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Métis. It commits to honouring Indigenous Elders and building mutual respect. Its Settlers Village keeps period buildings such as the Meskanaw Church and a blacksmith shop. The museum has also hosted Black History programming and a Christmas Village.
Life in Melfort
Melfort had 5,955 residents in 2021 and serves a trading area of about 60,000 people. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes the Carrot River Valley as one of Saskatchewan’s richest farm areas, with no recorded droughts or severe crop failures. Hockey runs deep in this city. The Melfort Mustangs play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and their alumni include former Los Angeles Kings player Willie Mitchell. Golfers head to the 18-hole Melfort Golf & Country Club, and families picnic at Spruce Haven within city limits. The exhibition grounds have a show ring and grandstand. In 1909 the Farmers’ Railway opened the first line between Melfort and Regina. Tourism now brings the city about $9 million a year. In 2016 Melfort adopted a new brand, Play Melfort. The Kerry Vickar Centre opened as a multi-purpose sports facility in the autumn of 2009. The city also has four public elementary schools and a comprehensive collegiate.
Melfort seasons and weather
Long, cold winters mean aurora watching usually happens in layers: a heavy hoodie under a parka plus a warm hat. Summers are warm enough for a tee on its own.
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
Melfort questions
I’m sending a birthday present to someone in Melfort. Can it be returned if the size is wrong?
Returns can be requested within 30 days of the order. Shipping to Melfort is calculated at checkout, or free when the order reaches $90.
Does XUSI print custom shirts for Melfort businesses or community events?
It does. Screen printing requires a 10-garment minimum, allows up to 4 colours per design with design help included, and every order is quoted before printing. Garments are printed in Saskatoon and shipped to Melfort.
Could the Melfort Mustangs or a minor hockey team order printed hoodies?
We do not have any arrangement with local teams, but any group can order custom printing. Runs start at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. We help with artwork, print in Saskatoon and ship to Melfort.
Are XUSI designs connected to Treaty 6?
Yes. We are an Indigenous-owned company from Saskatoon, also in Treaty 6 territory. Many of our designs carry a Cree word and story, explained on our meanings page. Melfort shares that treaty, so the designs may feel close to home for many local families.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Sources for this page
- Melfort, The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
- History of Melfort, City of Melfort
- Melfort, The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Kinistino First Nation, Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia, University of Saskatchewan
- Kinistin Saulteaux Nation, Saskatoon Tribal Council
- Melfort & District Museum
- Melfort, Saskatchewan, Wikipedia (2021 census and climate figures)
Indigenous clothing from XUSI
From its Saskatoon base, XUSI, an Indigenous-owned clothing label, delivers hoodies, hats and graphic tees to Melfort and the surrounding farming communities of northeast Saskatchewan, so you can support Indigenous business from home.
Melfort swings between big prairie heat and deep cold, with records from 41.1°C in July 1941 to −47.2°C in January 1966. In summer, a heavyweight cotton tee and an A-frame snapback suit a round at the golf course or a picnic at Spruce Haven. Harvest days in the Carrot River Valley call for a Black Oni long sleeve that handles dust and cool mornings. When the Mustangs season starts, a hoodie is the easy rink layer. By January, our heaviest hoodie goes under a parka for a late walk to catch the northern lights.
