Prairies North was founded in late 1998 as Saskatchewan Naturally Magazine, by co-publishers Michelle and Lionel Hughes, who continue to own and publish the magazine today.

The publication was relaunched in 2004 under a new name: Prairies North. Stories feature the unique wildlife, people, and
places of Saskatchewan using stunning photography and fresh editorial. In 2002, Saskatchewan Naturally Magazine won a bronze award from International Regional Magazine Association for the article Tolstoy, the Bible, and Everything, a story about the Doukhobours of Saskatchewan. The magazine continues to make the list of finalists in a number of magazine
competitions.

The article entitled The Bell and the Bear Claw, focusing on the petroglyphs and community of St. Victor, Saskatchewan, won two awards: Tourism Saskatchewan 2003 Award of Excellence for Travel Journalism, and the Gold Award for Best Article - Saskatchewan, in the Western Magazine Awards.

The article exploring the culture of snowmobiling, entitled As Goes the Snowmobile So Goes Saskatchewan, won the Tourism Saskatchewan 2004 Award of Excellence for Travel Journalism.

The story about Saskatchewan-born Oxford professor Jennifer Welsh, written by Lionel Hughes and published in the Winter 2004 issue of Prairies North, won a Bronze award in the Profiles category at the 25th annual International Regional Magazines Association (IRMA) awards gala in San Antonio, Texas in September of 2005. Silver went to Oklahoma Today and gold was shared by Cottage Life and Arizona Highways.