Good morning everyone. This week's fun fact has to do with today's topic. At it's peak, there was 22 geocaches located within the Beausejour area. Two are owned by Muz and Girlie, two by 3Woloskis, two by WpgAdventures, and one each by paintball assassin and crackerjackie. The other fourteen were owned by me.
This week I'm pointing the spotlight at a town that I called home for seven months; Beausejour. Beausejour is located 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) Northeast from Winnipeg, or about a 47 minute drive, with a population of just over three thousand residents. The town name is French, meaning "nice stay". How it came to be known as such varies with the most suggested saying it was given by the railway officials who found high, dry ground compared to low-lying, wetter areas surrounding the area. Originally, the area was called "Stoney Prairie", and then renamed "Burgoyne Station". It was in 1877 that the area became known as Beausejour. It was incorporated as a village in 1908 and a town in 1912.
One of the primary employers at the time was the Manitoba Glass Works. It was the first glass container factory in Western Canada. Manitoba Glass Works opened in 1906 and was incorporated in 1907. At it's peak, Manitoba Glass Works employed 350 workers. Glass-blowers were brought in from Poland and the United States. They used silica sand to produce bottles for soft drink companies and breweries in Winnipeg. Production of jars, medicine and ink bottles were added to production with the installment of semi-automated equipment. The factory couldn't compete with the glass manufacturers in Eastern Canada, who had the exclusive license for fully automated machines. A Montreal company purchased the Manitoba Glass Works and relocated the factory to Redcliff, Alberta on an offer of free natural gas and land. The Beausejour location was closed by 1914. Only the foundation remains at the site.
At the East end of town, you'll find the Brokenhead-Beausejour Pioneer Village Museum. Open during the summer months, you will find more of Beausejour's history. Some of the buildings that have been relocated to the museum include the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, Canadian Pacific Railway Station, a log house, school house, blacksmith shop and other buildings that are typical of a village museum.
Beausejour is home to the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships in the Winter and the Double B Agricultural Festival at the end of Summer, both held at the Beausejour Fairgrounds. Beausejour is known to locals as a "sled town". Snow mobiles or power toboggans are common place in town. It is legal to ride your sled on the town roads at anytime, except on the main thoroughfare, Park Ave.
The last Sunday of August, classic cars take over Park ave with "Shades of the Past" car show. Hundreds of older cars and street rods are on display.
Like most small towns during the early nineteen hundreds, the railroad played a significant part with the growth and sustainability of Beausejour. As the Canadian Pacific Railway was expanding slowly Westward, the main line was being built in the direction of Selkirk, Manitoba, 22 kilometers (14 miles) North of Winnipeg. This would have taken the main line through Beausejour. Some convincing by Winnipeg got the CPR to change it's headquarters from Selkirk to Winnipeg. If you look at a map, you'll see to the Southeast of Beausejour how the CPR main line heads Northwest, then makes a turn in direction and heads Southwest to Winnipeg. "The Iron Horse Changes Course" GC4GX8K can be found near where the line changes course. A spur line was later completed that went through Beausejour and continued to Selkirk. That spur line no longer exists.
I haven't really featured any of the caches that are located in town. With so many, how do I pick one? With two located at the fair grounds (GC3XADK), one of those is actually inside the grounds (GC3XADD) and access is limited (it was the last cache I needed to find and I got it during the power toboggan races). Another cache is located at the Beausejour Daylily Gardens (GC264AV). Beausejour is the winner of the 5 Blooms Award and the Daylily Gardens is a must stop when you arrive off of Highway #44 to the North in the Summer.
Last year (2017), Beausejour was selected to display the Flags of Remembrance. Each flag represented one thousand men and women that didn't make it home from the various wars and conflicts around the world. The flags and poles came down after Remembrance Day (November 11) and never returned. These flags were across the road from the Daylily Gardens.
This week I'm pointing the spotlight at a town that I called home for seven months; Beausejour. Beausejour is located 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) Northeast from Winnipeg, or about a 47 minute drive, with a population of just over three thousand residents. The town name is French, meaning "nice stay". How it came to be known as such varies with the most suggested saying it was given by the railway officials who found high, dry ground compared to low-lying, wetter areas surrounding the area. Originally, the area was called "Stoney Prairie", and then renamed "Burgoyne Station". It was in 1877 that the area became known as Beausejour. It was incorporated as a village in 1908 and a town in 1912.
