Minnedosa

Minnedosa, Man, Manitoba, incorporated as a town in 1883, population 2587 (2011c), 2474 (2006c). The Town of Minnedosa is located 205 km northwest of Winnipeg, on the east side of the Little Saskatchewan River. The area was popular for buffalo hunting. Settlement began in 1870 near a trail to the NW. The site was first called Tanner's Crossing after John Tanner, who established a toll ferry and later a bridge across the river. Competitive communities sprang up nearby, but a gristmill and sawmill operation at Tanner's Crossing attracted trade and settlement.

In the 1880s Minnedosa - a name of Sioux origin, meaning "swift water" - became the major supply and grain and livestock trading centre in NW Manitoba. Settlers included Hungarians, Scandinavians and English "gentlemen's sons" sent to Canada to learn farming. When the boom ended, Minnedosa was financially overextended, and NEEPAWA and DAUPHIN soon surpassed it as regional centres. Today, Minnedosa serves the area's grain and livestock farms and has several industries.