Virden, Manitoba

Virden, Manitoba

Virden, Manitoba (pop. 4010) is a regional centre, serving southwestern Manitoba. Oil was first discovered in 1951, and Virden has since come to be known as the "Oil Capital of Manitoba".

The town is located at the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway (also known as Highway #1) and Highway 83 and is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Wallace.

History

In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CPR) end of the steel was in the Virden area. A settlement, named Gopher Creek, began approximately one mile east of the town's present location. The name was chosen because of a creek of the same name. This creek, in turn was named for the numerous gophers found in the area.The CPR then chose to relocate the town to section 22, township 10, range 26 west. At this point, the town tried to change its name to Manchester, but that name was already selected by another community. As a result, the town picked the name Virden. The exact origin of the name is not known, but the most probable explanation is that it is a spelling mistake for Verden, Germany. [cite book |last=Clingan|first=Ida |title=The Virden Story |year=1957 |publisher=Friesen Printers] During World War II, Virden was home to No.19 Elementary Flying Training School - part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Industry

Oil

Oil was first discovered near Virden in 1956. [cite web|url=http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi-bin/cd/index.cgi?id=4606|title=Virden Area Census Division Profile|accessdate=2007-08-26] The town sits atop one of Manitoba's largest oilfields, the Virden Oilfield. Two of the other largest fields, the Daly and the Sinclair, are also in the vicinity of the town. [cite web|url=http://www.virden.ca/page.aspx?page_id=15| title=Natural Resources|accessdate=2007-08-26]

Tourism

Virden Pioneer Home Museum

Known as the "Victorian Home on the Prairies", the Pioneer Home Museum exists within a late nineteenth century home. With over 9000 donated items relating to Virden area, the Museum's collection is extensive. It is open daily from May to September and offers guided tours by youth guides.

References

External links

* [http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi-bin/csd/index.cgi?id=4606034 Town of Virden Community Profile]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Virden — is the name of several places::Canada*Virden, ManitobaUnited States*Virden, Illinois *Virden Township, Illinois *Virden, New Mexico …   Wikipedia

  • Virden/R.J. (Bob) Andrew Field Regional Aerodrome — is located convert|1|NM|abbr=on|lk=in north of Virden, Manitoba, Canada. During World War II, Virden airport was home to No. 19 Elementary Flying Training School part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. As of the summer of 2007, one of …   Wikipedia

  • Virden (Gabrielle Farm) Airport — is located convert|4|NM|abbr=on|lk=in south of Virden, Manitoba, Canada.ee also*Virden/R.J. (Bob) Andrew Field Regional Aerodrome *Virden (West) AirportReferences …   Wikipedia

  • Virden (West) Airport — is located convert|6|NM|abbr=on|lk=in northwest of Virden, Manitoba, Canada.ee also*Virden/R.J. (Bob) Andrew Field Regional Aerodrome *Virden (Gabrielle Farm) AirportReferences …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba Highway 83 — Highway 83 Route information Length: 402 km (250 mi) Major junctions …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba general election, 2003 — 1999 ← June 3, 2003 → 2007 …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba general election, 1959 — Manitoba s general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin… …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba general election, 1949 — Manitoba s general election of November 10, 1949 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This election pitted the province s coalition government, made up of the Liberal Progressive Party and the …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba general election, 1907 — Manitoba s general election of March 7, 1907 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. The result was a third consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, led by premier… …   Wikipedia

  • Manitoba Highway 5 — Highway 5 Northern Woods and Water Route (section) Northern Cypress Trail (section) Route information Length: 401 km (249 mi) …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”