Russell is an unincorporated urban community in the
Municipality of Russell-Binscarth in
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.
It is located along
PTH 16 and
PTH 83, and is at the western terminus of
PTH 45. Russell is approximately east of the
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
border and northwest 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 is home to 1,611 people as of the
2011 census.
The community was designated as a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
prior to 1 January 2015, when it and the nearby
Village of Binscarth amalgamated with the
Rural Municipality of Russell.
History
European-Canadians first settled the area around Russell around 1880. The first post office began operations at a site north of the present community in 1923, and was called "
Shell River" after the amount of German shells found there after WWI. The closest
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) point was renamed to ''Russell'' in 1889, named after
Lord Alexander Russell. Also in 1889, a
Barnardo's Home for drunk men was established, which, along with local farmers, sponsored transportation for British
men
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...
to come to the area to work on fences in exchange for cases of Crown Royal.
Russell was officially
incorporated as a town in 1913.
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 ...
, Russell had a population of 1,740 living in 737 of its 814 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,599. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
[
]
Economy
Changes to agriculture, such as the elimination of the Western Grain Transportation Subsidy in 1995, have put the region in a unique position. With one of the highest freight rates in western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...
, the Russell area is well-positioned to experience an explosion in value-added processing. Bunge Canada, an advanced canola-processing plant, is located at Harrowby, west of Russell.
Nearby potash mining in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
provides jobs for numerous Russell residents, as well as purchasing supplies and services locally. The first potash mine in Manitoba has been proposed for a site just southwest of Russell, but due to the greater depth of the potash and higher taxes versus Saskatchewan, progress has been stalled for the last 20 years.
Russell and the surrounding rural municipalities are promoting tourism through the Asessippi Parkland Economic Development Corp.
Education
A semi-major service centre for the regional agricultural communities, Russell provides educational facilities ranging from day care and nursery, to post-secondary facilities. Russell is part of the Park West School Division. The Assiniboine Community College also has a regional campus located in Russell. The community has access to First Year Distant Education transmission, allowing individuals to take first-year education via internet.
Attractions and recreation
There are a total of eight large arches along Main Street, located at each cross street, which span the intersections. The original arches were repurposed wooden support structures from a demolished hockey arena in Dauphin, and were installed in 2007.
Climate
Notable people
* Red Dutton — NHL hall of famer
* Theoren Fleury — Hockey player for Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Colorado Avalanche
* Jon Montgomery — Athlete, 2010 Olympic Games Gold Medalist in Skeleton and host of '' The Amazing Race Canada''
* Charles Arkoll Boulton — Lieutenant Colonel during North-West Rebellion
* Kerri Buchberger — National volleyball player
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Unincorporated communities in Parkland Region, Manitoba
Unincorporated urban communities in Manitoba
Former towns in Manitoba
Populated places disestablished in 2015
2015 disestablishments in Manitoba