View source for Boissevain, Manitoba

{{Infobox settlement
|official_name          = Boissevain
|settlement_type        = [[List of population centres in Manitoba|Population centre]]
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|image_skyline          = Boissevain montage.jpg
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|image_caption          = Clockwise from upper left St. Paul's United Church, Tommy the Turtle Statue, and the former Boissevain Post Office in the town centre
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|pushpin_map            = Canada Manitoba
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|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Manitoba
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = [[Canada]]
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Manitoba]]
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|area_metro_km2         = 2.54
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|population_as_of       = 2021
|population_footnotes   = <ref>{{cite web |title=2021 Boissevain census profile |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Boissevain&DGUIDlist=2021S05100078&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |website=[[Census Canada]] |access-date=August 21, 2022}}</ref>
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|population_total       = 1,567
|population_density_km2 = 618.1
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|timezone               = [[Central Standard Time|CST]]
|utc_offset             = −5
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'''Boissevain''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɔɪ|z|ə|v|eɪ|n}})<ref>{{Citation| author = The Canadian Press| author-link = The Canadian Press| title = The Canadian Press Stylebook| place = Toronto| publisher = [[The Canadian Press]]| edition = 18th| year = 2017}}</ref> is an unincorporated urban community in [[Manitoba]] near the [[North Dakota]] border that held town status prior to 2015. It is located within the [[Municipality of Boissevain – Morton]]. Boissevain is a community of just over 1,500 people and it is located between [[Killarney, Manitoba|Killarney]] and [[Deloraine, Manitoba|Deloraine]] on the east and west and [[Brandon, Manitoba|Brandon]] to the north.  The population of the surrounding area, within a 50 kilometre radius of the community, is about 15,000.<ref name="BoissevainPopulation">[http://www.boissevain.ca/bsvn_profile/population.html Boissevain Population] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213105446/http://www.boissevain.ca/bsvn_profile/population.html |date=February 13, 2008 }} (accessed December 7, 2007)</ref>

It is notable for its proximity to the [[International Peace Garden]], a short drive south on [[Manitoba Highway 10|Highway 10]].  The community also displays a number of wall [[mural]]s as a tourist attraction.  The community was named after [[Adolphe Boissevain]], who helped finance the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]. Boissevain, not far from [[Turtle Mountain (plateau)|Turtle Mountain]] and [[Turtle Mountain Provincial Park]], also formerly hosted the "International Turtle Derby", a [[turtle race]], each summer.  "Tommy the Turtle" is a 28-foot-tall, 10,000-lb [[western painted turtle]] that serves as an icon for both the Turtle Derby and the community as a whole.<ref name=Raynor>{{cite news|last=Raynor |first=Paul |title=Celebration coins minted and ready |url=http://www.boissevainrecorder.mb.ca/placed%20news/17dec05.htm |access-date=2011-01-28 |newspaper=Boissevain Recorder |date=2005-12-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213230632/http://www.boissevainrecorder.mb.ca/placed%20news/17dec05.htm |archive-date=2006-02-13 }}</ref>

==Etymology==
The community was originally named Cherry Creek in 1881, the post office was opened in the town in 1886 and was named after [[Adolphe Boissevain]], senior member of the firm Boissevain and Company who introduced [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] shares for sale in Europe.<ref name=namesofmb>{{cite book |title=Geographical Names of Manitoba |url= https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/pubs/forest_lands/cdgnm.pdf |publisher= [[Government of Manitoba]] |page=67 |date=2002 |access-date=February 1, 2024}}</ref> The community's school district was originally named Nimitau in 1886 when it was founded, but the name changed to Boissevain in 1894.<ref name=namesofmb/>

==History==
Work began along the anticipated route of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] in 1874, surveyors were impressed with the Turtle Mountain region and noted it would become a chief point of settlement in the coming years.<ref name=historytour>{{cite web |title= Manitoba History: Historical Tour - Boissevain, Manitoba |url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/20/boissevain.shtml |publisher=[[Manitoba Historical Society]] |access-date=2016-05-11}}</ref> The site of the town of Boissevain was decided by the CPR in 1885. By 1886 there was a blacksmith shop, a post office and two grain warehouses. 

