Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
MANITOBA
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: MAL-MAR
del.icio.us it!
|
MANITOBA , one of the western provinces of the Dominion of See also:Canada, situated midway between the See also:Atlantic and the Pacific coasts of the Dominion, about 1090 m. due See also:west of See also:Quebec. It is bounded S. by the parallel 49° N., which divides it from the See also:United States; W. by rot° 2o' W.; N. by 52° 5o' N.; and E. by the western boundary of See also:Ontario. Manitoba formerly belonged to the See also:Hudson's See also:Bay See also:Company, and after the See also:transfer of its territory to Canada was admitted in 187o as the fifth See also:province of the Dominion. At that See also:time the See also:infant province had an See also:area of 13,500 sq. M., and some 12,000 See also:people, chiefly See also:Indian See also:half-breeds. In 1881 the limits were increased as above, and the province now contains upwards of 73,956 sq. m., extending 264 M. from See also:north to See also:south and upwards of 300 from See also:east to west. The old See also:district of See also:Assiniboia, the result of the efforts in colonization by the See also:earl of See also:Selkirk in 1811 and succeeding years, was the See also:nucleus of the province. The name Manitoba sprang from the See also:union of two Indian words, Manito (the See also:Great Spirit), and Waba (the " narrows " of the See also:lake, which may readily be seen on the See also:map). This well-known strait was a sacred See also:place to the Crees and Saulteaux, who, impressed by the weird See also:sound made by the See also:wind as it rushed through the narrows, as See also:simple See also:children of the prairies called them Manito-Waba, or the " Great Spirit's narrows. The name, arising from this unusual sound, has been by See also:metonymy translated into " See also:God's See also:Voice." The word was afterwards contracted into its See also:present See also:form. As there is no See also:accent in Indian words, the natural See also:pronunciation of this name would be See also:Man-i-to-ha. On this See also:account, the See also:custom of both the See also:French and See also:English people of the See also:country was for years before and for several years after 187o to pronounce it Man-i-to-ba, and even in some cases to spell it " Manitobah." After the formation of the province and the See also:familiar use of the provincial name in the Dominion See also:parliament, where it has occupied much See also:attention for a See also:generation, the pronunciation has changed, so that the province is universally known from ocean to ocean as Man-i-to-bi . See also:Physical Features.—The drainage of Manitoba is entirely north-eastward to Hudson Bay. The three lakes—whose greatest lengths are 26o, 122 and 119 M. respectively—are See also:Winnipeg, See also:Winnipegosis and Manitoba. They are all of irregular shape, but See also:average respectively 3o, 18 and 10 m. in width. They are fresh, shallow and tideless. Winnipegosis and Manitoba at high See also:water, in See also:spring-time, See also:discharge their overflow through small streams into Winnipeg. The See also:chief See also:rivers emptying into Lake Winnipeg are the Winnipeg, the Red and the See also:Saskatchewan. The Assiniboine See also:river enters the Red river 45 m. from Lake Winnipeg, and at the confluence of the rivers The Forks ") is situated the See also:city of Winnipeg. The Winnipeg, which flows from the territory lying south-east of Lake Winnipeg, is a See also:noble river some 200 m. See also:long, which after leaving Lake of the See also:Woods dashes with its clear water over many cascades, and traverses very beautiful scenery. At its falls from Lake of the Woods is one of the greatest and most easily utilized water-See also:powers in the See also:world, and from falls See also:lower down the river electric See also:power for the city of Winnipeg is obtained. The Red river is at intervals subject to freshets. In a See also:century's experience of the Selkirk colonists there have been four " floods." The highest level of the site of the city of Winnipeg is said to have been under 5 ft. of water for several See also:weeks in May and See also:June in 1826, and 21 ft. in 1852, not covered in 1861; only the lowest levels were under water in 1882. The extent of overflow has thus on each occasion been less. The loose See also:soil on the See also:banks of the river is every See also:year carried away in great masses, and the channel has so widened as to render the recurrence of an overflow unlikely, The Saskatchewan, though not in the province, empties into Lake Winnipeg less than half a degree from the See also:northern boundary, It is a mighty river, rising in the Rocky Mountains, and See also:crossing - eighteen degrees of See also:longitude. Near its mouth are the See also:Grand Rapids. Above these steamers ply to Fort See also:Edmonton, a point upwards of 800 m. north-west of the city of Winnipeg. Steamers run from Grand Rapids, through Lake Winnipeg, up Red river to the city of Winnipeg, important locks having been constructed on the river at St See also:Andrews.