One of the primary employers at the time was the Manitoba Glass Works. It was the first glass container factory in Western Canada. Manitoba Glass Works opened in 1906 and was incorporated in 1907. At it's peak, Manitoba Glass Works employed 350 workers. Glass-blowers were brought in from Poland and the United States. They used silica sand to produce bottles for soft drink companies and breweries in Winnipeg. Production of jars, medicine and ink bottles were added to production with the installment of semi-automated equipment. The factory couldn't compete with the glass manufacturers in Eastern Canada, who had the exclusive license for fully automated machines. A Montreal company purchased the Manitoba Glass Works and relocated the factory to Redcliff, Alberta on an offer of free natural gas and land. The Beausejour location was closed by 1914. Only the foundation remains at the site.
(entrance to Manitoba Glass Works. A walking trail goes past the original site)
(Some of the foundation you'll find at the original site)
As you walk past the factory site, the path continues on and leads you into the Wally Chryplywy Nature Park. Many locals come here for a walk or run, to take their dogs for a walk, bike ride, or in the Winter, cross county ski (there are groomed ski trails taking the place of the walking trails).
(I enjoyed riding my bike on the trail)
At the East end of town, you'll find the Brokenhead-Beausejour Pioneer Village Museum. Open during the summer months, you will find more of Beausejour's history. Some of the buildings that have been relocated to the museum include the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, Canadian Pacific Railway Station, a log house, school house, blacksmith shop and other buildings that are typical of a village museum.
(just follow the sign to the museum)
(a peek inside of the museum village)
Beausejour is home to the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships in the Winter and the Double B Agricultural Festival at the end of Summer, both held at the Beausejour Fairgrounds. Beausejour is known to locals as a "sled town". Snow mobiles or power toboggans are common place in town. It is legal to ride your sled on the town roads at anytime, except on the main thoroughfare, Park Ave.
(waiting for the green flag to drop to start the next race)
(Classic Batmobile)
(my oldest, d-2002, posing with one of the street rods)
Like most small towns during the early nineteen hundreds, the railroad played a significant part with the growth and sustainability of Beausejour. As the Canadian Pacific Railway was expanding slowly Westward, the main line was being built in the direction of Selkirk, Manitoba, 22 kilometers (14 miles) North of Winnipeg. This would have taken the main line through Beausejour. Some convincing by Winnipeg got the CPR to change it's headquarters from Selkirk to Winnipeg. If you look at a map, you'll see to the Southeast of Beausejour how the CPR main line heads Northwest, then makes a turn in direction and heads Southwest to Winnipeg. "The Iron Horse Changes Course" GC4GX8K can be found near where the line changes course. A spur line was later completed that went through Beausejour and continued to Selkirk. That spur line no longer exists.
(a caboose in a park that the locals know as 'Train Whistle Park')
I haven't really featured any of the caches that are located in town. With so many, how do I pick one? With two located at the fair grounds (GC3XADK), one of those is actually inside the grounds (GC3XADD) and access is limited (it was the last cache I needed to find and I got it during the power toboggan races). Another cache is located at the Beausejour Daylily Gardens (GC264AV). Beausejour is the winner of the 5 Blooms Award and the Daylily Gardens is a must stop when you arrive off of Highway #44 to the North in the Summer.
(it doesn't look like much in this picture, but in the summer, the Daylily Garden is worth a stop and walk around)
Last year (2017), Beausejour was selected to display the Flags of Remembrance. Each flag represented one thousand men and women that didn't make it home from the various wars and conflicts around the world. The flags and poles came down after Remembrance Day (November 11) and never returned. These flags were across the road from the Daylily Gardens.
(what the Flags of Remembrance looked like)
In town, beside the liquor mart, is a picture board, showing some of the history in Beausejour. Beside it is a bottle capper from the Manitoba Glass Works factory.
(A Cacher is Born (T1), GC4MWPC is located somewhere in that picture)
(a small piece of history on display in the centre of town)
That is my look at Beausejour, Manitoba. I tried to capture what I could. I'm sure I'll think of something that I forgot to mention after this gets published. Isn't that always the case? I did enjoy my time living there. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to being in a larger city. I loved the commute. Set the cruise control, crank up the tunes and take the time to unwind. Until next week, be safe, have fun, and enjoy.
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