Manitoba is the easternmost of the three Prairie Provinces of Canada. Saskatchewan at its western boundary and Ontario at the eastern boundary. North are the Northwest Terrritories and the Hudsons bay. South the States of North Dakota and Minnesota. Manitoba is a very flat province, most of it at sea level with the highest elevation found in Duck Mountain Provincial Park with Baldy Mountain rising to 831m. Manitoba is known as the "Land of 100,000 lakes" ... a legacy from enormous Lake Agassiz which covered much of the province after the glaciers retreated. The major rivers of the Prairie Provinces flow into the lowland region of Manitoba, giving Manitoba 90 percent of the hydro-electric potential of the Prairie region. The northern topography is heavily glaciated and covered in forest: dominated by pine, hemlock and birch.

Manitoba, at one time in the history of North America, was the most happening location on the continent. If it didn't come out of Winnipeg, it didn't matter. Vaudeville shows, opera and any other cultural activity made Winnipeg their first stop. During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, the Hudsons Bay Company's major shipping activities took place in Manitoba. Many explorers first entered North America through the Hudsons Bay while they were searching for the Northwest Passage to the Orient. The early explorers came to North America on fact finding expeditions only. It wasn't until the 17th century that Europeans became interest in the vast lands for economic reasons and much later after that when their interest turned to colonization. In 1612, Captain Thomas Button wintered two ships at the mouth of the Nelson River, on Hudson Bay. Later, a party led by La Vérendrye explored the Red and Winnipeg rivers in the years 1733-38 and built several outposts.

The earliest economic interest was the fur trade, which brought about the establishment of "the Governor & Co. of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson's Bay" or The Hudsons Bay Trading Company. This organization was formed in 1670 as a private company granted access to the new land by King Charles II of England: who set aside huge tracts of land west of the fledgling colonies of Upper and Lower Canada and called this land "Rupert's Land". The Hudsons Bay Company initially set up posts or forts along the Hudsons Bay; whereby aboriginal people would bring their furs for trade. It wasn't until the 18th century that a rival company ("The Northwest Company") forced the Hudsons Bay Company to travel further afield and establish their forts throughout the land. The sole purpose of this Company was the exploitation of the aboriginal people and the exploitation of the weath of the land. (See my Hudsons Bay Company page for more information.)

Lord Selkirk of Scotland attempted to establish an agricultural colony located around the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in 1812. He sent a number of Scottish Highlanders to settle land he had secured from the Hudson's Bay Company. He called the area Assiniboia. The Selkirk colony suffered through floods and problems arising from unfamiliarity with the environment, and rivalries within the fur trade. Nevertheless, the settlement survived. In 1836, Assiniboia was transferred back to the Hudson's Bay Company by the Selkirk family. In the 1860s, the provinces of Canada (Upper and Lower), anxious to expand into the great northwest, offered to buy the land from the Hudson's Bay Company. Negotiations for the transfer of sovereignty of the Hudson's Bay Company lands to Canada followed, but with little regards to the wishes of the inhabitants.

During the lenghty negotiations, this lack of consultation and the movement of American and Canadian settlers into the territory led the Métis (third type of aboriginal people of Canada) to fear for the preservation of their land rights and culture. The Métis, under the leadership of Louis Riel, opposed the Canadian proposals in an insurgency known as the Red River Rebellion. Riel succeeded in establishing a locally-elected, provisional government in December 1869 creating a new country. Delegates of this provisional government negotiated terms with the new Federal government of Canada, making Manitoba a province of the Dominion of Canada on July 15, 1870. (For more information on the Metis and their place in Canadian History, please see my Metis page.) The new "postage stamp" province (so named because of its square shape and small size and 1/18 its present size) consisted then of 36 000 km² surrounding the Red River Valley. However, the province did not remain that small; its boundaries were stretched in 1881 and again in 1912.

The Assiniboine Indians were the first inhabitants of Manitoba. Other tribes included the nomadic Cree, who followed the herds of bison and caribou on their seasonal migrations. As well as the Metis. Today Manitoba has grown to be one of the most diverse provinces ethnically, with no one ethnicity dominating. However, it is one of the most important centres of Ukrainian culture outside Ukraine and has one of the largest populations of Mennonites in the world. More than 115,000 people are of aboriginal origin.

Manufacturing is the largest goods-producing economic sector. Food and transportation equipment have long been the leading manufacturing industries. Other important industries are primary and fabricated metals, electrical goods, clothing and textiles, and printing and publishing. Agriculture is the backbone of rural Manitoba, as well as supporting thousands of jobs in towns and cities. Agricultural land lies in a triangle, bordering Saskatchewan and the U.S., cutting diagonally across to lake Winnipeg. The strong balance in the Manitoba economy is reflected in agriculture, where both crops and livestock are important sectors. Wheat is the most important crop, accounting for about a third of crop production value, followed by barley and canola. The province is the leading Canadian producer of flaxseed, sunflower seeds, buckwheat and field peas. The northern 3/5 of Manitoba is Precambrian Shield. Mining is another major Manitoba industry, with metals normally accounting for three quarters of the value of production. The most important metals are nickel, (of which the province is a world leader in production), copper and zinc. Manitoba also produces petroleum and a number of industrial minerals. Manitoba is in the Central time zone.

Camping grounds, parks, lakes and rivers as well as historic sites are the principal attractions for Manitoba's visitors. Tourism also relies on dozens of community festivals, a number of which have international reputations. Come visit Manitoba and see for yourself why this Province is an important part of Canada, not only in the past, but the present as well!