The See also:surface of Manitoba is somewhat level and monotonous. It is chiefly a See also:prairie region, with treeless plains of from 5 to 40 M.extent, covered in summer with an exuberant See also:vegetable growth, which See also:dies every year. The river banks, however, are fringed with trees, and in the more undulating lands the See also:timber belts vary from a few hundreds of yards to 5 or io m. in width, forming at times forests of no inconsiderable See also:size. The chief trees of the country are the See also:aspen (Populus tremuloides), the ash-leaved See also:maple (Negundo aceroides), See also:oak (Quercus See also:Alba), See also:elm (Ulmus Americana), and many varieties of See also:willow. The See also:strawberry, See also:raspberry, See also:currant, See also:plum, See also:cherry and See also:grape are indigenous.
See also:Climate.—The climate of Manitoba, being that of a region of wide extent and of similar conditions, is not subject to frequent See also:variations.
See also:Winter, with See also:cold but clear and bracing See also:weather, usually sets in about the See also:middle of See also:November, and ends with See also: June is often wet, but most favourable for the springing crops; See also:July and See also:August are warm, but, excepting two or three days at a time, not uncomfortably so; while the autumn weeks of See also:late August and See also:September are very pleasant. See also:Harvest generally extends from the middle of August to near the end of September. The chief crops of the farmer are See also:wheat (which from its flinty hardness and full See also:kernel is the specialty of the See also:Canadian north-west), oats, See also:barley and See also:pease. See also:Hay is made of the native prairie See also:grasses, which grow luxuriantly. From the richness and mellowness of the soil potatoes and all tap-roots reach a great size. Heavy dews in summer give the needed moisture after the rains of June have ceased. The traveller and farmer are at times annoyed by the See also:mosquito. Area and See also:Population.—The area is 73,956 sq. M., of which 64,066 are See also:land and 9890 water. Pop. (1871), 18,995; (1881), 62,26o; (1891), 152,506; (1901), 254,947 (138,332 See also:males, 116,615 See also:females); (1906), 365,688 (205,183 males and 160,505 females). The See also:principal cities and towns are: Winnipeg (90,153), See also:Brandon (10,408), See also:Portage la Prairie (51o6), St See also:Boniface (5119), West Selkirk (2701), and Morden (1437). In 1901, 49,102 families inhabited 48,415 houses, and the proportion of the See also:urban population to the rural was 27.5 to 72.5. Classified according to place of See also:birth, the principal nationalities were as follows in 19o1: Canada, 180,853; See also:England, 20,392; See also:Scotland, 8099; See also:Ireland, 4537; other See also:British possessions, 490; See also:Germany, 2291; See also:Iceland, 5403; See also:Austria, 11,570; See also:Russia and See also:Poland, 8854; Scandinavia, 1772; United States, 6922; other countries, 4028. In -1901 the See also:Indians numbered 5827; half-breeds, 10,372. Of the Indian half-breeds, one half are of English-speaking parentage, and chiefly of See also:Orkney origin; the See also:remainder are known as Metis or Bois-brules, and are descended from French-Canadian voyageurs. In 1875 a number of See also:Russian See also:Mennonites (descendants of the See also:Anabaptists of the See also:Reformation) came to the ' English NIilei O ]O ]O 3O q!l 5O '.2' —«. country. They originally emigrated from Germany to the plains of See also:southern Russia, but came over to Manitoba to See also:escape the See also:conscription. They number upwards of 15,000. About 4000 French Canadians, who had emigrated from Quebec to the United States, have also made the province their See also:home, as well as Icelanders now numbering 20,000. During the See also:decade ending 1907 large reserves were settled with Ruthenians often known as Galicians, Poles and other peoples from central and northern See also:Europe. Some 30,000 of these are found in the province. The remainder of the population is chiefly made up of English-speaking people from the. other provinces of the Dominion, from the United States, from England and Scotland and the north of Ireland. See also:Religion.—Classified according to religion, the various de-nominations were, in Igor, as follows: Presbyterians, 65,310; Episcopalians, 44,874; Methodists, 49,909; See also:Roman Catholics, 35,622; See also:Baptists, 9098; See also:Lutherans, 16,473; Mennonites, 15,222; See also:Greek Catholics, 7898; other denominations, 9903; not specified, 638. See also:Government.—The province is under a See also:lieutenant-See also:governor, appointed for a See also:term of five years, with an executive See also:council of srx members, responsible to the See also:local legislature, which consists of See also:forty-two members. It has four members in the Canadian See also:Senate and ten in the See also:House of See also:Commons. See also:Education.