Saskatchewan Highway 58

Highway 58
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure
Length	130.5 km (81.1 mi)
Major junctions
South end	Highway 18 near Fir Mountain
Major intersections	Highway 13 at Lafleche Highway 43 at Gravelbourg
North end	Highway 1 (TCH) / Highway 19 at Chaplin
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Rural municipalities	Waverley, Wood River, Gravelbourg, Shamrock, Chaplin
Highway system
Provincial highways in Saskatchewan
← Highway 57 → Highway 60

Highway 58 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan that handles approximately 100 vehicles per day. The highway runs from Highway 18 about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Fir Mountain north until Highway 1 / Highway 19 at Chaplin in the south-central region of the province. There are multiplexes of 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) with Highway 13, 300 metres (980 ft) with Highway 43, and 4.9 kilometres (3.0 mi) with Highway 363. The section from its southern terminus north to Shamrock is paved while north of Shamrock to Chaplin is gravel. The highway is about 132 kilometres (82 mi) long.

Highway 58 begins at the northern edge of the Wood Mountain Hills, which are part of the Missouri Coteau. Along the highway's route, there are rural villages, parks, towns, rivers, and lakes. Notable lakes include Thomson Lake, which is a man-made lake along the course of the Wood River, and Chaplin Lake, which is the second largest saline lake in Canada. The terrain of the Missouri Coteau features low hummocky, undulating, rolling hills, potholes, and grasslands. Highway 58 runs through the first regional park of Saskatchewan, Thomson Lake Regional Park, and also provides nearby access to Shamrock Regional Park, another early regional park of Saskatchewan. The Louis Pierre Gravel National Historic Marker commemorates history at the north end of Highway 58, and the Cripple Creek Provincial Historic Marker is located at the south end. Highway 58 also provides access to the Chaplin / Old Wives / Reed Lakes Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Communities

Aerial view of Hwy 58 through Chaplin Lake

Fir Mountain is at the southern terminus of Highway 58 at Highway 18. South of Fir Mountain, is the Wood Mountain First Nations Indian reserve. Historically, Sioux Indians traversed this area as they followed Chief Sitting Bull. About 37.2 kilometres (23.1 mi) north of the southern terminus is Lafleche. Lafleche is located near Thomson Lake and became a town in 1953. In 1913, the CPR line came through the community. 57.8 kilometres (35.9 mi) farther north is the town of Gravelbourg, which is noted for being the Cultural Gem of Saskatchewan. Gravelbourg features the Our Lady of Assumption Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral and at one time was a bustling agricultural centre and hosted nine agricultural elevators. The community of Shamrock, at 98.5 kilometres (61.2 mi) from the southern terminus, is at Highway 58's junction with Highway 363. North of Shamrock, at 135 kilometres (84 mi) from the southern terminus, is the northern terminus at Highways 1 and 19. At the northern terminus, the highway goes through Chaplin Lake, which is part of a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, and ends at the community of Chaplin.

Rural municipalities

The highway passes through five rural municipalities (RM), including Waverley No. 44, Wood River No. 74, Gravelbourg No. 104, Shamrock No. 134, and Chaplin No. 164.

The RMs were created to provide a civic government to rural residents, such as police, health, and fire protection, education, as well as bridge and road maintenance and construction. The early roads in Saskatchewan began as dirt roads along the township and range roads surveyed by the Dominion Government land surveyors around homestead allotments. Two and four horse teams would plough and grade these roads before graders and scrapers were bought by the various rural municipalities. The RMs would also hire crews to maintain the road ditches, and keep the roads clear of snow during the winter months. Joint funding with the provincial government and RMs provided oil surfacing and asphalt highway surfaces.

Attractions

Louis Pierre Gravel National Historic Site honours the arrival of the abbot Louis-Pierre Gravel, a missionary-colonizer and the Franco-Americans who settled Gravelbourg. The memorial site is located south of Highway 43 and just east of Highway 58.

Thomson Lake Regional Park is situated on Thomson Lake along Highway 58 near Lafleche. It is 81 hectares (200 acres) in size and hosts swimming lessons, camping, picnicking, boating, and golf. Thomson Lake Regional Park became the first regional park in the province of Saskatchewan.

Shamrock Regional Park is on the banks of Wood River. It is 22.3 hectares (55 acres) in size and has a campground, playground, and baseball diamonds.

Chaplin Lake is a saline lake at the north end of Highway 58. It has an area of 17,141 hectares (42,360 acres), which makes it the second largest saline lake in Canada. The lake is a haven for many varieties of shorebirds and is part of the Chaplin, Old Wives, and Reed Lake complex of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

The marker for Cripple Creek Provincial Historic Site is located at the junction of Highway 13 and Highway 58. Cripple Creek Crossing - North-West Mounted Police Camp Site is a municipal heritage site. This area encompasses 128 hectares (320 acres) and commemorates the history of the "March West" of the North-West Mounted Police under the command of George Arthur French on July 8, 1874.

Major intersections

From south to north:

Rural municipality	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Waverley No. 44	​	0.0	0.0	Highway 18 – Wood Mountain, Rockglen, Mankota	West of Fir Mountain
Wood River No. 74	​	35.6	22.1	Highway 13 west – Kincaid	Hwy 58 branches east; south end of Hwy 13 concurrency
	Lafleche	37.2	23.1	Highway 13 east – Assiniboia, Weyburn	Hwy 58 branches north; north end of Hwy 13 concurrency
Gravelbourg No. 104	Gravelbourg	56.9	35.4	Highway 43 east – Vantage, Moose Jaw	Hwy 58 branches west; south end of Hwy 43 concurrency
		57.2	35.5	Highway 43 west – Vanguard	Hwy 58 branches north; north end of Hwy 43 concurrency
	​	70.2	43.6	Highway 718 east – Mossbank	South end of Hwy 718 concurrency
	​	71.8	44.6	Highway 718 west – Bateman	North end of Hwy 718 concurrency
Shamrock No. 134	​	89.6	55.7	Highway 363 east – Moose Jaw	Hwy 58 branches west; south end of Hwy 363 concurrency; south end of unpaved section
	Shamrock	94.5	58.7	Highway 363 west – Hodgeville	Hwy 58 branches north; north end of Hwy 363 concurrency
Chaplin No. 164	Chaplin	130.5	81.1	Highway 1 (TCH) – Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina Highway 19 – Hodgeville, Central Butte	Continues as Hwy 19 north
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• Transportation in Saskatchewan
• Roads in Saskatchewan

External links

• Saskatchewan Highways Website—Highway Numbering
• Saskatchewan Road Map RV Itineraries
• Big Things of Canada, A Celebration of Community Monuments of Canada