Elkhorn is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in the Rural Municipality of Wallace – Woodworth within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. It was originally incorporated as a village on January 2, 1906. Elkhorn is located approximately west of Brandon.
History The community was first settled when the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1882. In the CPR survey Elkhorn is located at mile sixty-four west of Brandon, in what was known as the Broadview subdivision.Elkhorn and District Historical Society. Steel and Grass Roots: History of Elkhorn 1882-1982. Altona: Friesen Printers, 1982. The Post Office Department appointed John McLeod, one of the district's first settlers, to be the community's first post master and the post office opened December 1, 1883. A board of trade was organized in April 1899 and lobbied for further settlement in the community and surrounding municipality, better infrastructure, and improvement of commerce. It was responsible for the establishment of the first fire brigade in 1901, which became the responsibility of the Village of Elkhorn when it incorporated in 1906. In 1948 the board was reorganized and renamed the Elkhorn and District Chamber of Commerce.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Elkhorn had a population of 455 living in 205 of its 229 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 479. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Education The first settlers in the district came from well established communities in Eastern Canada or Britain and quickly recognized the necessity of public education. The community opened the first school February 5, 1885 as School District 366. The population rapidly outgrew the facility and the community sold it in 1892. The building still stands as a private residence. A larger school built of field stone was completed in 1895 and all subsequent schools have been built on the same grounds.
The growing population continued to require more space and an even larger brick school was built in 1910. Eventually even this new school had to split its auditorium into two classrooms and create a third additional room in the basement. Only elementary school was taught in the building after a collegiate was opened in 1959. Elkhorn School District 366 was absorbed into the Fort La Bosse School Division November 10, 1971. The institution again changed appearance in 1976 when the brick school was demolished and a new elementary wing and gymnasium were added to the collegiate.
Today the school is home to approximately 170 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum The Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum was Established to house an Impressive private Collection of Antique Car in Manitoba. It now houses A wide Variety of Artifacts and Documents That are integral to history of the Community, As well as an Array of early Farm machinery's and implement.
The museum owes its existence to the tireless efforts of a local farmer, Isaac Clarkson. In 1946 he purchased and restored a 1909 Hupmobile that he had been fascinated with in his youth."Isaac Clarkson," Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum, http://mbautomuseum.com/Tribute.htm . He continued to acquire and restore vehicles at his farm for the next several years. Abhorring the idea that the collection should be split up or leave the province Clarkson and other prominent members of the community successfully petitioned the Manitoba Government to establish a museum foundation. March 30, 1961 The Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum Foundation was established by an act of the provincial legislature.The Manitoba Automobile Museum Foundation Incorporation Act. R.S.M. 1990, c. 98 Mr. Clarkson donated his entire collection to the foundation, which at the time numbered some 65 vehicles, 40 of which had been completely restored. The estimated value of the collection in 1961 was $75,000 - $100,000."Lauds Elkhorn Museum," Winnipeg Free Press, March 4, 1961. The community made plans to erect a museum building as a centennial project in October 1964. Contractors completed the building by August 1965 and it was opened to the public in the summer of 1966. The museum was officially opened on the national centennial, July 1, 1967.Marion Sipley, Elkhorn History to 1967, (1967), 40.
The museum is located along the south side of the Trans-Canada Highway and serves as Elkhorn's primary tourist attraction. It is open daily from May to September.
Climate
Government Elkhorn is a former village now administered by the Rural Municipality of Wallace – Woodworth.
Provincial representation Elkhorn is represented by Greg Nesbitt in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as part of the constituency of Riding Mountain.
The constituency was represented by Larry Maguire from 1999 until his resignation on October 18, 2013 to seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the federal constituency of Brandon-Souris. Kevin Tutthill, a former councillor and deputy mayor of the former Village of Elkhorn, sought the Progressive Conservative nomination to replace Maguire, but was defeated by insurance broker Doyle Piwniuk of Virden. On January 28, 2014 Piwniuk won the Arthur-Virden by-election and served as critic for multiculturalism and literacy.
