Settlement of the area began in the early 1900s with farmers and immigrants moving into the area looking for farmland. Outlook officially started as a settlement on August 26, 1908 when the Canadian Pacific Railway commenced the auction of lots. On November 23, 1908 the citizens of Outlook welcomed the first train which arrived from Moose Jaw. Within the month the CPR was running a tri-weekly train service carrying huge piles of lumber, however the supply of workers and materials was far outweighed by the demand for more buildings. The Outlook CPR Station building was built in 1909 and a year later, on November 1, 1910, Outlook was officially declared a town. In 1912 the Skytrail bridge crossing the South Saskatchewan River was finished, allowing both passenger and commercial traffic to cross the river in the area for the first time without using the ferry.
Demographics
Arts and culture
Outlook's arts program includes the Equinox Theatre, a community theatre group that puts on one to two productions a year. They have put on such productions such as Anne of Green Gable and The Little Mermaid. In the past, the group would work in Conjunction with the LCBI theatre group. The Outlook and District Community Arts Council recently opened an art gallery in the Town Office Building.
Attractions
Outlook & District Regional Park is situated along the South Saskatchewan River. It has 50 electrified campsites, an outdoor heated junior size Olympic swimming pool and paddling pool for toddlers, hiking trails and the 9-hole Riverview Golf Course.
The Skytrail Bridge is an old railway bridge, converted for pedestrian use; it is 3000 feet long and stands 156 ft above the South Saskatchewan River. The skytrail bridge is currently closed to the public due to unsafe conditions.
Outlook railway station building is home to the Outlook & District Heritage Museum The museum has over 2500 artifacts from the Outlook area. Some of the highlights include:
* original artwork by acclaimed artist Arthur Evoy who was born in Outlook
The Canada Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre, a research facility located on the outskirts of town, tests different crops, diseases, chemicals under dryland and irrigation. The Centre has many tours during the summer as well as a field day in July.
Danielson Provincial Park is 50 km south on Highway 219 and Highway 44 provides access to Gardiner Dam.
Climate
The highest temperature ever recorded in Outlook was on June 16, 1933 and July 4, 1937. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on February 25, 1919.
Sports
The Outlook Recreation Complex has a skating rink, a 4-sheet curling rink, a 4-lane bowling alley and an indoor archery range. Adjacent are five baseball diamonds. The Jim Kook Arena in the Complex is home to many sports programs throughout the year, including the Outlook Minor Sports program. It is home to the Outlook Ice Hawks senior hockey team. The Outlook Stock Car Association maintains a stock car 1/3 mile high banked clay oval track. The track runs 10 or more races a season. Outlook is home to the MBBL fantasy baseball draft, which is famous for Pistol Pete singing “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” at The Matador.
Outlook has an award-winning recycling program that has been recognized across North America. The Town of Outlook has recycled nearly three million lbs of cardboard as of 2003, and nearly 2 million lbs of newspaper.
- a public school offering grades 6-12 which also houses the Wheatland Library Outlook Branch. Outlook High School is home to the Blues athletics program.
- a public school offering grades K-5.
- a fully accredited high school offering grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, with residences for 120 students
