The Rocanville area has a long history tied to the fur trade. In 1785 Fort Espérance was built here, and the archaeological site is believed to hold the remains of two late 18th- and early 19th-century forts. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1944.
The first settlers on the present townsite arrived in 1882 and 1883. In 1902 two brothers built the first general store, in the middle of what is now Main Street. Rocanville was incorporated as a village on March 24, 1904, soon after the railroad reached the area. It is named for the first postmaster, Rocan de Bastien, who served as overseer of the village. It became a town on August 1, 1967.
Rocanville's potash mine shipped its first train car load on September 25, 1970. It was opened by the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, which later merged with Agrium to become Nutrien, and it is now the largest of Nutrien's six potash mines in the province.
Today the town is known for the world's largest oil can, built to commemorate the Symons Oiler factory, which made over a million oil cans during the Second World War. Crop circles discovered here in the fall of 1996 also drew attention. The Rocanville and District Museum Site, the Rocanville Farmers Building and the Symons Metalworks are all Municipal Heritage Properties.
Written from Wikipedia’s article “Rocanville” (CC BY-SA 4.0), and shared under the same licence.