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The
Souris River / Route #7 / Treesbank to Stockton
Ferry |
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Launch : A
bridge spans the Souris near Treesbank. Take Highway #2 east from
Wawanesa and Road #530 north from the highway.
Landing : Find
Stockton, north of Highway #2 between Wawanesa and Glenboro. Follow
signs north of town to find the Ferry Site.
Distance : About
40 km
Time : 5 - 7
hours
See
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The Souris
River from the Treesbank Bridge to where it empties into the
Assiniboine has several things to offer. It has some fast water and
rapids that are relatively free of rocks even later in the year. It has
beautiful scenery and runs trough an area rich in history. The one
problem is that there are so few points of access. Once you get to the
mouth, you have two choices: A short upstream paddle to the Treesbank
Ferry site, or a longer (but easier?) four to five hour trip downstream
to the Stockton Ferry.
The
Souris River part
of the trip takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The stretch
from the mouth of the Souris to Stockton takes 4 - 5 hours.
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Historical Notes
The town of Millford was
located where the Oak Creek meets the Souris (SW 3-8-16). in 1879. The
site is marked by a cairn inscribed with a tribute by the area's most
famous resident, Nellie McClung. The town once contained three hotels,
three livery stables, two blacksmith shops, three doctors and a variety
of other services. It served as a gateway for early settlers who came
down the Assiniboine on paddlewheel steamers and struck out to
homesteads to the south and west. Like many Manitoba towns, it's rapid
expansion had it's birth in speculation and hopes regarding railway
lines. By 1886, when a branch line reached Glenboro, business was
diverted from Millford. Within a few years the town was deserted. It is
the site of the oldest, and most interesting cemetery in the area.
The rail bridge near Millford was
originally built in 1895 and was the longest wooden trestle bridge in
the country. It was damaged by floodwaters and rebuilt of iron.
The mouth of the Souris was the site
of Two Rivers School and a short lived village called Souris Mouth
and/or Two Rivers. (Wawanesa History)
For More Details...
False Starts: A Settlement History of Western Manitoba
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