Bengough, Saskatchewan
Bengough () is a town in the rural municipality of Bengough No. 40, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A southeastern Saskatchewan prairie town, Bengough is located east of Willow Bunch Lake on Highway 34 near Highway 705. The town is named Bengough after cartoonist John Wilson Bengough. Bengough also plays host to the Gateway Festival which showcases various musicians and several other events through the weekend, usually taking place in late July. History. Homesteading in the Bengough area started around 1906. In 1911, Bengough was incorporated as a village and a rail line was built by the Canadian  Northern Railway (CNoR). Bengough was incorporated as a town in 1958. The town was an agricultural hub to the surrounding area with grain elevators from Federal Grain Limited, Parrish Heimbecker Ltd., and the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool established within the town limits. The railway running through the town of Bengough is no longer in operation. As of 2007, only the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator is still in operation, owned and operated by a local farmer organization. Geography. Bengough is located within the Missouri Coteau near Willow Bunch Lake, Big Muddy Lake, Salt Lake and Channel Lake. Few well-defined streams or  creeks are located near the townsite. The landscape where the town is located is characterized by pitted and rolling topography of the moraine deposits that dominate the landscape. Just to the south of Bengough is the Big Muddy Badlands. Bengough and District Regional Park features camping, an outdoor swimming pool, 9-hole golf course as well as play area. Demographics. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bengough had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density  of in 2021. Economy. Located in a mixed farming and ranching area, Bengough's main economic industry is agriculture. Regina, Assiniboia and Weyburn are the closest neighbouring major communities. Arts and culture. Bengough is the home of the Gateway Festival, a family friendly folk/roots festival showcasing a wide variety of talent from Saskatchewan and beyond. Past performers include Steve Earle, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tom Cochrane, 54-40, Corb Lund, Sloan, Kim Mitchell, Kathleen Edwards, Jess Moskaluke, Tenille Arts, Northern Pikes, Colter Wall, The Sheepdogs, and many more. The annual festival takes place the fourth weekend  of July.