Arborg, Manitoba

Last updated

Arborg
Town
Town of Arborg
Arborg CPR Station.jpg
Arborg CPR Station
300 Arborg, Manitoba.svg
Town boundaries
Canada Manitoba location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Arborg
Coordinates: 50°54′27.1″N97°13′5.4″W / 50.907528°N 97.218167°W / 50.907528; -97.218167
CountryCanada
Province Manitoba
Region Interlake
Founded1890
(Village)1964
(Town)1997
Area
 • Total2.00 km2 (0.77 sq mi)
Elevation
229 m (751 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total1,279
 • Density640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Area codes Area codes 204 and 431
Website townofarborg.com

Arborg is a town located along the Icelandic River in Manitoba. The community is located 103 kilometres north of Winnipeg, at the junction of Manitoba Highways 7 and 68, in the Interlake Region of Manitoba, Canada. The town is surrounded by the Municipality of Bifrost - Riverton and has a population of 1,279 as of the 2021 Canadian census.

Contents

Etymology

The name of the town comes from the Icelandic word meaning "river town". [1]

History

The picturesque setting along the Icelandic River was first discovered by settlers of New Iceland when they arrived in the area in 1878. [1] Settlers had landed at the community of Icelandic River which is now known as Riverton, Manitoba and they saw the agricultural potential of the inland meadows. [1] Unfortunately, New Iceland was hit with a series of setbacks, including a smallpox outbreak in 1880 which prevented the area's development at the time. [1]

The first settlers near Arborg were the three Borgfjord brothers, Gudmundur, Porsteinn and Jon who arrived in 1890. [1] It was not until the summer of 1900 when Iceland settlers from North Dakota arrived and began to the settle the area en masse. [1] Land in North Dakota had become expensive and scarce and thus these Icelandic pioneer searched for cheaper and available land. [1] They travelled from Winnipeg to Hnausa by boat and then travelled along the muddy Geysir Road to current site of the town. [1] The Geysir Road would later become the current Highway 68 and in those early days they applied for government support to help clear and maintain the road. [1] The settlers also applied to the government for postal services and 1902 they were granted one. [1] The first postal office was called Ardal (Icelandic Árdalur, meaning "River Valley" and named after the first postmaster Stefan Petur Gudmundsson. [1] More Icelandic settlers arrived at the town in 1902-03 when settlers who were flooded out of their properties north of Riverton came in search of better land. [1] In these early years, the community grew building roads, schools, churches, and community halls. Drainage projects were built in order to allow the new agricultural fields to dry and produce large crops of wheat. [1]

The greatest growth and change for Arborg came in 1910 when the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the settlement. Sigtryggur Jonasson was the area's representative in the Manitoba Legislature and had long lobbied to have the northern line built into the community. [1] The name was changed to Arborg (Árborg, meaning "River Town"). The original railway station from 1910 still stands and is today a municipally recognized heritage site. [2] The building has now been converted into a public library. [2]

Icelanders established homesteads to the east, west, north, and south of the village, and by 1908 the first Polish and Ukrainian settlers had arrived in the area. The coming of the railroad brought large numbers of Ukrainians who settled throughout the district along with groups from other European countries. [1] This mixture gave Arborg a rich cultural diversity and its own distinct character.

Today, Arborg serves as a regional business hub for the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton which is home to grain farming, cattle ranches, and numerous manufacturing companies. Arborg offers government services, financial services, retail, construction supplies, and agricultural implements.

Climate

Arborg has a similar summer to other prairie cities with an August high of 24.0C, compared with 22.5C in Calgary or 24.4C in Saskatoon. Winters are cold and spring and autumn have pleasant weather. Annual precipitation equals 499.4mm (19.7 inches).

