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A Brief History

The Rural Municipality of Morris is located approximately 50 kilometers or 30 minutes southwest of Winnipeg. The major routes that go through the RM are highways 75 & 23.

The RM of Morris has a fascinating and important history. It begins with Aboriginal peoples who traversed the area for centuries. And it continues, in the late 1860s, when the first settlers began trickling in, leading to our founding as a Municipality in 1880, and up to the present, we have been an industrious, productive and vibrant community.

For a detailed history of the RM of Morris, see Furrows in the Valley: A Centennial Project of the Rural Municipality of Morris, 1880–1980, the local history of the RM and its people (listed on the Manitoba site: Digital Resources on Manitoba History).

 

Pivotal Events

This project was undertaken over the autumn and winter of 2016–17 by our heritage consultant, Mr. Lorne Thompson, and with the financial support of the Heritage Grants Program of Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage. The project has also greatly benefited from the direction and assistance provided the Historic Resources Branch (HRB) of that same department. Information on Milestones can be found here.

The following essential historical themes contain the important and interesting story of the RM of Morris:

  • Community Context
  • Community Development
  • Government Development
  • Public Services
  • Transportation
  • Commercial Development
  • Manufacturing and Industry
  • Spiritual Life
  • Education
  • Health Care
  • Culture and Recreation

 

Notable People

This project was undertaken over the summer and autumn of 2013 by our heritage consultant, Mr. Lorne Thompson, and with the financial support of the Heritage Grants Program of Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage. The project has also greatly benefited from the direction and assistance provided the Historic Resources Branch (HRB) of that same department.

The main inventory contains detailed entries on 231 individuals that were identified through a close reading of our local history book, Furrows in the Valley: A Centennial Project of the Rural Municipality of Morris, 1880–1980.

Significant Historical Figures 

Thirty-two individuals were identified as significant. This list includes those individuals presented in the complete inventory whose claims for potential significance were noted as High.

Short list of significant people

 

Special Places

The RM of Morris’s Special Places Project is one of more than 50 such initiatives being undertaken across Manitoba. Please visit the Heritage Manitoba website for more information on these kinds of projects, and also for information about the other communities involved in these pan-Manitoba initiatives.

Special Places projects, which have been developed by the Province’s Historic Resources Branch, and supported by grants from the branch’s Heritage Grants Program, are ensuring that many Manitoba communities have the solid historical and architectural information to ensure that follow-up projects focusing on a municipality’s built heritage are undertaken with confidence.

There are two parts to a Special Places Project, which have been followed in the development of the RM of Morris project.

 

1. Community Heritage Site Inventory

In 2011–12, consultant Lorne Thompson completed an inventory of 102 local heritage sites.

This initiative, called the RM of Morris Community Heritage Sites Inventory project, is one of more than 50 such initiatives being undertaken across Manitoba.

These projects, which were developed by the Province’s Historic Resources Branch, and supported by grants from the branch’s Heritage Grants Program, are ensuring that these Manitoba communities have the solid historical and architectural information to ensure that follow-up projects focusing on a municipality’s built heritage are undertaken with confidence.

The RM of Morris Special Places project is the first step in a multi-step process that ultimately seeks to identify, through a select collection of the most important and attractive sites, those historical and architectural themes that have defined the development of our community. The texts for all of the short listed sites are available in the RM of Morris entry on the Heritage Manitoba’s website’s new feature page Municipal Landmark Sites.

The RM of Morris Special Places is one of three foundational projects that we have developed at the recommendation of the Historic Resources Branch. The other two are: Pivotal Events, which focuses on key moments and themes of our history, and Notable People, which identifies some of the significant people who affected the course of our history.

Please visit the Heritage Manitoba website for more information on these kinds of projects, and also for information about the other communities involved in these pan-Manitoba initiatives

The communities and places included in the RM of Morris Special Places Site Inventory are:

 

2. Significant Heritage Sites

With the assistance of architectural historians at the province’s Historic Resources Branch, we have analyzed and assessed all 102 sites in our inventory, and have identified 15 places that have historical and architectural significance.

To view an image and the Heritage Value Statement that clearly and concisely describes why the building or site is so important to our community:

Go to Significant Heritage Sites