Robsart, Saskatchewan | Ghost Town

Nestled at the crossroads of Highways 13 (the historic Red Coat Trail) and 18 in southwestern Saskatchewan, Robsart was founded in 1910 when the Canadian Pacific Railway purchased land and named it after Amy Robsart from Sir Walter Scott’s Kenilworth. Settlers, led by Henry Abbott, arrived a few years later and by around 1920 the town’s population peaked at approximately 350 residents, supporting over 50 businesses—including a bank, school, hotel, grain elevators, and even a surgeon’s office and dentist.

Thanks to the railway, Robsart flourished. Its motto, ironically optimistic, was “A Town With a Bright Future” (circa 1915). However, disasters struck in 1929–1930: a grain elevator fire followed by a major downtown blaze destroyed much of the business district. The Great Depression, drought and low grain prices accelerated its decline. By the late 1930s, many businesses had shuttered and residents left in search of opportunity elsewhere.

In 2002, Robsart lost village status and became an unincorporated hamlet. The population dwindled—dropping from 10 in 2011, rebounding to 20 in 2016, then falling again to 15 by 2021.

Though mostly abandoned, Robsart still features a handful of standing landmarks:

• Robsart Hospital: Built in 1917 and closed in the late 1930s, this Victorian‑style wooden structure remains one of Western Canada’s few surviving pioneer hospitals.
• Community Hall: Revived in the 1980s by locals rallying to preserve the town’s spirit; now occasionally used for events.
• Beaver Lumber Co storefront: One of the last original storefronts on Main Street, a relic of greater commercial days..
• Residential relics: About a dozen abandoned houses, boarded‑up storefronts and old wooden sidewalks still mark Main Street—and a few occupied homes house the roughly 10–20 remaining souls

Robsart lies along the historic Red Coat Trail (Highway 13), a route dotted with other ghost towns like Ravenscrag and Govenlock, known locally as the “Ghost Town Trail.." A short drive northwest leads to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, a scenic and historic regional destination perfect for combining history with nature.

Robsart’s decline is emblematic of many prairie settlements: rising fast with rail and grain booms, then fading under drought, economic hardship, and fire. Yet its remaining structures—the hospital, community hall, and scattered storefronts—echo its early promise. For visitors, it’s less a haunting spectacle than a quiet lesson in settlement, community, and resilience. If you’re curious about Saskatchewan’s prairie past, let Robsart’s silent streets offer a thoughtful pause.