Kamsack is a small town of 1,900 people (2016) at the confluence of the Whitesand and Assiniboine Rivers in East Central Saskatchewan, Canada.

Understand

Kamsack is located in the scenic Assiniboine River Valley and is surrounded by rolling hills, forest area and farmland. The community is the gateway to Duck Mountain Provincial Park.

History

The lands around what is now Kamsack were settled in the 1880s by a handful of agricultural settlers. The farming area around Kamsack was well settled by 1905. These farms consisted of a variety of ethnic groups which are still present to this day: Doukhobors, Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans and Eastern Canadians were all among the early settlers to the area. In 1903 the Canadian National Railway and Kamsack railway station were built which literally forced the birth of Kamsack. The town is still today served by Via Rail passenger service. The name Kamsack came from an early post office of the same name, which was located in one of the early settlers' homes. The name "Kamsack" came from a indigenous word meaning "something vast and large". In the 1900s, the Doukhobor village called Nadezhda (Russian: Надежда, 'Hope'), some 15 km (9 mi) to the northwest of Kamsack, was the site of the annual general meetings of the Doukhobor community of Saskatchewan. By around 1910, the meeting site had shifted to the village of Veregin, some 10 km (6 mi) west of Kamsack, where a permanent Doukhobor central office was established.

Get in

By car

Kamsack is situated at the junction of Highway 5 and 9, about 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Yorkton, 270 km (170 mi) northeast of Regina, 355 km (221 mi) east of Saskatoon, and 470 km (290 mi) northwest of Winnipeg.

By plane

The closest major airports with scheduled service are in Regina and Saskatoon, served by Air Canada and Westjet.

By rail

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• 1 Kamsack station. (updated Oct 2023)
  • VIA Rail Canada, ☏ +1-888-842-7245. Operates a route two days per week between Winnipeg and Churchill with stops in Portage la Prairie, Dauphin, Roblin, Kamsack, Canora, Hudson Bay, The Pas, and Thompson. (updated Jun 2022)

Get around

The town is walkable but you'll need a private vehicle to visit the area attractions.

See

• 1 Fort Livingstone National Historic Site, Pelly (40 km N of Kamsack), pc.infosaskatchewan-saskatchewaninfo.pc@canada.ca. Fort Livingstone was founded as an outpost and briefly served as the capital the Northwest Territories and headquarters of the North West Mounted Police from 1874-1876. (updated Feb 2021)
• 2 Fort Pelly National Historic Site, Pelly (24 km N of Kamsack on Hwy 8 and 6.7 km W), ☏ +1 306-333-2116, pc.infosaskatchewan-saskatchewaninfo.pc@canada.ca. A former Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post now marked by a plaque. This is the second site of Fort Pelly. The first site, owned and plaqued by the province, is located 0.4 km away. (updated Feb 2021)
• 3 Kamsack Power House Museum (close to Centennial Park and golf course, on the banks of Assiniboine River), ☏ +1 306-542-4415, kphmuseum@gmail.com. May long weekend-Labour Day: Daily 9AM-5PM. (updated Feb 2021)

Prayer House, National Doukhobor Heritage Village in Veregin.

• 4 National Doukhobor Heritage Village, 1 Ave S, Veregin (15 km W of Kamsack on Hwy 5), ☏ +1 306-542-4441, ndhv@yourlink.ca. Daily 10AM-6PM. Both a National and Provincial Historic site, this museum complex depicts the lifestyles of the Doukhobor immigrants who settled the area. The village features a museum, administrative building, bakery with brick oven, bath house, Prayer Home, barns and blacksmith shop. (updated Feb 2021)

Do

• 1 Duck Mountain Provincial Park (20 km W of Kamsack on Hwy 57), ☏ +1 306-542-5500, toll-free: +1-855-737-7275, duckmtn2@gov.sk.ca. Duck Mountain Provincial Park is known for its rolling hills, well-stocked lakes and boreal forest setting. With accommodations ranging from wilderness camping to electric campsites and a lodge with modern cabins and townhouses, Duck Mountain offers in-park accommodation for every season. (updated Feb 2021)
  • 2 Madge Lake Golf Resort, Hwy 57, Duck Mountain Provincial Park, ☏ +1 306-542-3485, rich@madgelakegolf.com. (updated Feb 2021)
• 3 Duck Mountain Ski Area (25 km E of Kamsack and 8 km S via Batka Lake Rd), ☏ +1 306-542-4111, +1 306-542-4000, manager@skitheduck.com. Offers downhill skiing and snowboarding, located along the southern boundary of Duck Mountain Provincial Park. (updated Feb 2021)
• Kamsack Riverside Golf Club (west side of Kamsack in Assiniboine River valley), ☏ +1 306-542-3741, riversidegolf@sasktel.net. (updated Feb 2021)

Eat & drink

• Iron Grill Steakhouse, 204 3rd Avenue, ☏ +1 306-542-4745, irongrillsteakhouse@gmail.com. M-F 10:30AM–8:30PM Sa 3-8:30PM. (updated Feb 2021)
• Kunshi’s Kitchen, 358 Queen Elizabeth Blvd E, ☏ +1 306-542-3663. M-Sa 9AM-4PM. (updated Feb 2021)

Sleep

• Duck Mountain Motel, 335 Queen Elizabeth Blvd E, ☏ +1 306-542-2656, duckmtnmotel@gmail.com. (updated Feb 2021)
• 1 Madge Lake Retreats, Ministik Beach (20 km E of Kamsack in Duck Mountain Provincial Park), ☏ +1 306-542-3922, customerservice@madgelake.info. (updated Feb 2021)

Go next

Routes through Kamsack

Churchill ← Canora ←	N  S	→ Dauphin → Winnipeg
Saskatoon ← Canora ←	W  E	→ becomes → Roblin via
END ←	W  E	→ becomes → Swan River via