Virden (Manitoba)
Virden | ||
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Location in Manitoba | ||
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State : |
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Province : | Manitoba | |
Coordinates : | 49 ° 51 ′ N , 100 ° 56 ′ W | |
Height : | 439 m | |
Residents : | 3114 (as of 2011) | |
Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | |
Municipality number: | 204, 431 | |
Postal code : | R0M 2C0 | |
Foundation : | 1904 | |
Virden Pioneer Home Museum |
Virden is a small town with 3114 inhabitants (as of 2011) in the Canadian province of Manitoba . It is located 278 km west of Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway .
history
The origin of the name is unclear. It could be from settlers related to Lord Mount Stephen , whose house in Scotland bore that name, or from the German city of Verden , home of the wife of the 7th Duke of Manchester .
Large-scale agricultural settlement began in the area in the 1880s, encouraged by the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway . In 1882, a railroad camp was built at Gopher Creek, which became a transportation, processing, and service center for the surrounding farms. In 1904 Virden was incorporated as a city.
During the Second World War a flight school from the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was located here . In 1951 the first commercially exploitable oil field was discovered in the province , which led to the development of the Daly field west of Virden. Virden-Roselea and North Virden-Scallion, now collectively known as Virden Field, were discovered in 1953. Wells have even been drilled inside the city, where the population doubled during the oil boom that followed. The Virden field has accounted for 75% of Manitoba's total oil production since the 1950s.
Although it is still the largest production site, the Virden field has decreased in relative importance. In 1995, its production was 208,581 cubic meters, or 32.5% of Manitoba's total oil production. Agriculture, retail and a modest manufacturing sector have also become important economic factors in Virden.
Neighboring communities
Moosomin (Saskatchewan) , Elkhorn (Manitoba) | Miniota | |
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Brandon (Manitoba) | |
Reston (Manitoba) , Pipestone (Manitoba) | Oak Lake (Manitoba) |
sons and daughters of the town
- Lila Acheson Wallace (1889-1984), publisher