Russell, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Russell is a town of 1,428 (2006 census) located in southwestern Manitoba
, Canada
, in the Rural Municipality of Russell
. The town of Russell is located along Highway 16 and Highway 83, and is at the western terminus of Highway 45. Russell is approximately 15 km from the Saskatchewan border and 340 km northwest of Winnipeg
. The community is home to approximately 1,400 people, with a trading area population of over 14,000.
Russell is the home of Manitoba's Beef and Barley Festival, which is held annually in October to celebrate the region's strong agricultural tradition. Grain farming and cattle ranching are extensive in the surrounding areas. A public artwork of eight sets of wooden arches spans the major intersections of Main Street and helps define the center of the town.
) point was renamed to Russell in 1889. Also in 1889, a Dr Barnardo's
Home for boys was established. The home and local farmers sponsored transportation for British orphans to come to the area to work on farms. The town of Russell was officially incorporated in 1913.
Nearby potash mining in Saskatchewan
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.
The town of Russell and the surrounding rural municipalities are aggressively promoting local economic development initiatives through the Asessippi Parkland Economic Development Corp.
Russell holds four outstanding hockey schools during the month of July: Theoren Fleury Hockey School, Edge Female Hockey School, Edge Goalie Hockey School, and Manitoba Moose Hockey School.
Russell is located only 27 km from Asessippi Provincial Park
, the site of Asessippi Ski Area & Winter Park—a world-class ski facility and year-round family park. The park also contains the Lake of the Prairies, a 64 km-long lake that is one of the best pickerel-fishing lakes in North America. In Manitoba the lake recorded an annual walleye catch per square kilometre that is five times greater than the provincial average.
50°46′51"N 101°17′02"W
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...
, in the Rural Municipality of Russell
Russell, Manitoba (rural municipality)
Russell is a rural municipality located in the Parkland Region of Manitoba, Canada. It had a population of 661 according to the Canada 2006 Census. The RM surrounds the separately administered Town of Russell, located in its northeastern section, and the Village of Binscarth, in its southeastern...
. The town of Russell is located along Highway 16 and Highway 83, and is at the western terminus of Highway 45. Russell is approximately 15 km from the Saskatchewan border and 340 km northwest of 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...
. The community is home to approximately 1,400 people, with a trading area population of over 14,000.
Russell is the home of Manitoba's Beef and Barley Festival, which is held annually in October to celebrate the region's strong agricultural tradition. Grain farming and cattle ranching are extensive in the surrounding areas. A public artwork of eight sets of wooden arches spans the major intersections of Main Street and helps define the center of the town.
History
European-Canadians first settled the area around Russell around 1880. The first post office began operations at a site north of the present town in 1880, and was called "Shell River". The closest CPR (Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian 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...
) point was renamed to Russell in 1889. Also in 1889, a Dr Barnardo's
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2010, it spends over £190 million each year on more than 400 local services aimed at helping these same groups...
Home for boys was established. The home and local farmers sponsored transportation for British orphans to come to the area to work on farms. The town of Russell was officially incorporated in 1913.
Industrial development
Recent changes to agriculture, such as the elimination of the Western Grain Transportation Subsidy, have put the region in a unique position. With one of the highest freight rates in western Canada, 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, 15 km west of Russell.Nearby potash mining in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
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.
The town of Russell and the surrounding rural municipalities are aggressively promoting local economic development initiatives through the Asessippi Parkland Economic Development Corp.
Education
A major service centre for the regional agricultural communities, Russell provides excellent 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 by interactive television.Recreation
Recreational facilities include a serviced campground, tennis courts, ball fields, curling and hockey arenas, community halls, a swimming pool, snowboarding and downhill skiing, and a nine-hole golf course.Russell holds four outstanding hockey schools during the month of July: Theoren Fleury Hockey School, Edge Female Hockey School, Edge Goalie Hockey School, and Manitoba Moose Hockey School.
Russell is located only 27 km from Asessippi Provincial Park
Asessippi Provincial Park
Asessippi Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Manitoba, Canada about 100 km west of Dauphin. The Park is 23.2 km2 . The focal point is the Lake of the Prairies also known as Shellmouth Reservoir. The lake has one of the largest walleye fisheries in Manitoba...
, the site of Asessippi Ski Area & Winter Park—a world-class ski facility and year-round family park. The park also contains the Lake of the Prairies, a 64 km-long lake that is one of the best pickerel-fishing lakes in North America. In Manitoba the lake recorded an annual walleye catch per square kilometre that is five times greater than the provincial average.
Notable people
- Red DuttonRed DuttonNorman Alexander "Mervyn" "Red" Dutton was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans of the National Hockey League...
- NHL hall of famer - Theoren FleuryTheoren FleuryTheoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
- HockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player for Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
, New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, and Colorado AvalancheColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise... - Kole Magnowski - Canadian National Water Ski Team Athlete, World Champion.
- Jon MontgomeryJon MontgomeryJonathan Riley "Jon" Montgomery is a Canadian skeleton racer who has competed since 2006. He won the Gold Medal in the men's skeleton event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-Career:...
- Athlete, 2010 Olympic Games2010 Winter OlympicsThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
Gold Medalist in SkeletonSkeleton (sport)Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding... - Charles Arkoll BoultonCharles Arkoll BoultonCharles Arkoll Boulton is noted for his role in the Red River and North-West Rebellions.He was born in Cobourg, Canada West in 1841, the great-grandson of D’Arcy Boulton, and educated at Upper Canada College...
- Lieutenant Colonel during North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada... - Kerri BuchbergerKerri BuchbergerKerri Buchberger-Kendziora is a retired female volleyball player from Canada, who competed for her native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There the resident of Winnipeg ended up in tenth place with the Women's National Team after having won the bronze medal a year earlier...
- National volleyball player
External links
50°46′51"N 101°17′02"W