Riverton is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton within the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

. Located approximately north 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 ...

, the community held

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

status prior to January 1, 2015. Riverton is a descriptive which replaced the earlier name, Icelandic River, which it took from the river that bisects the community.

History

Known originally as Lundi ( Icelandic for 'grove of trees'), the community was later renamed Icelandic River for the river that bisects it. The river got its name as it marked the northern border of New Iceland. In 1910, the

Canadian Pacific Railway 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 ...

(Winnipeg Beach subdivision) was extended to the community of Arborg, followed in 1914 by Lundi, whose name was changed to Riverton with the coming of the railway. The CPR's train conductor is reputed to have named the community. With the railway came another influx of population growth. On February 1, 1926, the Unincorporated Village District of Riverton was created on February 1, 1926, followed by its incorporation as a

on December 31, 1951. On January 1, 2015, the Village of Riverton merged with the Rural Municipality of Bifrost as part of the provincial ''Municipal Amalgamations Act'', creating the current-day municipality of Bifrost-Riverton, where Riverton is now an unincorporated urban community.

1979 solar eclipse

Riverton was the closest community to the point of maximum totality for the solar eclipse of February 26, 1979. This total solar eclipse was part of Saros cycle 120, Series 59. Riverton hosted astronomers and eclipse chasers from across the world, providing free rooms to many of the visitors.

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 ...

, Riverton had a population of 475 living in 215 of its 254 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 538. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Industry and recreation

The main economy is

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation operates a fish-packing factory on the banks of the Icelandic River, which passes through the centre of Riverton. Other industries include

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 ...

and the service sector, with manufacturing being done by ECB (Erosion Control Blanket) a distant third. Being in a unique position on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, Riverton services the northern communities via a

winter road A winter road is a seasonal road only usable during the winter, i.e. it has to be re-built every year. This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of flo ...

. It is on the way to Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park and many people from Winnipeg stop in or pass by the community on the way to

cottage country Cottage country is a common name in Ontario, New Brunswick, and other regions of Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes. In the Greater Toronto Area, cottage country traffic r ...

each summer.

Education

* Riverton Collegiate Institute * Riverton Early Middle School

Notable people

Reggie Leach Reginald Joseph Leach (born April 23, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red ...

, former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player * Gunnar Thorvaldson, Conservative

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, born in Riverton

References

External links

* {{Manitoba Designated places in Manitoba Unincorporated urban communities in Manitoba Former villages in Manitoba Populated places disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Interlake Region, Manitoba