Elkhorn formed all of Voting Area 10 in the 2014 Arthur-Virden by-election with a total of 348 registered voters.
2014 Arthur-Virden By-Election Results - Voting Area 10 Political Party Candidate Votes Percentage Total valid votes95100.00%Electors on the lists348Turnout9527.30%
Federal representation Elkhorn is represented in the Canadian Parliament as part of the riding of Brandon-Souris. The current Member of Parliament is Grant Jackson, whom the constituents first elected in 2025.
In the 2011 federal election, the community had 309 registered voters of which 184 cast ballots. At 59.55%, voter turnout was slightly higher than the constituency level of 57.54%, but lower than the national level of 61.1%.Elections Canada, "Forty-First General Election 2011: Official Voting Results," http://www.elections.ca/scripts/ovr2011/default.html
2011 Canada Election Results - Brandon-Souris - Polling Station 6 Candidate Political Party Votes Percentage Merv Tweed Conservative 140 76.09% John Bouché New Democratic Party 30 16.30% Wes Penner Liberal 11 5.98% Dave Barnes Green 3 1.63%
Media The first publication in Elkhorn was a handwritten news bulletin reproduced on cyclostyle. Founded by F. Greenstreet in 1886, the Elkhorn Breeze was applauded by the Manitoba Free Press as "a credit to that prosperous young city.""City and Province," Manitoba Free Press, February 3, 1887. In spite of such praise The Breeze had ceased publication by the end of 1887.
In 1892 the Elkhorn District Advocate began circulation as a standard print, weekly newspaper. This venture too ceased publication after only one year. A.E. Wilson, principal of the Washakada Industrial School, salvaged the paper and began printing the Elkhorn Advocate at the school only two months after the District Advocate released its final issue."Evening Edition Local," Manitoba Morning Free Press, December 11, 1893. Aboriginal students at the school printed the paper and learned the trade as part of the Residential School System designed to assimilate aboriginals into mainstream society. Management of the paper transferred to W.J. Thompson shortly after it began printing.
December 3, 1908 the first issue of the Elkhorn Mercury circulated in the community. The Mercury operated in competition with the Advocate until September, 1910 when the latter permanently ceased operation. Various owners and editors of the Mercury continued to print the paper weekly in Elkhorn until 1965, when it was absorbed by the Virden Empire-Advance. This newspaper along with the Moosomin World-Spectator are weekly publications that now provide the majority of local media coverage for the community. Currently there are no publishing or broadcasting companies in Elkhorn.
Mayors of Elkhorn Name In Office William M. Cushing 1906–1907 Charles R. Duxbury 1908–1909 J.S. McLeod 1910–1911 H.J. Jones 1912 J.H. Miller 1913 H.J. Jones 1914–1916 John Mooney 1917–1918 R.H. Brotherhood 1919 Charles G. Webster 1920–1921 W.J. Thompson 1922 G.T. Earle 1923–1924 W.T. Clarke 1925–1926 Walter Davey 1927–1929 H.J. Jones 1930–1935 J.M. McCorkindale 1936–1937 C.W. Johnston 1938–1947 John W.M. Thompson 1948–1953 J.W. Clarke 1954–1957 J. Norris 1958–1964 J.H. Hennan 1965–1967 Fred Simpson 1968–1969 John Canart 1970–1971 William Bartley 1972–1979 Ron Heritage 1980 R. Lund 1980–1983 Ron Heritage 1983–1986 Ken Rowan 1986–1995 Keith Orr 1995–2002 Roland Gagnon Incumbent
Other Notable Persons Mary Carter (née Munn), one of the first female judges in Saskatchewan; part of childhood spent in Elkhorn.
Travis Sanheim, Ice Hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Culture British Columbian indie band Said the Whale make a reference to Elkhorn in Dear Elkhorn, the opening track from their 2009 album "Islands Disappear". The song's lyrics were inspired by an incident when the band's tour van broke down near the village.
References
External links Official Website