STONEWALL, MANITOBA

'Stonewall' is a town in the Canadian province of Manitoba with a population of 4376 as of the 2006 census.^[3] The town is situated approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) north of Winnipeg on Provincial Trunk Highway 67. It is known for its limestone quarries. The local festival is the Quarry Days which is usually held over three days in August at the Stonewall Quarry Park.

Contents

History

Education

Government

Municipal

Provincial

Federal

Attractions

Stonewall Quarry Park

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre

The Stonewall Postoffice

Notes

External links

History

When the last ice age retreated, as well as the prairies, escarpments such as Riding Mountain were left behind. In addition to these, smaller elevations were left behind such as Stony Mountain and Stonewall. It is believed that these escarpments were used as look-outs by early hunters approximately 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. These formations were later used as buffalo jumps by the indigenous populations.^[4]
Stonewall was founded by Samuel Jacob Jackson in 1878 after he acquired the land the town is built upon in 1875. However, Mr Jackson did not move to Stonewall himself until 1881.¹
In the early 1880s the quarry opened with the focus of their operation being the production of quicklime.^[5] During the peak times of the quarry, large amounts of dynamite was used for blasting the rock. The dynamite was kept in the powder magazine which has since be rebuilt near the entrance to Stonewall Quarry Park.^[6]
On 30 June 1880, the railway line between Winnipeg and Victoria Junction, 3 miles east of Stonewall, was completed. The construction of the line continued west passing through Stonewall, Hanlan and Meadow Lea before turning south-west towards Portage La Prairie during the summer of 1880. The transcontinental line was originally planned to pass through Selkirk, but was actually built through Winnipeg following heavy lobbying from the city. The line west of Stonewall was therefore rebuilt through Rosser. The line north-west from Stonewall was subsequently extended through Teulon, Komarno before eventually reaching Arborg in 1910.^[7]
The present town hall was built in 1912 using local limestone.^[8]
Following the closure of the quarry, Kinsmen Lake was developed on the site and opened to the public on 10 August 1956. The lake has become a popular location for locals and visitors to the town. ^[9] In 1983 the town council initiated a project to develop the former quarry site around Kinsmen Lake into a historical site and natural area.⁴

Education

Stonewall is situated in the Interlake school division and is served by three schools:

★ R. W. Bobby Bend School caters for kindergarten to year 4 pupils;

★ Stonewall Centennial School caters for year 5 to year 8 pupils; and

★ Stonewall Collegiate Institute caters for year 9 to year 12 pupils.

Government

Municipal

Stonewall is represented by a Head of Council (Mayor), a Deputy Mayor and three councillors. The current incumbents of the positions are:

★ Ross Thompson – Mayor

★ John Ploszay – Deputy Mayor, Councillor

★ Pat Corbin – Councillor

★ Lockie McLean – Councillor

★ Walter Badger – Councillor

Provincial

Stonewall is located in the Riding of Lakeside of Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and is currently represented by Ralph Eicher of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba.

Federal

Stonwall is located in the Selkirk—Interlake electoral district which returns one Member of Parliament who currently is James Bezan of the Conservative Party of Canada.
The Winnipeg-Interlake division of the Senate is represented by Janis Johnson who was appointed by Brian Mulroney and who is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Attractions

Stonewall Quarry Park

''(for a history of Stonewall Quarry Park see 'History' above)''
The Stonewall Quarry Park has been maintained as a natural area on the edge of town and provides picnic facilities and walking trails for visitors and residents alike. The nine baseball diamonds are available for hire and have been used for the Blue Jays Cups in 1997 and 1998, the Pan Am Games in 1999 and the Western Canada Summer Games in 2003. There is also a museum, visitor reception centre, campsite and swimming available in Kinsmen Lake. Stonewall Quarry Park also displays the many aspects of limestone production.

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre is a 36 sq km (8.9 sq mi) restored prairie marsh featuring artesian springs, aspen-oak bluff, waterfowl lure crop, tall-grass prairie and 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) of trails. The marsh is home to mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates. During the migration season, the number of waterfowl using the marsh can exceed 400,000 a day.^[10]

The Stonewall Postoffice

The Stonewall Postoffice is an example of the prairie style of architecture which was popular between late 19th and early 20th century. It was built in 1914 using local limestone and used as a post office until 1979.^[11]

Notes

1. Town Founder Town of Stonewall
2. History of Rockwood Rural Municipality of Rockwood
3. 2006 Census Statistics Canada
4. The Quarry Park at Stonewall, Manitoba Robert Coutts
5. The Quarries Town of Stonewall
6. The Powder Magazine Town of Stonewall
7. The Railroad Town of Stonewall
8. The Town Hall Town of Stonewall
9. Kinsmen Lake Town of Stonewall
10. About Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre
11. Stonewall Post Office (PHS) Travel Manitoba

External links

★ Town of Stonewall

★ Rural Municipality of Rockwood

★ Oakhammock Marsh Interpretive Centre