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It is the town with the unique name, known throughout Saskatchewan. A wonderful little town, located near the U.S. border, that has a deep history going back to 1923. It was in that year when the railroad steel came through the area and Climax was born. Within three weeks of the track moving through, the town quickly sprang up.
Incorporated on Dec. 11, 1923, Climax was in the perfect position to do trading for the area. Prior to this, trading was done in Gull Lake in the north, and Harlem, Montana in the south, and in 1913, trading was done in Shaunavon.
Settlers quickly began to come to the area, and even the RCMP were quickly stationed in the area, on Brook’s farm.
So, how did it get the name of Climax? That name comes thanks to the hometown of Annie, Fred and Christ Fuglestad, who came from Climax, Minnesota. As for that town, it was founded in 1896 and had its name from a chewing tobacco company. So, in the end, by extension, Climax, Saskatchewan is named after chewing tobacco but it is a name that has helped put the town on the map and in the public consciousness of the province.
Even prior to Climax becoming a village, the town was already bustling. In November of 1923, one month before becoming a village, there was a butcher, barrister, doctor, druggist, four restaurants, two pool halls, a gentleman’s furnishing store, a hotel, two general stores, two rooming houses, a hardware store, two garages, three lumber companies, two blacksmiths, three feed barns and a general hospital. All in all, the town had the amazing population of 101 people, making it one of the fastest growing towns in the history of the area.
Climax also had a Board of Trade, made up of several local business owners who made it their mission to promote the area, which they did through a number of means including Sports Days and Annual Carnivals. The annual carnival would become one of the defining events of Climax.
The creation of Climax would become major news throughout the province, and even the Regina Leader would report on the wonder town springing to life from the prairies in March of 1923. “One of the best examples of a town growing overnight,” the article said.
The growth of Climax was so great, that 50,000 bushels were moving through the area each year.
From those early years, Climax continued to grow and prosper, becoming the wonderful village that it is today.