As pioneer life transitioned to the comforts of a growing town, many new buildings, schools and churches were built. One of the prominent buildings constructed was the St. Matthew's Anglican Church, built with granite walls found in the local fields.<ref name=historytour/> [[Sandstone]] was also discovered nearby by the earlier surveyors. The sandstone was used to construct another place of worship and local landmark, the St. Paul's United Church which was completed in 1893.<ref name=historytour/>

Like many towns in the west, Boissevain's prosperity came with the railway, in this case the CPR line was the first to arrive in 1885. Three other additional railways in the area, including the [[Great Northern Railway of Canada|Great Northern Railway]] through the railway's subsidiary organized under the name of the ''"Brandon, Saskatchewan and Hudson Bay Railway"'', which meant that farmers could now ship their goods to the [[United States]] in the south while also having a link with Brandon to the north.<ref name=historytour/> The railways began to decline during [[The Great Depression]] and with it the fortunes of Boissevain. The Great Northern line ended service in 1936.<ref name=historytour/>

== Demographics ==
In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Boissevain had a population of 1,577 living in 700 of its 736 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:1577-1656}}|1656|1}} from its 2016 population of 1,656. With a land area of {{cvt|2.9|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|1577|2.9|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=9810001201 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=Sep 3, 2022}}</ref>

== Education ==
Boissevain School was nominated as one of Canada's 30 best schools by ''[[Maclean's Magazine]]'' in 2005.<ref name=150facts>{{cite news |title=150 Facts about Boissevain |author=Paul Rayner |url=https://therecorder.ca/images/eeditions/bre_20170630_lookingback.pdf |website=The Boissevain Recorder |date=June 30, 2017 |access-date=2020-12-22}}</ref>

== Media ==
[[CJRB]] (1220 AM) broadcasts an easy listening format from Boissevain. The station is owned by [[Golden West Broadcasting]].

==Sports==
[[Curling]] has been a competitive sport in Boissevain since 1890.<ref name=150facts/> The Boissevain Border Kings compete in the South West Hockey League in Manitoba. The Border Kings did not win a championship for 35 years but then wound up winning six straight championships in 1993.<ref name=150facts/> In baseball, the Boissevain Bantams won the provincial championship in 1977.<ref name=150facts/> Currently, the Boissevain Broncos high school sports program includes several teams competing in football, baseball, and hockey.

==Notable people==
*[[John A. Campbell (Manitoba politician)|John A. Campbell]], politician
*[[Bill Crump]], Anglican bishop
*[[Edward Dow]], politician
*[[Betty Fox]], mother of [[Terry Fox]]
*[[David R. Henderson]], economist
*[[John Hettle]], politician
*[[Zoe Hicks]], softball and baseball player
*[[James Johnson (Manitoba politician)|James Johnson]], politician
*[[Reuben Martin]], politician
*[[George William McDonald]], politician
*[[Norah Michener]], philosopher
*[[Randy Neufeld]], curler
*[[Rick Neufeld]], musician
*[[Frederick Laurence Schaffner]], politician
*Jim and Ruth Deacove, [[Family Pastimes]] founders.

==See also==
* [[International Peace Garden Border Crossing]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Boissevain}}
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121119171036/http://www.boissevain.ca/ Boissevain community website]
* [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=POPC&Code1=0078&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 Stats Canada - Census Profile]
* [http://geodepot.statcan.ca/GeoSearch2006/GeoSearch2006.jsp?resolution=H&lang=E&otherLang=F&census=Yes&DisplayData=Yes&NewImage=yes&layer=csd&IdentName=Boissevain%20(T)&IdentUID=4605033 Map of Boissevain at Statcan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918031947/http://geodepot.statcan.ca/GeoSearch2006/GeoSearch2006.jsp?resolution=H&lang=E&otherLang=F&census=Yes&DisplayData=Yes&NewImage=yes&layer=csd&IdentName=Boissevain%20(T)&IdentUID=4605033 |date=2012-09-18 }}

{{Adjacent communities|
North=[[Brandon, Manitoba|Brandon]]|
Northeast=[[Glenboro, Manitoba|Glenboro]]|
Northwest=[[Souris, Manitoba|Souris]]<br />[[Hartney, Manitoba|Hartney]] |
West=[[Deloraine, Manitoba|Deloraine]]|
Center=Boissevain|
East=[[Killarney, Manitoba|Killarney]]|
South=[[Turtle Mountain Provincial Park]]|
Southeast=[[Holmfield, Manitoba|Holmfield]]|
Southwest=[[Goodlands, Manitoba|Goodlands]]}}

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{{Manitoba}}
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[[Category:Former towns in Manitoba]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:2015 disestablishments in Manitoba]]