On February 2, 1907, the first post office was established with the name Glenlogan at Section 4, Township 40, Range 19, west of the 3rd Meridian. The post office changed names on October 1, 1908 to Wilkie. The town of Wilkie, Saskatchewan was named after Mr. Daniel Robert Wilkie, who was the president of the Imperial Bank of Canada (1906–1914), a backer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and a member of the Canadian Art Club. Mr. Wilkie and his family lived at "Seven Oaks", a heritage property at 432 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, which was completed in 1875. His son, Major Arthur Benson Wilkie, graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada and served with the Royal Sussex Regiment (1901–1920) in Lucknow, India (1902); Thorncliffe, England (1903–04); Malta (1904–05); Candia, Crete (1906); British Legation, Peking (1908); and Toronto, Ontario (1910–1920). His other son Major Charles Stuart (Chas) Wilkie served as a lieutenant with the Royal Canadian Artillery (1899–1919) and volunteered with the 10th Regiment in South Africa during the Boer War (1899–1900) and during the Great War.
Wilkie was once home to "The World's Largest Grasshopper" (a roadside attraction), which used to be located in front of the town rink and hall.
Transportation
Wilkie is a station on the Canadian Pacific Railway line from Portage la Prairie, via Saskatoon to Edmonton, 160 kilometres west of Saskatoon. Wilkie is also the starting point of Canadian Pacific's Reford Branch, to Kerrobert, 44.6 miles (71.8 km) to the south-west, and of the former Kelfield Branch, of the CPR, to Kelfield, 35.4 miles (57.0 km) south.
On the south side of town is Wilkie Golf Club. It is a 9-hole golf course with grass greens.[8]
The Wilkie Saskcan Community Centre has an ice rink and curling rink. On October 9, 2015, an electrical fire caused significant damage to the building.[9] In 2019, Wilkie was a top four Kraft Hockeyville finalist. Funds from that and a campaign started by Brett Wilson, raised $126,000 for a new ice plant for the facility. Installation of the new ice plant started in the summer of 2021 and was up and running by September 29, 2021.[10]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wilkie had a population of 1,195 living in 509 of its 569 total private dwellings, a change of -2% from its 2016 population of 1,219. With a land area of 9.22 km2 (3.56 sq mi), it had a population density of 129.6/km2 (335.7/sq mi) in 2021.[11]
Canada census – Wilkie, Saskatchewan community profile