Morris is a small town in the Pembina Valley region 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 ...

, Canada, located 51 km south of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

and 42 km north of Emerson. Morris is home to 1,885 people (2016). The town is named after Alexander Morris, the second Lieutenant Governor of

. Highway 75, which turns into Interstate 29, is the major highway which runs from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. Morris is the only town where Highway 75 is called "Main Street". The town of Morris is mostly surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Morris, except for a relatively small eastern border with the northwest corner of the Rural Municipality of Montcalm, across the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

. Morris is host to the annual Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition.

History

The town has a very long history involving floods and fur trade companies. Fur traders started to settle in the Morris area in the late 18th century because of its strategic location along the Red River. By 1801, there were two fur-trading stations at the settlement, the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

and the XY Company. Barges came up and down the Red River, and the Red River ox carts that travelled between Fort Garry and the Pembina Settlement went right through Morris, and offered many opportunities for trade. (See ''

Red River Trails The Red River Trails were a network of Red River ox cart, ox cart routes connecting the Red River Colony (the "Selkirk Settlement") and Fort Garry in Canada under British Imperial control (1764-1867), British North America with the head of naviga ...

'') By 1874, the ox carts began to carry

settlers A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

to the areas around the Scratching River (now the Morris River) and the population began to grow. The town of Morris was named after Alexander Morris, the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, and was officially incorporated in 1883. Morris is one of 18 communities in the

Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...

of Manitoba surrounded by a ring dike. The first ring dike was built to protect the town from the 1966 Red River Flood, by the Canadian Army Engineers, the Mennonite Disaster Service and local volunteers. A permanent dike protected Morris during the 1997 Red River flood.

Geography

The town of Morris lies in the middle of the Red River Valley. The shallow valley spreads for many kilometres to the east and west, but only rises a few metres at most. The land is remarkably flat. Repeated flooding in the past has left the valley floor covered in rich river silt. The fine black soils are some of the best-producing agricultural soils in the world. The Red River Valley is part of the remnants of the prehistoric

Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz ( ) was a large proglacial lake that existed in central North America during the late Pleistocene, fed by meltwater from the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet at the end of the last glacial period. At its peak, the lake's area wa ...

, which was once much larger than

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

, which is the biggest of the five Great Lakes.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Morris had a population of 1,975 living in 826 of its 868 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,885. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In 2016, the median age was 38.8, slightly higher than the provincial average of 38.2.

Economy

The economy of Morris is based on

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The town of Morris is a major service provider to the surrounding agricultural community. Currently, businesses and manufacturers in Morris produce and supply a variety of goods to both national and international markets.

Attractions

Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition

The town of Morris holds a variety of annual events, which brings many visitors to the community each year. Each July, the Valley Agricultural Society hosts the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition, known as the Big "M". For four days, thousands of spectators and participants from across North America come to watch the competition. One of the largest dairy shows in the province, light and heavy horse shows, school work and home-craft competitions, commercial and craft displays, Loule's famous petting zoo, midway rides, free family entertainment, indoor cabaret Friday and Saturday evening featuring top country bands, community church service and the kids' pedal tractorpull on Sunday. The Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition is the largest professional rodeo east of

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

. The Valley Agricultural Society, formed in 1895, was originally established as an agriculture fair. This fair was combined with a professional rodeo in 1964 to become an annual event.

Sports

Morris is the home of the

Pembina Valley Twisters The Pembina Valley Twisters are a junior ice hockey team based in Morris, Manitoba, Canada. A member of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) is a Junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey league in ...

of the MMJHL having joined in 2001 The Morris Mavericks a high school hockey team in the Zone IV hockey league has enjoyed success winning multiple Zone IV championships and Provincial championships

Transportation

Morris is located along PTH 75, which is the main route for Manitobans to get into the United States. Morris is also served by PTH 23, running east and west, providing access to much of southern Manitoba. Morris is also served by two railroad companies. The first is the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

whose line runs north-south from

to the Canadian-U.S. border. The second is the

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , 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 Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

that has a branch which currently ends (it was formerly a line all of the way to the US border at Gretna) in Altona. The Southern Manitoba Railway which ran west from Morris for 80 miles was torn up in 2008, due to non-use.

Climate

Notable people

* Sandra Birdsell, writer * William Clubb, politician * Paul P. Enns, theologian * George Minaker, politician * A. James Reimer, theologian * Harry Shewman, politician

References

External links

Town of Morris Website
{{Authority control Towns in Manitoba Urban municipalities in Pembina Valley Region