Emerson, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Emerson is a town in south central Manitoba
, Canada
, with a population of 655. The town is named after writer Ralph Waldo Emerson
.
Emerson is located on the east bank of the Red River
, just north of the border with the United States
at the point where Manitoba
, Minnesota
, and North Dakota
meet. Over the years, it has been an important railroad and border-crossing town. Just south of Emerson (in Pembina, North Dakota
), two major U.S. rail lines, the Great Northern Railway (now the BNSF Railway
) and the Soo Line Railroad
cross the border and are met, respectively, by the Canadian National
and Canadian Pacific Railway
s. There are customs inspection facilities for both lines on both sides of the border. Emerson borders the Rural Municipality of Montcalm
, the Rural Municipality of Franklin
, Kittson County, Minnesota
, and Pembina County, North Dakota
. The small towns of St. Vincent, Minnesota
and Pembina, North Dakota
are not far across its southern border with the United States. The town's education needs are served by Emerson Elementary (K-8) and Roseau Valley School in nearby Dominion City. The side of town west of the river is known as West Lynne.
in 1944. In 1956, the Town of Emerson made arrangements to obtain its electrical needs from Manitoba Hydro
and the cross-border distribution line was removed.
must pass through Customs
at Interstate 29
/Highway 29 on the west side of the river. It is the largest border crossing between Interstate 5
in Washington-British Columbia and the Bluewater Bridge in Michigan-Ontario.
U.S. Route 75, which becomes Highway 75 at the border, was once the principal road, and the road on the North Dakota side was the secondary road, even for several years after being built into I-29. At the junction of Highways 75 and 29 just west of Emerson, the Highway 29 traffic had to stop and make a 90 degree turn onto Highway 75. Around 1985, Manitoba redesigned the intersection so that Highway 29 was the primary route. Highway 29 traffic now heads straight onto northbound Highway 75, while Highway 75 traffic coming from Emerson has to stop and then make a 90 degree turn either to continue on northbound Highway 75 or to go south on Highway 29 to the border. As of 2006, one can still see on Google Earth the remnants of old Highway 75 as it went west from today's interchange and then made a curve to the north to join with the existing road. As a result of this change (and the eventual closure of the customs house on Highway 75), there is much less traffic in the main part of Emerson than there once was, and Noyes, Minnesota
, just south of Emerson, has become something of a ghost town
.
of zone 4a.
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...
, with a population of 655. The town is named after writer Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
.
Emerson is located on the east bank of the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
, just north of the border with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the point where Manitoba
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...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
meet. Over the years, it has been an important railroad and border-crossing town. Just south of Emerson (in Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
), two major U.S. rail lines, the Great Northern Railway (now the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
) and the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
cross the border and are met, respectively, by the Canadian National
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and Canadian Pacific 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...
s. There are customs inspection facilities for both lines on both sides of the border. Emerson borders the Rural Municipality of Montcalm
Montcalm, Manitoba
Montcalm is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It is located in the southern part of the province, along its border with the state of North Dakota in the United States. The 2006 Census reported a population of 1,317 persons, a decrease from the 1,400 reported in the...
, the Rural Municipality of Franklin
Franklin, Manitoba
Franklin is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It is located in the southeastern part of the province, along the border with the state of Minnesota in the United States. The 2006 Census reported a population of 1,768 persons, a slight decrease from the 1,781...
, Kittson County, Minnesota
Kittson County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,285 people, 2,167 households, and 1,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 2,719 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, and Pembina County, North Dakota
Pembina County, North Dakota
Pembina County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. At the time of the 2010 Census its population was 7,413. The county seat is Cavalier....
. The small towns of St. Vincent, Minnesota
St. Vincent, Minnesota
St. Vincent is a city in Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 64 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
and Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
are not far across its southern border with the United States. The town's education needs are served by Emerson Elementary (K-8) and Roseau Valley School in nearby Dominion City. The side of town west of the river is known as West Lynne.
History
From around 1936 to 1956, Emerson obtained its power across the US / Canada border from a long 2400V distribution circuit originating from Pembina, ND (and which line passed through St. Vincent, MN and Noyes, MN on the way). This line was initially operated by the Interstate Power Company and was sold to the Otter Tail Power CompanyOtter Tail Power Company
Otter Tail Corporation is an energy company based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Its main subsidiary is the Otter Tail Power Company.As of 2007, Otter Tail Power Company serves at least 423 towns at retail and delivers power to about 14 municipal utilities...
in 1944. In 1956, the Town of Emerson made arrangements to obtain its electrical needs from Manitoba Hydro
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...
and the cross-border distribution line was removed.
Transportation
Traffic crossing the border into CanadaCanada
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...
must pass through Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
at Interstate 29
Interstate 29
Interstate 29 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with Interstate 35 and Interstate 70 to the Canadian border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Highway 75 via the short Manitoba Highway 29.-Route...
/Highway 29 on the west side of the river. It is the largest border crossing between Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
in Washington-British Columbia and the Bluewater Bridge in Michigan-Ontario.
U.S. Route 75, which becomes Highway 75 at the border, was once the principal road, and the road on the North Dakota side was the secondary road, even for several years after being built into I-29. At the junction of Highways 75 and 29 just west of Emerson, the Highway 29 traffic had to stop and make a 90 degree turn onto Highway 75. Around 1985, Manitoba redesigned the intersection so that Highway 29 was the primary route. Highway 29 traffic now heads straight onto northbound Highway 75, while Highway 75 traffic coming from Emerson has to stop and then make a 90 degree turn either to continue on northbound Highway 75 or to go south on Highway 29 to the border. As of 2006, one can still see on Google Earth the remnants of old Highway 75 as it went west from today's interchange and then made a curve to the north to join with the existing road. As a result of this change (and the eventual closure of the customs house on Highway 75), there is much less traffic in the main part of Emerson than there once was, and Noyes, Minnesota
Noyes, Minnesota
Noyes is an unincorporated community in St. Vincent Township, Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the state, it was an important border-crossing location going back to the days of ox roads. It is the northern terminus of U.S. Route 75 and the...
, just south of Emerson, has become something of a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
Climate
The town has a Plant HardinessHardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...
of zone 4a.
Television
- KGFE Channel 2 (PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
) Grand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461... - CBWTCBWTCBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
Channel 6 (CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
) Winnipeg - CKYCKY-TVCKY-DT is a television station based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Television Network....
Channel 7 (CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
) Winnipeg - WDAZ Channel 8 (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) Grand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461... - CKND Channel 9 (GlobalGlobal Television NetworkGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
) Winnipeg - KNRR Channel 12 (FOXFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
) Pembina, North DakotaPembina, North DakotaPembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples... - CIITCIIT-TVCIIT-DT is a Canadian English language television station based in and licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba. The station is owned by ZoomerMedia and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv television system. CIIT broadcasts a variety of multi-faith and family-oriented programming.-History:In...
Channel 35 (OmniOMNI TelevisionOmni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta which are licensed as multicultural stations...
) Winnipeg - K58BP Channel 58 (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) Glasston, North DakotaGlasston, North DakotaGlasston is a small farming town located in Saint Thomas Township in North Dakota's Pembina County. It consists of a post office, a general store, and a handful of houses. It was established in 1886 as a station along the Great Northern Railroad. Originally called Baltimore, the site was later...
(KXJB Tv4 Fargo translator)