St. François Xavier, Manitoba Explained

St. François Xavier
Pushpin Map:Canada Manitoba
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of St. François Xavier in Manitoba
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Central Plains and Winnipeg Metro
Subdivision Type3:Census Division
Subdivision Name3:No. 10
Subdivision Type4:Municipality
Subdivision Name4:RM of St. François Xavier
Leader Title1:Governing Body
Leader Title2:MP
Leader Title3:MLA
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1824
Established Title2:Post office established
Established Date2:1871
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Land Km2:3.38
Population Total:662
Population Footnotes:[1] [2]
Population Density Km2:195.8
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:−6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:−5
Coordinates:49.9128°N -97.5417°W
Postal Code Type:Forward sortation area
Postal Code:R4L
Area Code:204
Blank1 Name:NTS Map
Blank2 Name:GNBC Code
Settlement Type:Unincorporated urban centre
Population As Of:2016

St. François Xavier is an unincorporated urban centre located in the Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier, Manitoba, Canada. It is located about 15 km west of the city of Winnipeg on the Assiniboine River.

Settled around 1824 as Grantown, it is the second oldest settlement in Manitoba.[3]

History

The area of current-day St. François Xavier, commonly known as White Horse Plains (La Prairie du Cheval Blanc), was home to several distinct First Nations, such as the Cree and the Dakota. The lands in the area supported numerous buffalo and other game animals.[4]

Around 1824, Cuthbert Grant, who had recently led the Métis in the Battle of Seven Oaks, arrived in the area and was soon joined by many Métis families. The settlement was thereby founded, and named Grantown after Grant.[5]

The Métis have since had a noticeable role in the municipality and throughout the province.

In 1851, Father Louis-François Richer Laflèche accompanied the Métis buffalo hunters from the Parish of St. François Xavier on one of their annual hunts on the prairies. The hunting group, led by Jean Baptiste Falcon, son of Pierre Falcon (a Métis songwriter),[6] was made up of 67 men, a number of women who came to prepare the meat, some small children and 200 carts. In North Dakota they encountered a band of Sioux. Laflèche dressed only in a black cassock, white surplice, and stole, directed with the camp commander Jean Baptiste Falcon a miraculous defence against 2,000 Sioux combatants, using a crucifix at the Battle of Grand Coteau in North Dakota. After a siege of two days (July 13 and 14), the Sioux withdrew, convinced that the Great Spirit protected the Métis.[7] [8]

The St. François-Xavier post office was opened in 1871 and closed in 1975.[9]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, St. Francois Xavier had a population of 845 living in 272 of its 278 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 662. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[10]

Notable people

Notable people buried at the St. Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery include:[11]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=DPL&Code1=460091&Geo2=PR&Code2=46&SearchText=St.%20Francois%20Xavier&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=460091&TABID=1&type=0 St. Francois Xavier, Unincorporated urban centre, Manitoba and Manitoba | Census Profile, 2016 Census
  2. Web site: Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses . . 2014-04-28 . 2014-08-02.
  3. Web site: Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier Visiting. 2021-08-13. www.rm-stfrancois.mb.ca.
  4. Web site: Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier About. 2019-09-26. www.rm-stfrancois.mb.ca.
  5. Web site: Memorable Manitobans: Cuthbert James Grant (1793-1854). Manitoba Historical Society by William Morton. 2014-04-27.
  6. Web site: Barkwell. Lawrence J.. Jean Baptiste "Che-ma-na" Falcon. (b.1826). 2014-01-05.
  7. Web site: The Battle at the Grand Coteau: July 13 and 14, 1851. Manitoba Historical Society by William Morton. 2013-10-04.
  8. Web site: Battle of Grand Coteau: Letter by Father Lafleche. Published by Lawrence J. Barkwell. 2013-10-04.
  9. Web site: National Archives. Archivia Net. Post Offices and Postmasters (St. François-Xavier). 2013-04-27.
  10. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places . . February 9, 2022 . Sep 3, 2022.
  11. Web site: Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery (St. Francois Xavier, RM of St. Francois Xavier). 2019-11-23. www.mhs.mb.ca.