Balgonie

Balgonie is a town in located in the White Butte area of south-eastern Saskatchewan. Balgonie has a Subway Restaurant, 2 gas stations, an outdoor pool, and a large new arena. It is also home to Greenall School.HistoryBalgonie was named for Balgonie Castle in Scotland. In 1882, the first train ran through the area on the Canadian Pacific Railway. A post office was established in 1883, and a school was built in 1891. Balgonie was incorporated as a village in 1903 and as a town in 1907. The town's population plummeted during the 1930s and 1940s, but the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway in the late 1950s brought new growth.One of Balgonie's most famous residents was William Wallace Gibson (1876–1965), who created the first Canadian-built airplane. Gibson successfully flew his airplane in Victoria in 1910. Gibson was the subject of the 1991 stop-motion animated short The Balgonie Birdman, directed by Brian Duchscherer and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.DemographicsThe municipality's growth has been both rapid and consistent. Between 1996 and 2001 the population grew 9.5%. Between 2001 and 2006 the growth rate increased even further, to 11.7%.SportsHome of Team Selzer, World Women's Curling Silver Medalists, and consistently competitive high school football.