Coat of Arms, Bullpen Island, Saskatchewan

Information

History

Bullpen Island Penal Colony

In 1885, Penal Colony #351 was founded essentially in the middle of nowhere in the prairies. It was reserved for the most dangerous criminals of the time; murderers, psychopaths, horse thieves and jaywalkers. The conditions were extremely harsh, the guards were brutal and the food was mediocre. The cramped living quarters were collectively called the Bull Pens, and the colony came to be known as Bullpen Island. Strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly an island, but it stood in the middle of prairies like an island at the sea.

Colonel Rodgers

The colony was disbanded by mistake in January 1898, due to an administrative error. A handful of guards and former prisoners stayed behind as the majority left the area, led by Colonel Edgard W. Rodgers, and heading south. Half of Rodgers' expedition froze to death during the march, while the remainders, including the Colonel himself, got eaten by wolves, bears and rabid badgers.

Those who remained at Bullpen Island elected Prometheus G. Toaster, a former horse smuggler, as their leader. Under Toaster's ruling, the colony attracted pioneers across the prairies and grew into a small but functional village.

2006 Census Community Profile

Summary statistics from 2006 Census.

Population
	Total	Male	Female
Population in 2006	2013	47%	53%
Population in 2001	1972	48%	52%
2001 to 2006 population change	+41
Left-handed individuals	61	22	39
Ambidextrous individuals	5	3	2
Amphibious individuals	127	90	37
Dwellings
	Total
Total number of private dwellings	854
Number of unoccupied private dwellings	19
Number of private dwellings occupied by humans	791
Number of private dwellings occupied by animals	32
Number of private dwellings occupied by mythical creatures	12
Total number of pirate dwellings	79
Average residental lot size	2,100m²
Percentage of all residental lots landscaped with astroturf	39%
Number of dwellings built out of arsenic-treated wood, asbestos and lead paint	629
Labour Force Activity
	Total	Male	Female
Total population 15 years or older	1520	714	806
Employed	1130	794	336
Management occupations	32	30	2
Business and finance occupations	97	51	46
Science, government and religious occupations	53	30	23
Arts, culture, recreation, sports and other non-productive occupations	1	0	1
Sales and service occupations, including prostitution	361	151	210
Processing, manufacturing and industry occupations	416	390	26
Occupations in piracy, privateering and swashbuckling	170	142	28
Religious Classifications
	Total	Male	Female
Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster	39%	40%	38%
Atheism/Agnosticism/Theological noncognitivism	32%	32%	32%
Invisible Pink Unicorn	17%	12%	22%
The First United Church of the Fonz	5%	9%	1%
Christian denominations, excluding Greco-Roman Dogholics	3%	1%	5%
Greco-Roman Dogholic Church	2%	3%	1%
The New Reformed Schismatic Arch-Druids of North America	1%	2%	0%
All other denominations	1%	1%	1%
First Languages
	Total	Male	Female
English	100%	100%	100%
Canadian English	90%	92%	88%
Queen's English	5%	6%	4%
Pirate English	5%	7%	3%
French	0%	0%	0%
Livestock and Pets
	Total
Total number of domesticated animals raised as livestock	11,328
Llamas	3,548
Cattle	2,699
Pigs	1,320
Sheep	213
Total number of domesticated animals raised as pets	943
Dogs	712
Llamas	152
Various Rodents	75
Cats	3
Pot-Bellied Pigs	1