After the North-West Mounted Police had been established at Fort Walsh, settlers began to explore the Cypress Hills area, living along the creeks and doing small-scale ranching. The Department of the Interior was operating a First Nations farm on the Maple Creek, a few miles south from the present town site. In 1882-1883 the First Nations were moved to Qu'Appelle, and the farm was then operated by Major Shircliff, an ex-Mounted Policeman. In the winter of 1882, a Canadian Pacific Railway construction crew of 12 decided to winter where the town of Maple Creek now stands. This marked the establishment of Maple Creek. In June 2010, a flood submerged some of the town. The same flood hit much of southwest Saskatchewan and southern Alberta and even destroyed a portion of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Heritage sites
There are two designated municipal heritage Properties in Maple Creek:
The St. Mary's Anglican Church was constructed in 1909 in the Romanesque style. The church also contains a vestry, narthex, and octagonal belfry with steeple that was added in 1928.
Demographics
Climate
Maple Creek experiences a semi-arid climate. With the exception of southwestern Alberta, winters in Maple Creek are typically warmer than those in the adjacent plain region of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, being a convergence point for Chinook winds originating along the Rocky Mountain Front. The mean maximum temperature in January 2006 was 5.3 °C for the Maple Creek townsite, compared to 5.0 °C for Calgary and 4.7 °C for Medicine Hat. The highest temperature ever recorded in Maple Creek was on 29 June 1984. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 15 & 16 February 1936.
Attractions
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, an interprovincial park straddling the southern Alberta-Saskatchewan border, north-west of Robsart.
Cypress Hills Vineyard & Winery
Fort Walsh, a reconstructed North-West Mounted Police fort and part of the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. As a National Historic Site of Canada the area possesses national historical significance. It was established as a NWMP fort after and near the Cypress Hills Massacre.
Robsart Art Works, opens July 1 to August 28, 2010, from 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment and features Saskatchewan artists featuring photographers of old buildings and towns throughout Saskatchewan.
T.rex Discovery Centre, a facility to house the fossil record of the Eastend area started many years before the discovery of "Scotty" the T.Rex in 1994.
Education
The Sidney Street School and the Maple Creek Composite School serve the local community. Great Plains College operates a satellite campus in Maple Creek.