Climate data for Arborg (1981–2010 normals)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)7.5
(45.5)		7.8
(46.0)		16.7
(62.1)		30.0
(86.0)		37.0
(98.6)		37.0
(98.6)		36.5
(97.7)		36.1
(97.0)		36.5
(97.7)		28.5
(83.3)		20.6
(69.1)		9.5
(49.1)		37.0
(98.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)−12.6
(9.3)		−8.9
(16.0)		−1.8
(28.8)		9.1
(48.4)		16.9
(62.4)		21.9
(71.4)		24.8
(76.6)		24.0
(75.2)		17.5
(63.5)		9.1
(48.4)		−1.6
(29.1)		−9.9
(14.2)		7.4
(45.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)−18.3
(−0.9)		−14.9
(5.2)		−7.5
(18.5)		3.0
(37.4)		10.0
(50.0)		15.8
(60.4)		18.6
(65.5)		17.5
(63.5)		11.5
(52.7)		3.9
(39.0)		−6.0
(21.2)		−14.8
(5.4)		1.6
(34.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−23.9
(−11.0)		−20.8
(−5.4)		−13.3
(8.1)		−3.2
(26.2)		3.2
(37.8)		9.6
(49.3)		12.3
(54.1)		10.9
(51.6)		5.4
(41.7)		−1.3
(29.7)		−10.3
(13.5)		−19.7
(−3.5)		−4.3
(24.3)
Record low °C (°F)−45.6
(−50.1)		−48.3
(−54.9)		−42.2
(−44.0)		−29.5
(−21.1)		−14.0
(6.8)		−5.0
(23.0)		1.1
(34.0)		−2.0
(28.4)		−7.8
(18.0)		−21.0
(−5.8)		−40.0
(−40.0)		−41.1
(−42.0)		−48.3
(−54.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)16.9
(0.67)		12.4
(0.49)		24.9
(0.98)		25.9
(1.02)		55.4
(2.18)		80.9
(3.19)		70.3
(2.77)		68.9
(2.71)		53.4
(2.10)		43.9
(1.73)		27.0
(1.06)		19.7
(0.78)		499.4
(19.66)
Average snowfall cm (inches)16.9
(6.7)		10.1
(4.0)		15.3
(6.0)		7.8
(3.1)		1.2
(0.5)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.4
(0.2)		6.9
(2.7)		18.3
(7.2)		18.7
(7.4)		95.6
(37.6)
Source: Environment Canada [3]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Arborg had a population of 1,279 living in 499 of its 531 total private dwellings, a change of

Education

Arborg has two schools- Arborg Collegiate Institute and Arborg Early Middle Years School with enrolments of 119 and 241 students in September 2019, respectively. [6]

Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village

The Hykaway Grist Mill (built in 1910) at the Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village. Arborg Heritage Museum (48241258412).jpg
The Hykaway Grist Mill (built in 1910) at the Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village.

The Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village is a working open-air museum and interpretive centre located just outside the town on Highway 68, on the south side of the Icelandic River. It preserves and showcases the multicultural history of the area. The very first building, the Trausti Vigfusson house, was moved on site by a team of horses, commemorating the community spirit that built the area in the early 1900s. [7] This log house was built around 1898 and originally stood in Lundi (today Riverton). Vigfusson, its original owner and builder, transported it to the nearby Geysir settlement in 1902.

The Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village is a community concept envisioned to promote and preserve for tomorrow those memories of the past. The Heritage Village had its grand opening 24 May 2008. To date a hall, church, caboose, outdoor bake oven and three houses have been completed. A school has been moved on the site and is currently awaiting restoration along with a foreman's rail car. Two Ukrainian log houses, a windmill as well as numerous farm equipment and artifacts have been added to the village in 2010. [7]

World's largest curling rock

Arborg is also home to the world's largest curling rock, which measures 4.2 m (13.78 ft) across and 2.1 m (6 ft 10.68 in) tall. Unlike an actual curling rock however, it is constructed with steel, foam, and fiberglass, with most of the weight consisting in the steel support beams.[ citation needed ]

Notable person

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural Municipality of Gimli</span> Rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada

The Rural Municipality of Gimli is a rural municipality located in the Interlake Region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of the provincial capital Winnipeg. The rural municipality's population in the 2016 Canadian Census was 6,181, making it the 12th largest rural municipality by population. The RM of Gimli has an area of 318.75 km2 (123.07 sq mi), making it the sixth smallest rural municipality by area.

Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry, or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.

Sigtryggur Jonasson was a community leader and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He played a major part in establishing the Icelandic community in Manitoba. Jonasson served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1896 to 1899 and again from 1907 to 1910, as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party.

The Rural Municipality of Bifrost is a former rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was originally incorporated as a rural municipality on December 1, 1907. It ceased on January 1, 2015 as a result of its provincially mandated amalgamation with the Village of Riverton to form the Municipality of Bifrost – Riverton.

Provincial Trunk Highway 8 is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from the north limit of the City of Winnipeg, where it meets with Route 180, north to Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park. The highway between Winnipeg and PR 230 is known as McPhillips Street. At PR 230, McPhillips Street becomes McPhillips Road and continues along PR 230 to PTH 9. The route is a major road connecting Winnipeg with the communities of Winnipeg Beach and Gimli. The speed limit is 100 km/h (60 mph).

