Stonewall, Manitoba


Stonewall is a town in the Canadian province of Manitoba with a population of 4,809 as of the 2016 census. The town is situated approximately north of Winnipeg on PTH 67. It is known for its limestone quarries. The local festival is the Quarry Days which is usually held over three days in August on Main Street. The town is surrounded by the R.M. of Rockwood.

History

When the last ice age retreated, as well as the prairies, escarpments such as Riding Mountain were left behind. In addition to these, smaller elevations were left behind such as Stony Mountain and Stonewall. It is believed that these escarpments were used as look-outs by early hunters approximately 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. These formations were later used as buffalo jumps by the indigenous populations.
Stonewall was founded by Samuel Jacob Jackson in 1878, after he acquired the land the town is built upon in 1875. However, Jackson did not move to Stonewall himself until 1881.
In the early 1880s, the quarry opened with the focus of their operation being the production of quicklime. During the peak times of the quarry, large amounts of dynamite was used for blasting the rock. The dynamite was kept in the powder magazine which has since been rebuilt near the entrance to Stonewall Quarry Park.
On June 30, 1880, the CPR railway line between Winnipeg and Victoria Junction, east of Stonewall, was completed. The construction of the line continued west passing through Stonewall, Hanlan and Meadow Lea before turning south-west towards Portage la Prairie during the summer of 1880. The transcontinental line was originally planned to pass through Selkirk, but was actually built through Winnipeg following heavy lobbying from the city. The line west of Stonewall was therefore rebuilt through Rosser. The line north-west from Stonewall was subsequently extended through Teulon, Komarno before eventually reaching Arborg in 1910. In 2008, the RM of Rockwood decided that there was no purpose left with the line. With the city of Winnipeg's help the line was taken out.
The present town hall was built in 1912 using local limestone.
Following the closure of the quarry, Kinsmen Lake was developed on the site and opened to the public on August 10, 1956. The lake has become a popular location for locals and visitors to the town. In 1983, the town council initiated a project to develop the former quarry site around Kinsmen Lake into a historical site and natural area.

Education

Stonewall is situated in the Interlake school division and is served by three schools:

Municipal

Stonewall is represented by a Head of Council, a Deputy Mayor and three councillors. The current incumbents of the positions are:
The percentage of voter turnout was 33.34% for the Municipal election held on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. The turnout was higher in the 2018 Municipal election with a turnout in the Mayoral votes estimated at 41.8%.

Provincial

Stonewall is located in the Riding of Lakeside of Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and is currently represented by Ralph Eichler of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba.

Federal

Stonewall is located in the Selkirk—Interlake electoral district which returns one Member of Parliament who currently is James Bezan of the Conservative Party of Canada.
The Winnipeg-Interlake division of the Senate is represented by Janis Johnson who was appointed by Brian Mulroney and who is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Climate

Stonewall experiences a humid continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold winters

Sports

Stonewall is home to the Stonewall Jets of the MMJHL and the Stonewall Rams of the WHSHL.
Stonewall has two Hockey rinks: the Stonewall Arena and the Veterans Memorial Sports Complex. The only curling rink is the Sunova Credit Union Curling Rink.
Stonewall has a senior baseball team named the Stonewall Blue Jays.

Attractions

Stonewall Quarry Park

The Stonewall Quarry Park has been maintained as a natural area on the edge of town and provides picnic facilities and walking trails for visitors and residents alike. The nine baseball diamonds are available for hire and have been used for the Blue Jays Cups in 1997 and 1998, the Pan Am Games in 1999 and the Western Canada Summer Games in 2003. There is also a campsite and swimming available in Kinsmen Lake. Stonewall Quarry Park also displays the many aspects of limestone production. There was a museum and visitor centre, however these were destroyed by fire in the early hours of November 11, 2007. The new interpretive centre was opened in fall 2011.

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre

Interpretive Centre is a restored prairie marsh featuring artesian springs, aspen-oak bluff, waterfowl lure crop, tall-grass prairie and of trails. The marsh is home to mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates. During the migration season, the number of waterfowl using the marsh can exceed 400,000 a day.

The Stonewall Post Office

The Stonewall Post Office is an example of the prairie style of architecture which was popular between late 19th and early 20th century. It was built in 1914 using local limestone and used as a post office until 1979. The Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association was founded at the previous Stonewall post office in 1902.

Notable people