Big River began around the turn of the 20th century as a company town, created as a base for the lumber industry. Commercial fishing also played a major part in the community in its early years.
A post office opened in Big River in 1910, and the community incorporated in 1921. Today it is a town on the southern end of Cowan Lake, surrounded by northern boreal forest, with only some cleared farmland and a few natural meadows breaking it up.
Big River Regional Park serves visitors and locals alike, with campgrounds at Cowan Lake and on the north side of town. Nearby is the 9-hole Big River Golf Course, built in 1971. The town is also the hometown of former NHL players Barry Pederson and Jim Neilson.
Written from Wikipedia’s article “Big River, Saskatchewan” (CC BY-SA 4.0), and shared under the same licence.