Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba

Winnipeg Beach is a town in the Interlake Region, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The town was founded in 1900 by Sir William Whyte.

Winnipeg Beach is located at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 229 on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg, about 35 miles (56 km) north or an hour by car from Winnipeg.

Nearby towns are Dunnottar, Gimli, Teulon, Clandeboye, Sandy Hook and Selkirk.

According to the Winnipeg Beach town website, in 1900, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased 32 acres of undeveloped shoreline 65 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg and commenced construction of what would become one of western Canada's premiere resort facilities. In addition to the attraction of a three kilometre stretch of sandy beach, the CPR also built and offered an array of accommodation, recreation, and amusement facilities, including a prominent dance hall. By 1910, between 12 to 15 trains were carrying over 40,000 passengers a day on holiday weekends to the popular resort. The romance of Winnipeg Beach began to wane during the 1950s and although the beach itself still remained a popular destination, in 1964 the amusement park was permanently closed.

History

In the early 1900s, ritzy hotels lined the main street of Winnipeg Beach. Piers, parks and picnic grounds were constructed to accommodate the weekend masses that would travel to Winnipeg Beach from the nearby capital city.

By 1913, the summer retreat had become so popular that the C.P.R. had 13 trains running the line between the beach and the City of Winnipeg. The famous Moonlight Special returned to the city at midnight every Saturday for fifty years. The round trip fare was only fifty cents.

A boardwalk took strollers along the beach to the carnival concessions and cottages. A wooden roller coaster was one of the largest in the country at the time, and carried hundreds of passengers on a busy day. The Pavilion housed a 14,000 square foot dance floor, reputed to be the largest in Western Canada.

Couples danced the night away to music by the top bands of the time. Sadly, in the 1960s, the dance hall, roller coaster and boardwalk attractions were dismantled, and Winnipeg Beach lost much of its splendour.

The Water Tower

Of the many recreation and railway related structures erected by the CPR at Winnipeg Beach, only the steel water tower survives. It was designed and constructed in 1928 by the Vulcan Iron Works Ltd. of Winnipeg. Utilitarian in design and appearance, the 40-metre high tower supported a 90,000-litre capacity tank, and provided a source of pressurized water for the CPR steam locomotives, and fire protection services for the resort's facilities. Non-operational since the resort closed, the structure is the best example of only five surviving riveted-steel water towers in Manitoba. As in its heyday, the tower is a prominent visual landmark in and around the beach community.

Today

After the closure of the resort and amusement facilities at Winnipeg Beach, the Province of Manitoba attempted to revitalize the town by creating a recreation park in the 1960s. This project saw various improvements to the beach and the parks lining it. A restaurant and lounge, and several change-room structures were built, in addition to a large parking lot. The recreation park continues to be a popular destination for beachgoers.

The Global Television Network TV series "Falcon Beach" was filmed in the town during the summers of 2005-2006. The town is also home to Manitoba raku artist Gary McKague.

Camp Massad, a Jewish residential summer camp, lies just north of the town.

The town is governed by a mayor (currently Don Pepe), and a five-member town council.