Minitonas is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Minitonas – Bowsman,

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 surrounded by the Swan Valley and is located 15 km east of the Town of Swan River. The community is close to the Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Founded in 1898, it was categorized 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 ...

from 1996 until 1 January 2015, when it was amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Minitonas and Village of Bowsman. According to the 2011 census, Minitonas had a population of 522.

History

The Cowan Trail was blazed from Dauphin to Minitonas in 1897, and still exists today. A campsite of tents was established on the West Favel River, southwest of the present community site in 1898. In 1899, the community was moved to its present site along the railway. A

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

marks the original location of the tent town. The earliest settlers came from the

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, and the US. In the late 1920s, there was a wave of Czechoslovak, Ukrainian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and Polish immigrants. Immigration continued during World War II, and into the 1950s. The Rural Municipality of Minitonas was incorporated in 1901; followed by the Village of Minitonas being incorporated in 1948, and gaining town status in 1996. On 1 January 2015, the Town of Minitonas was amalgamated with the RM of Minitonas and Village of Bowsman to form the Municipality of Minitonas – Bowsman. Since then, Minitonas has been categorized as an unincorporated urban community.

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 ...

, Minitonas had a population of 465 living in 228 of its 257 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 465. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Amenities and lifestyle

Schools in Minitonas are governed by the Swan Valley School Division #35. The one public school in the community is called Minitonas School, serving

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to Grade 8. The former Minitonas Middle Years School had been nominated in the past as one of Canada's best schools.

Economy

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

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 ...

are the two main industries. In 1996,

Louisiana-Pacific Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) is an American building materials manufacturer. The company was founded in 1973 and LP pioneered the U.S. production of oriented strand board (OSB) panels. Currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, LP is the ...

opened an OSB mill in the Rural Municipality of Minitonas, creating many new jobs. The Mill is located three miles east of the community on PTH 10. Despite Minitonas' close proximity to the much larger town of Swan River, it offers many services. There is one school, a community store (which includes a Swan Valley Credit Union agency), a library, post office, liquor outlet, hotel, and a restaurant.

Transportation

The community is located just south of

Manitoba Highway 10 Provincial Trunk Highway 10 (PTH 10) is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. PTH 10 begins at the International Peace Garden along the Canada–United States border near Boissevain. The highway runs north ...

on Provincial Road 366. Minitonas is sometimes known as the Northern Gateway to the Duck Mountains, as PR 366 leads directly to Duck Mountain Provincial Park. A CN rail line runs through the community also, terminating at the

mill.

Recreation

In the community itself there is an arena with artificial ice. Between the one school, four baseball diamonds, three soccer fields, and two playgrounds are found. A sportsground is located at the northern edge of the community. It includes four more baseball diamonds, a concession, and non modern washrooms. A hiking trail follows the East Favel River. Numerous parks and benches are scattered through the community as well. In the municipality, groomed snowmobile trails can be found. Duck Mountain Provincial Park is 29 kilometers south of Minitonas. Hunting and Fishing are big attractions of the area. A mile west of community is Centennial Park, a picnic area at the original location of the tent town.

References

External links

Former Town of Minitonas Website
{{Coord, 52, 05, 10, N, 101, 02, 21, W, region:CA_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Designated places in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Parkland Region, Manitoba Unincorporated urban communities in Manitoba Former towns in Manitoba Populated places disestablished in 2015