MANITOBA, the prairie province of the Dominion, created in 1870, the nucleus of which was the Red River settlement about Fort Garry, founded by Lord Selkirk. The province has an area of 73,956 square miles (or 41,169,098 acres), of which a little over 6,019,000 acres are water surface; with a population in 1901, of 255,211. The population to-day (1906), is 365,688. It is bounded in the south by United States territory (the State of North Dakota), on the north and north-east by the district of Keewatin, on the west by the Province of Saskatchewan, and on the south-east by the Rainy River (or Lake of the Woods) district of north-western Ontario. The province is fast being ramified with railways, which include, besides the Canadian Pacific main line and branches, the Canadian Northern, the Great Northern (which enters the province from the south), and the projected Trans-continental line of the Grand Trunk RR. The name Manitoba, taken from a large lake, a part of which lies in the province, is a contraction made by the old French Canadian voyaqcurs of the Cree word Manitowaban. Manito signifies supernatural, divine spirit: and waban means a strait. As the waters of a strait in that lake are agitated in an unusual way, the Indians believed formerly there was therein something supernatural, a spirit that Moved them, and so they called the lake Manitowaban. At one time in the glacial age, an enormous Lake occupied the entire province and parts of adjoining territory, and the present lake system is a relic of this “Glacial Lake Agassiz.” The climate of Manitoba, though severe in winter, is nevertheless occasionally hot in summer. The lowest mean winter temperature of any station in Manitooa is 2.4° below zero, the lowest summer mean is 55.8° above zero. Though the winter is coll, it is mitigated by a clear, dry atmosphere, and a population.

More healthy than Manitobans cannot be met anywhere. The province is entirely level, so much so that it is void of any notable scenery. The principal rivers are the Assiniboine, 480 miles long, and Red River, 665 miles long, 525 of which are in the United States. The largest lakes (only a part of which, however, are in Manitoba) are Winnipeg, 280 miles long and 5 to 57 miles wide (area in the province acres); Manitoba, 110 miles long and 25 wide (area, 1,163,000 acres); and Winnipegosis (area in the province, 836,000 acres). This section of the Dominion was first visited by the French. Chevalier de la Verandrye built a fort at the mouth of the Assiniboine in 1731. The French continued to trade there alone for many years, but in 1767 the first English traders visited it, and soon several rival companies were in operation. These finally united into the famous North West Company, which amalgamated with the Hudson Bay Company, chartered by King Charles II. In 1670. The latter company having sold a tract of land to the Hon. Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk, on both sides of the Assiniboine and of the Red River, his lordship planted there, in 1812, a colony known by the name of the Selkirk Settlement, Red River Settlement, or also Assiniboia. In 1636, the Hudson Bay Company repurchased from the heirs of Lord Selkirk the same tract of land ceded to his lordship in 1811, and continued to exercise authority over that portion of Rupert's Land by the appointment of the Governor and Council of Assiniboia, which, in course of time, especially after the settlers had declared independence of trade in 1849, formed a rather independent administration for the local affairs in the colony, the limits of which extended but fifty miles around Fort Garry. It is that colony that now forms the greatest part of the present province of Manitoba. The Hudson Bay Company never claimed any proprietary rights in the North West Territories proper. These territories formerly included nothing but the lands east of the Rocky Mountains, watered by the rivers running towards the Arctic Sea. The Charter of the Company merely included Rupert's Land, i.e., the lands watered by the tributaries of Hudson Bay. These two immense portions of country outside of the province of Manitoba are now chiefly embraced in the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and the district of Keewatin. In March, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company agreed to transfer to the Imperial Government their territorial rights and government responsibilities, and on the 16th of July, 1870, England handed the whole to the Canadian government, the Company receiving (therefor an indemnity of $3,000,000. It was during that period that the Bed River troubles took place. The transactions between England and Canada, as well as the Hudson Bay Company, having been made without consulting and even paying any attention to the government and people of Assiniboia, a deep feeling of uneasiness arose, and the Canadian authorities coming into the country before the transfer, met resistance. In the meantime a provisional government was formed by (the settlers to secure their rights and come to an agreement with the Dominion of Canada, delegates were sent to Ottawa for that purpose and treated with the proper authorities. England urged the Ottawa Government to satisfy the people of Red River. Then the Bill of Manitoba and other guarantees were agreed to, and thereby the entry of Manitoba into the Confederation was effected. The first missionary known as having visited the country is the Rev. Pere Messager, who accompanied Chevalier de la Verandrye in 1731. At the time of the Conquest the Catholic missions were abandoned; they were resumed in 1818 by the Revs. J. N. Provencher and S. J. N. Dumoulin, from Quebec. The Rev. J. N. Provencher was consecrated Bishop of Juliopolis in 1822, and afterwards nominated Bishop of St. Boniface. That see was created an Archbishopric in 1871. A Church of England bishopric was created in 1848. Rev. David Anderson was the first Bishop of Rupert's Land. In 1885 another rebellion broke out in the Northwest, again headed by Louis Riel, and Winnipeg was soon the centre of military movements. The outbreak was easily quelled with few fatalities, and Riel suffered death upon the scaffold.

