Glenboro, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Glenboro is a village in Manitoba
, Canada
, located about 80 km southeast of the city of Brandon
. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of South Cypress
. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 656. The village is the meeting place of the council for the municipality and is a service center for the surrounding farming community.
The Glenboro area was visited early in western exploration, possibly as early as the 1730s when the La Verendryes travelled to the Missouri and beyond. History records that the explorer and geographer David Thompson
passed through the area in 1798 and made note of the quality of soil. The first permanent European settlers of the area (Jonas Christie and James Duncan) arrived in 1879, and after the federal Homestead Act passed in 1880, many more settlers arrived in the area, including a number of Icelandic
settlers between 1889 and 1894. The arrival of the CPR
in 1886 prompted Christie and Duncan to offer land for a town site. The Queens Hotel was the first permanent building of the village, constructed in 1881, and survives into the 21st century. In 1950 the community was formally incorporated as a village.
Steam riverboats were in use on the Assiniboine River
between 1875 and 1885. The bow timbers of the last of this "prairie navy" are preserved in a park in Glenboro. The SS Alpha ran aground on April 27, 1885. By this time the advent of the railway
had displaced riverboats for transport of passengers, HBC trade goods, agricultural supplies, and grain between Southern Manitoba communities and larger centers such as Winnipeg
. A 1904 water tower was installed for watering steam locomotives. The tower was declared both a federal and a provincial heritage site in September 1996. One of the few remaining water towers in Canada, it was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of April 4, 2008. The village was connected to the Manitoba electrical grid
in 1927, and is the northern terminus of a 260 km, 230 kV electrical transmission line to Harvey, North Dakota, USA.
, farm equipment dealers, and agricultural suppliers. Tourism is a secondary source of income, due to the nearby Spruce Woods Provincial Park
and the Glenboro Golf and Country Club.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located about 80 km southeast of the city of Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of South Cypress
South Cypress, Manitoba
South Cypress is a rural municipality located in the Westman Region of Manitoba, Canada. It had a population of 834 according to the Canada 2006 Census. It is home to the separately administered Village of Glenboro, lying in its southern part.-External links:...
. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 656. The village is the meeting place of the council for the municipality and is a service center for the surrounding farming community.
History
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
passed through the area in 1798 and made note of the quality of soil. The first permanent European settlers of the area (Jonas Christie and James Duncan) arrived in 1879, and after the federal Homestead Act passed in 1880, many more settlers arrived in the area, including a number of Icelandic
History of Iceland
-Early history:In geological terms, Iceland is a young island. It started to form about 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...
settlers between 1889 and 1894. The arrival of the CPR
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in 1886 prompted Christie and Duncan to offer land for a town site. The Queens Hotel was the first permanent building of the village, constructed in 1881, and survives into the 21st century. In 1950 the community was formally incorporated as a village.
Steam riverboats were in use on the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
between 1875 and 1885. The bow timbers of the last of this "prairie navy" are preserved in a park in Glenboro. The SS Alpha ran aground on April 27, 1885. By this time the advent of the railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
had displaced riverboats for transport of passengers, HBC trade goods, agricultural supplies, and grain between Southern Manitoba communities and larger centers such as Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. A 1904 water tower was installed for watering steam locomotives. The tower was declared both a federal and a provincial heritage site in September 1996. One of the few remaining water towers in Canada, it was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of April 4, 2008. The village was connected to the Manitoba electrical grid
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
in 1927, and is the northern terminus of a 260 km, 230 kV electrical transmission line to Harvey, North Dakota, USA.
Economic activities
The village provides services to the surrounding farms such as a grain elevatorGrain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
, farm equipment dealers, and agricultural suppliers. Tourism is a secondary source of income, due to the nearby Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Spruce Woods Provincial Park is located in south-central Manitoba, Canada. This park has large sand dunes and the Assiniboine River passes through it.-History:The park was established in 1970...
and the Glenboro Golf and Country Club.
Climate
The Community
- An 11-bed hospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
- Glenboro has had a 9 hole golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
since 1922, with all grass greens since 1970 and with a new clubhouse constructed in 1987. - Glenboro AirportGlenboro AirportGlenboro Airport, , is located southwest of Glenboro, Manitoba, Canada....
is a nearby unpaved airfield suitable for light aircraft. - Glenboro School is a kindergarten to Grade 12 school, currently with around 230 pupils and 17 staff, and has offered high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
courses since 1973. - CFB ShiloCFB ShiloCanadian Forces Base Shilo is an Operations and Training base of the Canadian Forces, located east of Brandon, Manitoba. During the 1990s, Canadian Forces Base Shilo was also designated as an Area Support Unit, which acts as a local base of operations for south-west Manitoba in times of military...
- Museum
- Sara the Camel has stood at the side of Highway No. 2 since 1978, in tribute to the nearby Manitoba Desert.
Notable people of Glenboro
- John Harvard journalist, politician, and Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
- Scott Young journalist, sports reporter, radio and television broadcaster, served during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian NavyThe history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
. - Ab Gowanlock, McDonald BrierTim Hortons BrierThe Tim Hortons Brier, or simply the Brier, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association . The current event name refers to its main sponsor, the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut shop chain.The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during...
Canadian national curlingCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
champion 1938 and 1953. - Lee Hambleton 1939-2005 Broadcaster and oenophile.
- R.W. Lawson, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada
- Charlotte OlesonCharlotte OlesonCharlotte Oleson is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1990, and a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Gary Filmon from 1988 to 1990.-Career:Oleson was educated at Minnedosa Collegiate, the Manitoba...
, Manitoba politician - Henry EinarsonHenry EinarsonHenry John Einarson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1966 to 1981....
Manitoba politician - Oscar BjornsonOscar BjornsonOscar Ferdinand Bjornson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1969....
Manitoba politician - James Christie Manitoba politician