Midale was incorporated as a village in 1907, although the first settlers of the area arrived in 1903.
Almost all of the original settlers had filed on a 160 acre homestead, offered by the Canadian government for men 18 years and older.
After a period where the settlement was known as the Halbrite and Macoun siding, the original suggestion for a name was "Mitchell" after Dr. R.M. Mitchell, who served an area from Estevan to Moose Jaw between 1899 and 1903.[5] The idea had to be abandoned due to an existing community with the same name, so a compromise was made to combine the first two letters of "Mitchell" with the last name of the man credited as the area's first settler, Ole Dale, creating "Midale."[6]
Midale's first hospital opened on March 7, 1949, with Premier T.C. Douglas paying a visit to the community to cut the ribbon.[7]
The town continues to pay tribute to its agricultural and pioneer roots with the annual Midale Threshing Bee.[8]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Midale had a population of 510 living in 210 of its 259 total private dwellings, a change of -15.6% from its 2016 population of 604. With a land area of 1.62 km2 (0.63 sq mi), it had a population density of 314.8/km2 (815.4/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
On July 5, 1937 a maximum temperature of 45 °C (113.0 °F) was recorded, which was, along with that of the village of Yellow Grass, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.[11] This record stood for 84 years until June 27, 2021 when it was surpassed by Lytton, British Columbia, which reached 46.6 °C (115.9 °F).[12]
Climate data for Midale, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1923–present
Midale offers a variety of recreational venues. The local ice rink, Harry O Memorial Arena, is home to the Midale Mustangs of the men's senior Big 6 Hockey League.[14] A team from Midale has won the Lincoln Trophy four times, once as the Miners in 1961 and three straight years as the Mustangs in the 2000s. The town also has a curling rink, museum, library, ball diamonds, and an outdoor swimming pool.[15]
^Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005). "Elections Canada On-line". Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^"History". townofmidale.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
^ ab"Midale". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
