Birch Hills takes its name from the hills around it, which were once thickly covered with birches. During the fur trade era of the 18th century, the bark of those trees was used to make birch bark canoes. The surrounding countryside is part of the aspen parkland.
The area was settled mainly by Norwegian, British and Anglo-Metis people. Birch Hills became a village in 1907 and was made a town in 1960.
Unlike many farming towns, it has kept growing, thanks to its position as a satellite community of Prince Albert. Among the people associated with the town are Earl Thomson, who won a gold medal for Canada in the 110-metre hurdles at the 1920 Olympics, and Marshall Johnston, a longtime NHL player, scout, coach and general manager.
Written from Wikipedia’s article “Birch Hills” (CC BY-SA 4.0), and shared under the same licence.