Provincial Trunk Highway 7 is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from the northern limit of the city of Winnipeg north to Arborg, Manitoba where it intersects with PTH 68. The highway is twinned from Winnipeg to just north of PTH 67, an east-west route that provides access to the Town of Stonewall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interlake Region</span> Region of Manitoba in Canada

The Interlake Region is an informal geographic region of the Canadian province of Manitoba that lies roughly between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba in the Canadian province of Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block settlement</span> Type of land distribution to settlers with the same ethnicity

A block settlement is a particular type of land distribution which allows settlers with the same ethnicity to form small colonies. This settlement type was used throughout western Canada between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some were planned and others were spontaneously created by the settlers themselves. As a legacy of the block settlements, the three Prairie Provinces have several regions where ancestries other than British are the largest, unlike the norm in surrounding regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverton, Manitoba</span> Place in Manitoba, Canada

Riverton is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Bifrost – Riverton within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. It is located approximately 110 kilometres north of Winnipeg. The CPR's train conductor is reputed to have named the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Keewatin</span> Unelected legislative body and territorial government

The Council of Keewatin was an unelected legislative body and territorial government for the now defunct District of Keewatin in Canada. The District of Keewatin was created by the passage of the Keewatin Act on October 7, 1876 from a portion of Canada's North West Territories. Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris convinced the government that the new territorial government of the North West Territories would be unable to effectively administer land to the north and east of Manitoba. Shortly after the District of Keewatin was formed a large group of Icelanders arrived, infected with smallpox which quickly spread to the indigenous First Nation population. The Government of Canada allowed the Council to be formed for the purpose of containing the smallpox epidemic. The Council also administered Indian treaty claims, immigrant land claims, Hudson's Bay Company trading post concerns as well as policing and health care. The Council lasted from November 25, 1876, until April 16, 1877, after which control of the territory was returned under federal authority.

Glenboro is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. it is located about 80 km southeast of the City of Brandon. In the 2021 census it had a population of 1,123. The community is a service centre for the surrounding farming community.

New Iceland is the name of a region on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba where Icelandic explorers settled in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division No. 18, Manitoba</span> Census division in Manitoba, Canada

Census Division No. 18 is a census division located within the Interlake Region of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Unlike in some other provinces, census divisions do not reflect the organization of local government in Manitoba. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own.

Eriksdale is an unincorporated community located in the Interlake Region of central Manitoba, Canada, near the eastern shore of Lake Manitoba. The community is located on the crossroads of Highway 6 and Highway 68, approximately 118 km (73 mi) north of Winnipeg. It is now a part of the Rural Municipality of West Interlake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural Municipality of Stuartburn</span> Rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada

Stuartburn is a rural municipality (RM) located in the Eastman Region of Manitoba, Canada. It had a population of 1,629 according to the Canada 2006 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimli, Manitoba</span> Community in Manitoba, Canada

Gimli is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton</span> Rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada

The Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The rural municipality is located in the Interlake Region has no further rural municipalities north of it as this is the Northern Manitoba Region. To the west is the Rural Municipality of Fisher and the Rural Municipality of Armstrong is located to the south as well as the Rural Municipality of Gimli. The settlement of Arborg is located in Bifrost-Riverton but is not a part of the rural municipality as it is incorporated as a town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interlake-Gimli</span> Provincial electoral district in Manitoba, Canada

Interlake-Gimli is a provincial electoral district in the Interlake region of Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okno, Manitoba</span>

Okno is a small community located in the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton, 16 km north of Arborg, Manitoba Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icelandic River</span> River in Manitoba, Canada

The Icelandic River is a river in the Interlake Region of Manitoba. The river has its headwaters near the Spruce Lakes system located by Manitoba Highway 68. The river is the source of an agricultural area in the north of the Interlake, flowing through and supporting the communities of Arborg, Manitoba and Riverton, Manitoba. The East Interlake Conservation Area has assessed that 81% of the land use of the Icelandic River watershed is used for an agricultural purpose.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "History". Arborg Heritage Village. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Canadian Pacific Railway Station / Arborg Library (492 Main Street, Arborg)". Manitoba Historical Society . Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010". Environment Canada . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Manitoba Communities: Arborg (Town)". Manitoba Historical Society . Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Manitoba". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Finance and Statistics | Manitoba Education". edu.gov.mb.ca. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Arborg and District Multicultural Heritage Village". Manitoba Historical Society . Retrieved 23 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.