A Midland Folsom point was discovered that the University of Saskatchewan dated back 8,000 to 9,000 years before present.

[3] Homesteaders began arriving in large numbers in 1907; most were German immigrants from the country of Prussia or southern Russia.

[4] A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment opened in 1909, and ensured all settlers had adequate supplies to last the winter.

The new name was chosen after a contest won by two local girls, Bertha Keller and Muriel Legault.

[7] In 1995, American aviator Steve Fossett landed near Leader after taking off from South Korea, becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.

[8] In November 2006, the inhabitants of Leader posed nude for a calendar in act of protest against the deteriorating condition of Highway 32, the main link to the city of Swift Current;[9] it attracted the attention of media outlets in Canada and the United States.

[17] The southern landscape is dominated by flat plains, with rolling hills by the South Saskatchewan River located 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Leader.

The town is located at the junction of highways 21 and 32, and is approximately 30 km (19 mi) east of the border with Alberta.

The Great Sand Hills are home to an abundance of wildlife, including sharp-tailed grouse, pronghorn, white pelican, merlin, peregrine falcon, coyote, white-tailed deer, golden eagle, badger, weasel, burrowing owl, mourning dove, porcupine, sandhill crane, and fox.

[23] The South Saskatchewan River valley, just north of Leader, is the largest tract of riparian woodlands between the Cypress Hills and the northern forests.

The Leader Bird Watching Trail is suited for viewing many native bird species, including pileated woodpecker, golden eagle, lark sparrow, yellow-breasted chat, red-headed woodpecker, yellow-green swallow, great blue heron, prairie falcon, ferruginous hawk, long-billed curlew, short-eared owl, loggerhead shrike, and burrowing owl.

[24] Checkboard Hill, 6.4 km west of Leader on Highway 741, has a wide view of the river and surrounding landscape.

The colony members have preserved the traditional Hutterite production methods, culture, language, and religion.

Federally, Leader is in the constituency of Cypress Hills—Grasslands, currently represented by Jeremy Patzer of the Conservative Party of Canada.