Grand Beach (Manitoba)

Grand Beach is a freshwater beach located within the Rural Municipality of St. Clements on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. It is located on the northern edge of the town of Grand Marais, Manitoba. Grand Beach is on the historic La Vérendrye Trail .

Grand Beach
Grand Beach and Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Winnipeg in August 2020
LocationRural Municipality of St. Clements
Coordinates50°33′15″N 96°38′00″W
Part ofLake Winnipeg
Elevation748 feet (228 m)[1]
Highest point12 metres (39 ft)
Length3 kilometres (1.9 mi)
Area30 ha (75 acres)
Formed byLake Agassiz
Age430-490 million years
OperatorProvince of Manitoba
Websitegrandbeachtourism.com

History
View of Grand Beach in August 1924 by L.B. Foote showing the pier, dance hall, carousel, bath houses and boardwalk.

Founded by homesteaders, it was home to a substantial community of Metis, who were the only settlers until the Canadian Northern Railway built its line and set up the resort along the Grand Beach in 1917. After it was made accessible by the railway, it became a very popular resort for Manitobans.[2]

In the early days, the grandest building in the resort was the Dance Pavilion, built in 1918[3] and rated by some as the largest dance hall of its time in the Commonwealth, but it was destroyed in a fire that began at 11 am on September 5, 1950.[4] Prior to the fire, CNR had put the resort buildings up for sale.[5] Along with the incredible beaches, the dance hall made Grand Beach a very attractive day trip destination for Winnipeggers in the 1920s, that was made possible by regular train services to Winnipeg, with the last train leaving at midnight.[6] A Harvey J. Emke of Winnipeg bought the properties from CNR in 1951.[7]

Sites and attractions

Grand Beach is part of Grand Beach Provincial Park and features 3 kilometres (1.9 mi)[8] of fine, white sand and is backed by sand dunes that rise up to 12 m (39 ft) above the beach. A boardwalk at the West end of the beach offers food and shopping. Change rooms and plumbed washrooms are available all along the beach.

Annual events
  • Canada Day Family Festival
  • Grand Marais Family Festival
  • Manitoba Summerfest
  • Beaches Half Marathon

References
  1. "Elevation at Grand Beach". earthtools.org.
  2. Selwood, John; Tonts, Matthew. "A home away from home at Grand Beach, Manitoba" (PDF). Prairie Perspectives. 6 (October 2003): 135–154. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  3. "Scene of a Labor Day gala dance". The Winnipeg Tribune. September 5, 1950. p. 4.
  4. "$125,000 Fire Destroys Grand Beach Pavilion". The Winnipeg Tribune. September 5, 1950. pp. 1, 2.
  5. "Baird Says Fire Unlikely To Hurt Grand Beach Sale". Winnipeg Free Press. September 7, 1950. p. 7.
  6. Lemoine, Susan; Barnfather, Tim (1978). Grand Beach: The Grand Old Days. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Parks Branch, Manitoba Department of Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. pp. 1–26. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  7. "Grand Beach To Get Face-Lifting Operation". Winnipeg Free Press. May 23, 1951. p. 4.
  8. "Central Parks - Grand Beach Provincial Park" (PDF). gov.mb.ca. June 6, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
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