Manitoba has 30 million acres of arable land, and, so far, but one-sixth is under cultivation. In 1870, when the province entered the Confederation, its agricultural production found no place in the records. To-day (1906) its acreage in crop is close upon 5,000,000 acres. In 1905, the wheat yield from 2,643,588 acres was 55,761,416 bush., or an average of 21.07 per acre. The oats yield, in the same year, from 1,031,239 acres, totalled 45,484,025 harvest bushels, or 42.06 to the acre. The barley crop, from 432,298 acres, was 14,064,025 bushels, or 31.02 to the acre. The yield in flax, rye and peas was also large; while the yield, in 1903, of potatoes from 27,198 acres was 4,757,000 bushels, or 175 bushels to the acre. The yield in the same year (1903) of other root crops, from 282 acres, was 3,452,342 bushels, or an average of 282 bushels to the acre. The Province's dairy product for the year 1905 was valued at $896,937, the cheese output being in value $127,346, while the butter product yielded $769,591. The agricultural capabilities of the soil of the Province, it will be seen, can hardly be exceeded. The most part of the province is prairie land, perfectly level and diversified by groups of elm, ash, oak, poplar, basswood, and ashleaf, maple (negondo jrosi ni folia). It is a rich, black mould resting partly on a limestone formation and partly on a thick coat of hard clay. Manure, not indispensable at first, is as useful here as elsewhere. It has not been used much so far, on account of the large amount of land possessed by each of the inhabitants, which circumstance enables them not to sow the same grain several years running. Wheat ripens in 110 days, and gives an average return of 20 to 25 bushels to the acre. All kinds of garden vegetables, as well as oats, barley, Indian corn, hops, flax, hemp, potatoes, and other root crops are easily raised. The grassy savannas of Red River afford unlimited pasturage ranges, as long as unploughed. The value of the lands, buildings, implements, live stock and other animal and agricultural products of Manitoba, as per the census returns of 1901 (since largely increased) was as follows: Lands, $93,233,535; buildings, $20,049,726; implements and machinery, $12,169,619; horses (182,649), $15,763,463; milch cows, $4,754,974; other horned cattle (369,850 in 1903), $3,944,406; sheep (42,650 in 1903), $144,018; swine (145,650 in 1903), $871,627; poultry, $417,586; field crops, $16,669,321; and dairy products, $2,792,606. In 1904 there were 3,799,569 bushels of potatoes raised in the province and bushels of other roots. In the same year, the farmers sold 87,567 turkeys, 54,618 geese, and 458,238 chickens. New farm buildings to the value of close upon 3 million dollars were erected in 1904, and the province had then 2,466 threshing outfits. In the same year there were 500 joint stock companies doing business in Manitoba, with a total capital of $48,000,000.

Manitoba is divided into ten electoral districts for Dominion elections, viz.: Brandon, Macdonald, Selkirk, Provencher, Lisgar, Marquette, Souris, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg, each of which sends one member to the House of Commons. The province is further represented in the Dominion Parliament by three senators. Winnipeg (lat. 49.53, long. 97.70) is the capital of the province and the seat of the local Legilsature. Its population in 1901 was 42,340; to-day (1906) the city's population has doubled, being now 90,216. The other chief towns are Brandon (population 10,500); Portage la Prairie (pop. 11,985); Dauphin (pop. 1,671), Neepawa (pop. 1,895), Souris (pop. 1,413), Morden (pop. 1,438), Minnedosa (pop. 1,300), Carman (pop. 1,530), Killarney (pop. 1,117). Stonewall (pop. 1,074), Gladstone (pop. 828), Manitou (pop. 716), Gretna (pop. 646), and Pilot Mound (pop. 580). In 1901, the rural population of the entire province was 707,227, the urban, 47,984. The public affairs of the province are administered by a Lieutenant Governor, an Executive Council of 5 members, and a Legislative Assembly of 40 members, elected every 4 years. Justice is dispensed by a Chief Justice and three puisne judges. There are 10 chief religious denominations in Manitoba. The Roman Catholics have 35, 672 adherents. The Episcopalians have 44,922 communicants. The Presbyterians have 65,348; the Methodists, 49,936 and the Baptists, 9,148 adherents, while the Lutherans have 16,542, the Congregationalists 1,884; the Jews, 1,497; the Mennonites, 15,246; the Greek church, 7,899, and the Salvation Army, 745. There are two bishops in the province: the Archbishop of St. Boniface (Roman Catholic), residing in St. Boniface, east side of the Red River, facing Winnipeg and Fort Garry; and the Metropolitan Bishop of Rupert's Land (Church of England), residing at St. John, below Winnipeg, west side of the Red River. The province is well provided with educational institutions. In 1904, it had 1,669 schools, with 2,218 teachers and 58,547 pupils out of a total school population of 68,157. Collegiate Institutes for more advanced education are attached to the public schools at Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Brandon, the attendance for 1904 being 905, 294 and 296 respectively. At Winnipeg there is also a Normal school for the training of teachers. Besides these schools the province has at Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, St. John's College, St. Boniface College and Wesley College, together with 9 general hospitals, several orphanages, a Woman's Home, a House for Incurables, a Deaf and Dumb Institution, a Salvation Army Rescue Home, and B Asylums for the Insane, besides industrial schools and schools for Indians. The population of the province, by electoral districts in 1901 and 1906, was as follows:

Brandon: 39,805; 34,365

Dauphin: 34,256

Lisgar: 44,952; 24,995

Macdonald: 37,071; 28,276

Marquette: 34,075; 28,435

Portage la Prairie: 27,292

Provencher: 24,862; 33,498

Selkirk: 32,006; 34,991

Souris: 29,427

Winnipeg: 42,340; 90,153