Published: August 2002

The Blairmore Ring, used to access Saskatchewan’s potash deposits, will be on display.

The pioneers of Saskatchewan’s potash industry will be recognized with a monument being created at Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker International Airport.

The centerpiece of the monument is the Blairmore Ring – a massive iron ring measuring five metres in diameter and weighing more than 28 tonnes, which was part of the engineering solution that opened Saskatchewan’s rich potash deposits to mining development during the 1960s.

The ring will be at the center of a seating area outside the main terminal building. Inside the terminal, visitors will find an interpretive center explaining the history of the ring and its importance in the development of Saskatchewan’s mining industry.

Garth Moore, President of PCS Potash, said the monument reflects the perseverance of the people who built in Saskatchewan’s first potash mines, as well as the ongoing efforts that keep the industry thriving today. .

“Today, our industry directly employs more than 3,200 people in Saskatchewan and invests more than $1.3 billion annually in wages, goods and services, transportation, taxes and royalties. That leads to countless other jobs in related industries and service sectors,” said Moore. “None of that would have been possible without the sacrifice and spirit of innovation of the people who built our industry over 40 years ago. The Blairmore Ring monument is a tribute to those people.”

An interpretive center will explain the history of Saskatchewan’s potash industry.

A Perfect Fit

The Blairmore Ring had been on display in a Saskatoon park from 1965-2001, but was removed during a park redevelopment. PotashCorp led the effort to have the monument restored in a high-profile location. The development will be completed this fall.

Bill Restall, Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatoon Airport Authority, welcomed the monument as a meaningful addition to Saskatoon’s expanding terminal facility.

“When we had the opportunity to bring the Blairmore Ring to our airport grounds, we knew it was a perfect fit,” said Restall. “It will stand as a monument to an industry that is one of the economic engines that drives our city,” he said.

The ring takes its name from a geological structure called the Blairmore Formation that frustrated efforts to mine Saskatchewan’s potash reserves after they were discovered during the 1940s. Early efforts to sink shafts to the deposits were flooded out when they reached the thick layer of pressurized water and sand, which begins about 1,200 feet below the surface.

Miners and engineers solved the problem by freezing a path through the formation with an immense refrigeration system. Once the layer of water was frozen, miners were able to drill through the formation and build a watertight shaft lined with cast-iron rings.

The innovation unlocked the resource on which Saskatchewan’s world-leading potash industry is built.

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