Cut Knife takes its name from Cut Knife Hill, now called Chief Poundmaker Hill, which rises on the Poundmaker reserve. The hill was named for a Sarcee chief who was killed nearby by the Cree in the 1840s.
The town sits close to the site of the Battle of Cut Knife, fought during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. Poundmaker Cree Nation, Little Pine First Nation and Sweetgrass First Nation are all neighbours, and Hillsvale Hutterite Colony lies to the northwest.
Today Cut Knife is best known for the "World's Largest Tomahawk" in Tomahawk Park, beside the Clayton McLain Memorial Museum. Designed in 1970 by UMA Engineering of Saskatoon and built in 1971, it was created as a symbol of unity and friendship with the First Nations of the area. Visitors can also see the Poundmaker Historical Centre and the Big Bear monument, and a cairn erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada stands on Cut Knife Hill, overlooking the battle site and the Battle River valley.
Written from Wikipedia’s article “Cut Knife, Saskatchewan” (CC BY-SA 4.0), and shared under the same licence.