Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier

The Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada, lying west-northwest of Winnipeg. It is part of the Central Plains Region as well as the Winnipeg Metro Region. It had a population of 1,411 in the 2016 census.

This article is about the municipality in Manitoba, Canada. For the community located in the municipality, see St. François Xavier, Manitoba.
St. François Xavier
Rural municipality
Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier
The statue of the White Horse describing the legend and the meaning behind the name White Horse Plains.
St. François Xavier
Location of St. François Xavier in Manitoba
Coordinates: 49°59′25″N 97°40′20″W
Country Canada
Province Manitoba
RegionCentral Plains and Winnipeg Metro
First settled1824
Incorporated as a municipalityFebruary 14, 1880 (1880-02-14)
Founded byCuthbert Grant
Named forSt François-Xavier
Government
 • TypeReeve–council
 • ReeveRick Van Wyk[1]
Area
 • Land204.56 km2 (78.98 sq mi)
 • Metro
5,306.79 km2 (2,048.96 sq mi)
Elevation
242 m (794 ft)
Population
 (2016 Census)[2]
 • Rural municipality1,411
 • Density6.9/km2 (18/sq mi)
 • Metro
778,489
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Websiterm-stfrancois.mb.ca

It is home to the community of the same name, the second oldest settlement in Manitoba.[3]

History

The area around current-day St. François, commonly known as White Horse Plain (named after a local legend; French: La Prairie du Cheval Blanc), was inhabited by First Nations peoples such as the Cree and Sioux.[4] Around 1824, Métis leader Cuthbert Grant received a land grant on White Horse Plain and founded a settlement. He was soon joined by a number of Métis families. The settlement was originally called Grantown.[4][5]

In 1828, the Parish of St. François Xavier (named for St. François-Xavier) was established at White Horse Plain by priests from the mission at Saint-Boniface as the second parish in the North West. The Grantown settlement subsequently took its name from the parish, and St. François Xavier became a municipality in 1880.[5]

The focal point for the municipality was the community of St. François Xavier, which was established in 1824 by Reverend Father Boucher.

The present St. Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Church was designed by former St. Francois Xavier architect Joseph-Azarie Senecal.

The Grey Nuns also had an educational and religious presence in the area for 118 years, ending their involvement in 1968 after their nunnery fell in disrepair.[4]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Council & Administration". Rural Municipality of St. Francois Xavier. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. "Population data for Hanover". Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  3. "Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier | Visiting". www.rm-stfrancois.mb.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  4. "Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier | About". www.rm-stfrancois.mb.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  5. Morton, William. "Memorable Manitobans: Cuthbert James Grant (1793-1854)", Manitoba Historical Society
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