Minnedosa is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the southwestern part of the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
situated 50 kilometres (32 mi) north of
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
on the
Little Saskatchewan River
The Little Saskatchewan River is a river in western Manitoba. It originates in Riding Mountain National Park at Lake Audy and flows about south through the communities of Minnedosa and Rapid City. Its approximate length is 185 km. It jo ...
. The town's name means "flowing water" in the
Dakota language
Dakota (''Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi''), also referred to as Dakhota, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language. It is critically endan ...
. The population of Minnedosa reported in the
2021 Canadian Census
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...
was 2,741.
The town is surrounded by the
Rural Municipality of Minto – Odanah
The Rural Municipality of Minto-Odanah is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba that incorporated on January 1, 2015 via the amalgamation of the RMs of Minto and Odanah. It was formed as a requirement of ''The Municipal ...
.
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the area of Minnedosa, the land was primarily travelled and used by the nomadic
Ojibway
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
,
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
,
Assiniboine
The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...
, and
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
peoples.
John Tanner was the grandson of
John Tanner who had been raised by a
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
. He was an American settler who arrived in the area in 1869.
The younger Tanner was the first
Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
settler in the area and ran a ferry service across the Little Saskatchewan River. When a bridge was built in 1879, the ferry became obsolete and at the same time, a small town, Tanner's Crossing, was started nearby. John Armitage moved to the area around this time in 1877, and began to build a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
and
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
. He joined together with Tanner to lay out a new town site and eventually Armitage had accumulated of property.
Tanner named the new town Minnedosa, from the Dakota word ''mní dúza'' meaning "flowing water".
![Minnedosa, Manitoba (circa 1918)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Minnedosa%2C_Manitoba_%28circa_1918%29.jpg)
Although Minnedosa once hoped to be a site of a river crossing for the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
's
transcontinental railway
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...
, the honour was initially given to
Rapid City
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, while the actual site of the railway was later settled on a site much further south creating the city of
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
.
In 1883 Minnedosa was incorporated as a town, it had experienced a period of growth from settlement schemes put forth by the Canadian government.
As Minnedosa became a town, this coincided with the actual arrival of the railway in 1883, bringing about more growth for the now quickly growing settlement.
A dam was proposed in 1907 and approved in December of the same year by the Government of Canada. It was built on the
Little Saskatchewan River
The Little Saskatchewan River is a river in western Manitoba. It originates in Riding Mountain National Park at Lake Audy and flows about south through the communities of Minnedosa and Rapid City. Its approximate length is 185 km. It jo ...
near the town. After several delays, the dam was completed in 1912, creating
Minnedosa Lake
Minnedosa Lake is a man-made lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba near Minnedosa, Manitoba. It was created between 1910 and 1912 to serve as a reservoir for a hydro-electric dam. Today it is a popular recreation site, for both boating and ...
. Water first flowed over the spillway on April 10, 1912. Minnedosa was the second community in the Province of Manitoba to generate its own
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
.
An earlier project in 1900 was also on the Minnedosa River and supplied power to the town of
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
. Initially privately owned, the generation plant was taken over by the
Manitoba Power Commission in 1920 and replaced by a diesel generation plant and by 1930, power from the provincial grid. The lake was used as a source of water for the town, for recreation, and for supplying the engines of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
.
On May 4, 1948, the
spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
of the dam failed due to erosion of structure, and the resulting flood damaged many homes and businesses in the town. The spillway was not repaired until 1950 by the
Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) was a branch under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), a department of the Federal Government of Canada.
The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration was established by an Act of Parliam ...
.
Since 1981 the
Minnedosa Ethanol Plant has been producing ethanol to be blended into gasoline, as of late 2007 it has been expanded into one of the largest ethanol facilities in Canada. This plant is owned and operated by
Husky Energy
Husky Energy Inc. is a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It operates in Western and Atlantic Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region, with upstream and downstream business segm ...
.
Geography
Climate
Minnedosa has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''dfb'') typical of southern Manitoba. As a result of its far inland position at a relatively high latitude, winters are extremely cold with a January mean of below . In the relatively short summers Minnedosa experiences warm and sometimes hot temperatures due to warmer continental air masses. It is prone to cold nights year-round, with every single month having recorded
air frost
Freezing, available onlinlibrary.wmo.int/ref> or frost occurs when the air temperature falls below the freezing point of water (0 °C, 32 °F, 273 K). This is usually measured at the height of 1.2 metres above the ground surface ...
.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Minnedosa had a population of 2,741 living in 1,210 of its 1,398 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,449. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Attractions
![MinnedosaDam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/MinnedosaDam.jpg)
* Minnedosa Civic Center – The large clock tower located downtown
* Buffalo Park – located south of the Minnedosa Dam on PTH 262
* Train Park located on the east side of Main Street Minnedosa
* Nature Trail – 20 minute walk through wooded area adjacent to Buffalo Compound. Has a swinging bridge as well as a viewing tower
* Heritage Park – A complex containing several buildings relating to the history of Minnedosa and its surrounding area
* Lookout Tower – Approximately tower on top of a steep hill. Overlooks entire valley
* Trout Pond – Fishing spot stocked with many trout. Located at Heritage Village
* Minnedosa is also the site of an annual event, called
Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa
* Minnedosa Paddling Club, part of Manitoba Paddling Association
Education
*There is a high school called Minnedosa Collegiate Institute, often called M.C.I., and there is an elementary school called Tanner's Crossing School (T.C.S.). Both schools are part of the Rolling River School Division,
which has its main bus dispatch and administration offices in town.
Media
Newspaper
* ''
Minnedosa Tribune''
Notable people
*
Izzy Asper
Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper (August 11, 1932– October 7, 2003) was a Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate. He was the founder and owner of the now-defunct TV and media company CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and ...
, founder of
CanWest Global Communications Corp
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...
*
Ron Chipperfield
Ronald James Chipperfield (born March 28, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who served as the Edmonton Oilers' first National Hockey League (NHL) captain. He played for the Oilers in both the World Hockey Association (WHA) ...
, professional hockey player
*
Frances Gertrude McGill
Frances Gertrude McGill (November 18, 1882 – January 21, 1959) was a Canadian forensic pathologist, criminologist, bacteriologist, allergologist and allergist. Nicknamed "the Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan" for her deductive skills and pu ...
(1882–1959),
forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
and criminologist
*
Maxine Miller
Maxine Miller (born June 18, 1928) is a Canadian actress who appeared in the first three seasons of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in '' The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986) and appeared ...
, actress
*
Isabela Onyshko
Isabela Maria Onyshko (born 23 June 1998 in Minnedosa) is a Canadian artistic gymnast who represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, as well as the 2014, 2015 and 2017 World Championships. She was the ...
, 2016 Olympic gymnast
*
Kyle Parrott, 2010 Olympic speed skater
*
Colin Pearson, Baron Pearson
Colin Hargreaves Pearson, Baron Pearson, (28 July 1899 – 31 January 1980) was a Canadian-born English barrister and judge. Rising to sit as a judge in the House of Lords, he is best remembered for his unspectacular but efficient and court ...
, British
law lord
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House o ...
*
Kate Rice
Kate Rice (December 22, 1882 – January 3, 1963) was a Canadian Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, prospector, adventurer, and writer from Ontario who homesteading, homesteaded, prospected and mined in northern Manitoba. She garne ...
, prospector, adventurer and writer died here
*
Curt Ridley
Charles Curtis Ridley (September 24, 1951 – December 19, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1981.
Ridley was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba, and raised in Portage la Prairie. He pla ...
, professional hockey player
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Manitoba
Dakota toponyms