Tompkins is a village in the rural municipality Gull Lake No. 139 in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The village is located between Maple Creek and Swift Current, on the Trans-Canada Highway. The 2006 census put the population of Tompkins at 173. The village was named for Thomas Tompkins, a CPR railroad contractor.[1]
Tompkins | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Tompkins Location of Tompkins  Tompkins Tompkins (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 50°04′01.2″N 108°48′00″W / 50.067000°N 108.80000°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 173 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
Economy
Tompkins has several small businesses which thrive on the local shopping and dedication which has always been an asset to the citizens of Tompkins.
Popular culture
Tompkins' most famous celebrity was Gus Wickstrom who was known worldwide, and was featured on such programmes as the Daily Show, numerous Canada-wide TV shows, and various other USA TV and radio shows. He predicted the weather by looking at raw pig spleens for their colour, width, length and fatty deposits. From this, he predicted temperature, extreme heat/cold periods, snow/rainfall and drought up to eight months in advance. This is a famous practice dating back to his Scandinavian heritage. Gus died in 2007.
The popular Canadian sit-com Corner Gas pays tribute to both Gus Wickstrom and Tompkins in having the publisher/editor/writer of the local newspaper The Howler named Gus Tompkins. The character, though often talked about, is never seen.
References
- ^ Barry, Bill (1998) People Places: The Dictionary of Saskatchewan Place Names, p. 359, Regina, Sask: People Places Publishing Ltd., ISBN 1-894022-19-X
External links
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