Ste. Anne, Manitoba

For the rural municipality surrounding the town, see Ste. Anne, Manitoba .

Ste. Anne is a town in Manitoba. Its full name is Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes. The population at the last census (2006) was 1534. The population was 1513 in 2001 and 1511 in 1996. It is known for being located on the Seine River and at the heart of the Dawson Trail.

History

Originally known as "La Pointe-des-Chênes", Ste. Anne was the first parish established in the area, dating back to 1856, and is therefore older than Canada. The early settlers arrived looking for farmland. The first 198 families in the community busied themselves with their first major industry, supplying lumber for the construction of the St. Boniface Cathedral. The Hudson's Bay Company also had a strong presence in the community in the 1800s. Ste. Anne served as a stopover for weary travelers on their journey to Winnipeg, along the famed Dawson Trail.

In June 1959, Ste. Anne experienced the worst flood in its history. Water rose at a rate visible by eye, and the Ste. Anne Hospital was evacuated. In 1960, the Seine River diversion project was completed to prevent future floods.

Geography and climate

Ste. Anne is situated just east of the longitudinal centre of Canada (near the geographical centre of North America), and approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the border with the United States. It is near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies. It is surrounded by rich agricultural land to the west, and...
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