Morris

Morris, Manitoba, incorporated as a town in 1883, population 1797 (2011c), 1643 (2006c). The Town of Morris is located at the confluence of the Red and Morris rivers, 55 km south of Winnipeg. First called Scratching River and later named after Alexander Morris, Manitoba's second lieutenant-governor, it was the site of fur-trade rivalries in the early 1800s and later a landmark for cart brigades moving between St Paul, Minn, and the Red River Colony. By the early 1870s Ontarians were homesteading in the area. Morris soon became a busy stagecoach stop between Fargo, N Dak, and Fort Garry. Like other Manitoba towns, it was caught up in the competition for a rail line, offering a substantial bonus to attract the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1882-83. By 1884-85 the town had collapsed under its debt load; it recovered only in the mid-1890s. The CPR is now one of 3 railways that service the town.

The Red and Morris rivers have greatly affected the town,; they even put Morris under water in 1950. Dikes were built in the mid-1960s and kept the town dry during the 1966 and 1979 floods. Today Morris is a trade and service centre for a prosperous grain-growing region and has several industries. Tourism is also important, with the "Big M" -- the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition -- held in July.