Grand Beach is a freshwater beach located within the

Rural Municipality of St. Clements St. Clements is a rural municipality (RM) in Manitoba, Canada. It is located to the north-east of Winnipeg, stretching from East St. Paul and Birds Hill Provincial Park in the south to Lake Winnipeg and Grand Beach Provincial Park to the nort ...

on the eastern shore of

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg () is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its southern end is about north of the city of Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake and the third- ...

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is located on the northern edge of the town of Grand Marais, Manitoba. Grand Beach is on the historic

La Vérendrye Trail The La Vérendrye Trail () is a series of highways in the Canadian province of Manitoba commemorating the oldest waterway fur-trading route in the province. It is named after Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, an explorer and fur ...

History

Founded by homesteaders, it was home to a substantial community of

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

, who were the only settlers until the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canada, Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonto ...

built its line and set up the resort along the Grand Beach in 1917. After it was made accessible by the railway, it became a very popular resort for Manitobans. In the early days, the grandest building in the resort was the Dance Pavilion, built in 1918 and rated by some as the largest dance hall of its time in the Commonwealth, but it was destroyed in a fire that began at 11 am on September 5, 1950. Prior to the fire, CNR had put the resort buildings up for sale. Along with the incredible beaches, the dance hall made Grand Beach a very attractive day trip destination for Winnipeggers in the 1920s, that was made possible by regular train services to

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 ...

, with the last train leaving at midnight. A Harvey J. Emke of Winnipeg bought the properties from CNR in 1951.

Sites and attractions

Grand Beach is part of

Grand Beach Provincial Park Grand Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada, noted for its large white sand dunes and ancient beaches from the end of the last ice age. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, one of the largest freshwater ...

and features of fine, white sand and is backed by sand dunes that rise up to above the beach. A boardwalk at the West end of the beach offers food and shopping. Change rooms and plumbed washrooms are available all along the beach.

Annual events

*Canada Day Family Festival *Grand Marais Family Festival *Manitoba Summerfest *Beaches Half Marathon

References

External links

Grand Beach Tourism

Manitoba Historical Society
{{Authority control Beaches of Manitoba Winnipeg Metro Region