—The dual See also:system of education, established in 1871, was abolished in 189Q, and the administrative machinery consolidated under a See also:minister of the See also:Crown and an advisory See also:board. This See also:act was amended in 1897 to meet the wishes of the Roman See also:Catholic minority, but See also:separate See also:schools were not re-established; nor was the council divided into denominational committees. There are collegiate institutes for more advanced education at Winnipeg, Brandon and Portage la Prairie, with a See also:total of 1094 pupils enrolled. There is also a normal school at Winnipeg for the training of teachers. Higher education is represented by the provincial university, which teaches See also:science and See also:mathematics, holds See also:examinations, distributes scholarships, and grants degrees in all subjects. It has affiliated to it colleges of the Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Methodist denominations, with medical and pharmaceutical colleges. The arts colleges of the churches carry on the several courses required by the university, and send their students to the examinations of the university. A well-equipped agricultural See also:college near Winnipeg is provided for sons and daughters of farmers. See also:Agriculture is the prevailing See also:industry of Manitoba. See also:Dairy-farming is rapidly increasing in importance, and creameries for the manufacture of See also:butter and See also:cheese are established in almost all parts of the province. Large See also:numbers of horses, See also:cattle, See also:swine and poultry are reared. The growth of cereals is the largest See also:department of agriculture followed. The following See also:statistics are interesting: The enormous development of the wheat-growing industry shown by these and the following statistics: Wheat inspected in Winnipeg. 1883. 189o. 1894. 1901. Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. Wheat . . 5,686,355 14,665,769 17,172,883 50,502,085
Oats . 9,478,965 9,513,443 11,907,854 27,796,588
Barley 1,898,40 2,069,415 2,981,716 6,536,155
See also:Flax No statistics collected. 366,000 266,420
See also:Rye . . „ „ 59,924 62,261
Peas 18,434 16,349
Potatoes . 2,035,336 4,797,433
Other roots 1,841,942 2,925,362
1902 51,833,000 bushels
1903 40,396,650
1904 39,784,900
1905 55,849,840
1906 66,636,390
585
maintains an experimental See also:farm of 67o acres at Brandon. The See also:fisheries are all fresh-water, principally See also: The broad expanse of prairie-land in the western provinces of Canada is well suited for the cheap and expeditious See also:building of See also:railways. The first connexion with the United States was by two railways coming down the Red River valley. But the See also:desire for Canadian unity led the Dominion to assist a transcontinental See also:line connecting Manitoba with eastern Canada. The building of the Canadian Pacific railway through almost continuous rocks for 800 See also:miles was one of the greatest See also:engineering feats of See also:modern times. Immediately on the formation of the Canadian Pacific railway company See also:branch lines were begun at Winnipeg and there are eight radial lines See also:running from this centre to all parts of the country. Winnipeg is thus connected with See also:Montreal on the east, and See also:Vancouver on the west, and is the central point of the Canadian Pacific system, having railway yards and equipment equalled by few places in See also:America. In opposition to the Canadian Pacific railway a southern line was built from Winnipeg to the See also:American boundary. This See also:fell into the hands of the Northern Pacific railway, but was See also:purchased by the promoters of the Canadian Northern railway. This railway has six radiating lines leaving the city of Winnipeg, and its See also:main line connects See also:Port See also:Arthur on Lake Superior with Edmonton in the west. The Canadian Northern railway has a remarkable network of railways connecting Winnipeg with every corner of Manitoba. The Great Northern railway has also three branch lines in Manitoba and one of these has Winnipeg as its See also:terminus. The grand See also:Trunk Pacific railway, the great transcontinental line promoted by the See also:Laurier government, passes through Manitoba north of the Canadian Pacific, coming from the east deflects southward to pass through Winnipeg, and then strikes northward in a See also:direct line of easy gradients to find its way through the Rocky Mountains to its terminus of See also:Prince See also:Rupert on the north See also:coast of British See also:Columbia. History.—The first white See also:settlement in Manitoba was made
by See also:Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de la Verendrye (d. 1749), who, gradually pushing westward from Lake Superior, reached Lake Winnipeg in 1733, and in the following year built a fort not far from the present Fort See also: Additional information and CommentsHi! This site is really amazing! I am learning about the government in social studies, I am a S1 student and am learning alot and it's very interesting. I had a school project due and this wonderful site helped me so much with it. There is alot of great information, keep up the good work!! Kristen McCannell Pilot Mound, Manitoba
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] MANISTEE |
[next] MANITOU |