Glenwood, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
The Rural Municipality of Glenwood is located in the southwestern corner of Manitoba
, Canada
and is 47 kilometres southwest of Manitoba's second largest city, Brandon
. The municipality's largest town, Souris
, located at its geographical centre, provides the advantage of great shops, services and tourist attractions. Glenwood and Souris are easily reached at the junction of Manitoba Highway 2, running east and west, while Provincial Road 250 extends from north and Manitoba Highway 22
southward. Manitoba Highway 10
provides access to the United States
. Glenwood offers its residents a comfortable, peaceful and serene lifestyle along with all the amenities of a large urban centre. It is home to approximately 800 residents, not counting residents in the separately administered Town of Souris
.
. By the end of 1883, the area was completely settled, and by 1884 the townsite of Souris contained over 50 buildings. The Town of Souris was incorporated in 1904 as a separate municipal government, and its first Mayor was A.L. Young.
. The region features grain
, canola
, flax
, cattle
, and pig farming
. An industrial base is being established in the municipality. United Grain Growers
has a grain terminal and crop production services in the area, and provides a central distribution terminal for all of Westman Region
. Proven Seed Distribution Centre and Peloquin Fabricating are also employers in the municipality.
The Town of Souris provides many of the large urban services and amenities found in other towns. The town also has its own school that features two gymnasiums, a computer and science lab, distance education, and a well-known music program.
A growing economic source in Glenwood is tourism
. Souris features many sites including an agate
pit, four museum
s, bird sanctuary, golf course
, river cruises, nature trails, and the Swinging Bridge
. Many accommodations and businesses exist to serve the needs of tourists, including a fully serviced campground and hotel.
. The Glenwood areas agate pits also draw many tourists from all over the world who have come to collect many varieties of agates, several colors of jasper
, petrified wood
, and epidote
found in the pits themselves.
The 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) Victoria Park was donated by the Sowden family, it is located in the heart of Souris, and features camping, picnicking, and swimming facilities. A bird sanctuary is located in the centre of the park where many different types of birds can be viewed.
The old Squire Hall, restored as a historic site and named the Hillcrest Museum, features the original furniture of the mansion along with artifacts cherished by the early Souris settlers. The Agricultural Museum
is found in the same location. The Plum is the site of the 1883 Souris Heritage Church built by early settlers. This building features Victorian architecture
and a Church Museum with a Tea Room with crafts.
, a corral
, barn
s, a judges booth, display buildings, and concession stands.
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...
and is 47 kilometres southwest of Manitoba's second largest city, 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...
. The municipality's largest town, Souris
Souris
Souris can refer to several things:* The Souris or Mouse River in Canada and the USA* The Canadian Souris * The town of Souris, Manitoba, Canada* The town of Souris, North Dakota, USA...
, located at its geographical centre, provides the advantage of great shops, services and tourist attractions. Glenwood and Souris are easily reached at the junction of Manitoba Highway 2, running east and west, while Provincial Road 250 extends from north and Manitoba Highway 22
Manitoba Highway 22
Provincial Trunk Highway 22 is a very short north-south provincial highway in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from PTH 23 near Elgin to PTH 2 and PR 250 in Souris. This highway is the main access road to the renowned Souris Swinging Bridge....
southward. Manitoba Highway 10
Manitoba Highway 10
Provincial Trunk Highway 10 is a north-south highway that runs from the North Dakota border at the International Peace Garden near Boissevain, north through Brandon, Dauphin, Swan River, and The Pas to the Saskatchewan boundary at Flin Flon. The speed limit is 100 km/h...
provides access to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Glenwood offers its residents a comfortable, peaceful and serene lifestyle along with all the amenities of a large urban centre. It is home to approximately 800 residents, not counting residents in the separately administered Town of Souris
Souris, Manitoba
Souris is a town in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba, 2006 population 1,772, total including Glenwood Municipality is 2,412. It is located on the Souris River, from which it takes its name. The town is home to Canada's longest historic cable-stayed footbridge , known...
