Carberry | |
|---|---|
| Town of Carberry | |
 Main Street in Carberry, 2007 | |
 Town boundaries | |
  Carberry Location in Manitoba | |
| Coordinates:49°52′08″N99°21′34″W / 49.86889°N 99.35944°W /49.86889; -99.35944 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Region | Westman |
| Incorporated | 1882 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ray Muirhead |
| • MLAAgassiz | Jodie Byram(PC) |
| • MPBrandon-Souris | Grant Jackson(CON) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.80 km2 (1.85 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 409 m (1,342 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,818 |
| • Density | 379/km2 (981/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central (CDT)) |
| Postal code | |
| Area code | 204 |
| Website | townofcarberry |
Carberry is a town inWestman Region ofManitoba, Canada. It is situated 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of theTrans-Canada Highway onHighway 5 in theMunicipality of North Cypress – Langford, and has a population of 1,818 people.[1]
In the late 1760s, a small fur trading post called Pine Fort was established by independentfur traders fromMontreal, south of Carberry's present site in what is nowSpruce Woods Provincial Park along theAssiniboine River. At that time, a diverse group ofNative peoples were travelling through the area and harvesting rich crops of beaver and other furs. Early fur trade accounts indicate that theSioux from the south, residentCree andAssiniboine, and eastern groups such asSaulteaux,Ottawa and variousOjibwa bands were all trading or hunting in the area. Pine Fort was later taken over by theNorth West Company, and was eventually abandoned in 1811.
Native peoples continued to pass through or reside in the Carberry area and did so until the late 1870s when European settlement began to affect the landscape andgame resources. The Native population in the area was eventually settled ontoreserves according totreaty provisions with theFederal Government of Canada.
Carberry was founded in 1882. It was originally settled primarily by settlers fromEastern Canada ofBritish origin, and was named after theCarberry Tower located nearMusselburgh, Scotland.[2] In 1905, Carberry was incorporated as a town.[3]
As is the case with most towns in the southern districts ofWestern Canada, Carberry owes its origin mainly to theCanadian Pacific Railway. In 1882, the railway established a station at De Winton, a now defunct town-site about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) east of Carberry's present site. Several railway officials covertly purchased much of De Winton's town-site property, hoping for large personal profits as a town grew around this new station. This kind of speculation was strictly against the CPR's company rules, and on discovering the violation, the company decided to have the newly built station moved in one piece to the present site of the town of Carberry, and specially hired 100 men for the job. This extensive operation was conducted secretly in the middle of the night and was completed in less than 12 hours.[2] When the station reached its new location, the town of Carberry was born. Carberry quickly grew into a prosperous town and was an important stop along the CPR. The CPR main line route runs through Carberry to this day; however, the passenger train station has since been removed.
TheTrans Canada Highway, another major national transportation route, originally passed directly through the town of Carberry, and remained that way until the late 1950s when the route was changed to allow the road to be upgraded to a 4-lane divided high-speed highway. Many businesses were established in Carberry to service the heavy traffic on that original highway, many of which still exist. Today the Trans Canada Highway passes 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Carberry, and the older route directly through town isProvincial Road 351 (known as 1st Avenue inside the town limits).
On June 15, 2023,a serious vehicle collision between ahandi-transit bus and asemi-truck occurred on the Trans Canada Highway near Carberry, killing 17 people and injuring 8 others.[4]
In 1909, amilitary training camp named "Camp Sewell" was established 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Carberry along what is now PR 351 on the south side of theCanadian Pacific Railway line. The name of the camp was changed in 1915 to "Camp Hughes" in honour of Major-General SirSam Hughes, Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence at the time.[5] The soldiers and support staff stationed at Camp Hughes naturally maintained very close social and economic ties with the town of Carberry which was only a short distance away. Extensive trench systems, grenade and rifle ranges, and military structures were built at Camp Hughes between 1915 and 1916, and a variety of retail stores and entertainment complexes on a double-avenued area close to the main camp formed a lively commercial midway. DuringWorld War I, more than 38,000 troops of theCanadian Expeditionary Force trained at the camp, giving it the largest population in the province ofManitoba outside of the capital city,Winnipeg. Many of the soldiers who were trained at the camp were involved in the infamousBattle of Vimy Ridge.[6] Themilitary continued to train soldiers atCamp Hughes until 1934, when troops were moved toCFB Shilo andCFB Winnipeg for financial and logistical reasons.[7] Camp Hughes has been designated as a Provincial Heritage Site, and although the site is no longer active, it is still monitored by theCanadian Department of National Defense.
There is a roadside park named "Camp Hughes Wayside Park" located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of Carberry on theTrans Canada Highway near the west intersection with PR 351, a short distance north of the actual Camp Hughes site, named in honour of the military camp.
In December 1940, troops of theRoyal Air Force arrived in Carberry and established the Service Flying Training School Number 33 (known asRCAF Station Carberry) just south of the town, to train military pilots as part of the vastBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Thousands of military personnel from the United Kingdom, Canada and otherCommonwealth countries were moved to Carberry for flight training. The flight training school was shut down at the end ofWorld War II, and aMcCain Foods processing facility is now on that site.
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Carberry had a population of 1,818 living in 794 of its 847 total private dwellings, a change of4.6% from its 2016 population of 1,738. With a land area of 4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi), it had a population density of378.8/km2 (981.0/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
Carberry and the surrounding rural area have been called "King Spud Country", anickname based on the high qualitypotatoes grown in the area, with its ideal soil conditions for the crop. Many businesses in Carberry offer services and supplies to support the robust agriculture industry. Food processing makes use of locally produced crops and is a major employer in the community. A local factory owned byMcCain Foods makes various potato products, and is a major supplier forMcDonald's Restaurants in Canada and the United States as well as for other restaurants and grocery stores, including in other areas of the world. It is one of the most advanced potato-processing facilities in North America and normally operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[8]
The local agriculture industry is very diverse; besides potatoes there are othervegetables,grain,pulse, andindustrial hemp crops as well asdairy,poultry, andlivestock, among other mixed farming.[9]
Carberry's population increased by 4.1% between 2011 and 2016,[10] due in part to the community's strong, stable economy, along with other factors including its location near major transportation routes and the city ofBrandon.
Carberry's proximity toSpruce Woods Provincial Park and the many unique recreational activities in the area make it a popular tourist destination. Many businesses and services cater to tourists both on a seasonal and year-round basis.
The Town of Carberry is located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of theTrans Canada Highway onHighway 5, 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Brandon, and 150 kilometres (93 mi) west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg. The nearest 24-hourCanada-U.S.A. land border crossing is located 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Carberry at Boissevain onHighway 10.
The town is situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Spruce Woods Provincial Park, which is also located on Highway 5, designated in Manitoba as the Parks Route.
TheBrandon Municipal Airport is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) west of Carberry. The Brandon Air Shuttle provides passenger service on request between Carberry and theWinnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.
Both theCanadian Pacific Railway main line route and aCanadian National Railway branch line route run directly through Carberry.Via Rail passenger service is not offered in Carberry, however trains on theToronto to Vancouver "The Canadian" Line can be accessed at theRivers railway station located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of the community, while theWinnipeg – Churchill train as well asThe Canadian can be accessed at thePortage la Prairie railway station located approximately 80 kilometres east of the community.
Carberry is home to the Carberry News-Express weekly newspaper[11] and a local cable access television station,WCG Community Access Channel.
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49°52′08″N99°21′34″W / 49.86889°N 99.35944°W /49.86889; -99.35944
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