Melita, Manitoba
Melita | |
|---|---|
 Front Street | |
 Town boundaries | |
  Melita Town boundaries | |
| Coordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°WCoordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 2.97 km2 (1.15 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Town | 1,042 |
| • Density | 342.7/km2 (888/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (CDT) |
Melita (/məˈlɪtə/) is a town located in the south-western corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is surrounded by the Municipality of Two Borders and occupies a bend of the Souris River. Graham Creek runs along the west side of town and into the Souris River. The population at the 2016 census was 1,042.[1] It sits at the junction of Highways 3 and 83, approximately 320 km southwest of Winnipeg. Melita is known as the "Grasslands Bird Capital of Manitoba"[2] and is located in Manitoba's banana belt.
History[]
Evidence of First Nations habitation in the area includes the Linear Mounds Archaeological Site and the Brockinton Archaeological Site, which have provided artifacts dating back to 800 AD.[3] The site has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[4]
Charles West was the first recorded European settler, in 1879.[5] The early inhabitants chose the name "Melita" for the town after hearing a Bible reading (Acts 28:1) about St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta (Melita is an older name for the island).[6]
Notable people[]
- Betty Fox, cancer research activist and mother of Terry Fox, was raised in Melita.[7]
- Wayne Hall, professional hockey player
- Kory Karlander, professional hockey player
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Melita, Town". Census Profile. Statistics Canada.
- ^ "Bird Watching". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "Historical Interest". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Linear Mounds. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- ^ "Our First Century", Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983
- ^ Ham, Penny (1980). Place Names of Manitoba. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books. pp. 83. ISBN 9780888330673.
- ^ Martin, Sandra (2011-06-18). "Betty Fox, cancer-advocacy champion and mother of Terry Fox, dies". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
External links[]
Media related to Melita, Manitoba at Wikimedia Commons
Canada portal- Official Web site of the town of Melita
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Melita
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- Towns in Manitoba