.
History
Glenwood was incorporated as a municipality in 1883, yet its history goes back further. In 1880, the first four permanent residents arrived and established homesteads along Plum Creek, approximately 1.5 kilometres west of what today is Souris. Most early settlers established homesteads in the Souris area, while others settled in the surrounding townsites. The 1880s saw vigorous immigration into the area, especially people who came from IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. By the end of 1883, the area was completely settled, and by 1884 the townsite of Souris contained over 50 buildings. The Town of Souris was incorporated in 1904 as a separate municipal government, and its first Mayor was A.L. Young.
Economic Base
Glenwood and Souris' economies are primarily based in agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The region features grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
, canola
Canola
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...
, flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, and pig farming
Pig farming
There are various methods of pig farming depending on the method of management adopted. Variables include:* Money or capital available* The type of animals kept* Local requirements and market conditions* The level of management skills...
. An industrial base is being established in the municipality. United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...
has a grain terminal and crop production services in the area, and provides a central distribution terminal for all of Westman Region
Westman Region, Manitoba
Westman is the name given to the Southwestern area of the province of Manitoba, Canada. The area's major service center is the city of Brandon, and to some extent, the city of Winnipeg. Winnipeg is not part of Westman, but is to the east, and is the provincial capital of Manitoba. The region...
. Proven Seed Distribution Centre and Peloquin Fabricating are also employers in the municipality.
The Town of Souris provides many of the large urban services and amenities found in other towns. The town also has its own school that features two gymnasiums, a computer and science lab, distance education, and a well-known music program.
A growing economic source in Glenwood is tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Souris features many sites including an agate
Agate
Agate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
pit, four museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s, bird sanctuary, golf course
Golf course
A 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...
, river cruises, nature trails, and the Swinging Bridge
Swinging Bridge
Swinging Bridge is a popular destination in Yosemite Valley for swimming while having a great frontal view of Yosemite Falls. The land in the area resembles that of a beach. The official policy does not allow visitors to jump off the bridge. However, you will very often find daring participants...
. Many accommodations and businesses exist to serve the needs of tourists, including a fully serviced campground and hotel.
Major Attractions
Built in 1903, the Swinging Bridge is a 177.4-metre bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. The Glenwood areas agate pits also draw many tourists from all over the world who have come to collect many varieties of agates, several colors of jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
, petrified wood
Petrified wood
Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization...
, and epidote
Epidote
Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral, Ca2Al2O, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Well-developed crystals are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in habit, the direction of elongation being perpendicular to the single plane of symmetry. The faces are often...
found in the pits themselves.
The 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) Victoria Park was donated by the Sowden family, it is located in the heart of Souris, and features camping, picnicking, and swimming facilities. A bird sanctuary is located in the centre of the park where many different types of birds can be viewed.
The old Squire Hall, restored as a historic site and named the Hillcrest Museum, features the original furniture of the mansion along with artifacts cherished by the early Souris settlers. The Agricultural Museum
Agricultural Museum
-History:The Palace of Princess Fatima, the daughter of Khedive Ismail, was chosen to be remodeled to house the museum, and construction of the museum started in November 1930.- External links :*...
is found in the same location. The Plum is the site of the 1883 Souris Heritage Church built by early settlers. This building features Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and a Church Museum with a Tea Room with crafts.
Facilities - Recreation, Parks, Culture
The Souris Fair Grounds provide Glenwood with a site for events that include: baseball diamonds, a batting cageBatting cage
A batting cage is an enclosed cage for baseball players to practice the skill of batting.It is usually made of netting or a chain-link fence and rectangular in shape. A batter stands at one end of the cage, with a pitching machine at the opposing end...
, a corral
Corral
Corral is a town, commune and sea port in Los Ríos Region, Chile. It is located south of Corral Bay. Corral is best known for the forts of Corral Bay, a system of defensive batteries and forts made to protect Valdivia during colonial times. Corral was the headquarters of the system...
, barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
s, a judges booth, display buildings, and concession stands.