Tisdale

Tisdale was located near the southwest tip of Pelican Lake.

It existed for such a short time that I can't locate it on any map.

It had a store and post office that was moved to become one of the first businesses in Kilarney

From - "Trails and Crossroads to Killarney"


The Manitoba South Western Colonization Railway Company had a charter which projected a railway from Winnipeg southwest to the boundary of Manitoba, and a survey had been made which ran north of Rock, Louise, and Lorne Lakes, south of Pelican Lake through the Glendenning Valley, and came out on the prairie cutting across section 2 where the Cameron brothers had taken up land. Every homesteader hoped that the railway would decide to build a townsite on his land. Hugh and Dougald Cameron were so confident that their land would be chosen that they engaged a surveyor to layout a township, and gave it the name Tisdale, after the chief engineer who had surveyed the proposed route. Their plans were very progressive for the times; they set aside seven acres for a park and recreation ground.

A stopping place and large barn were built, a portable sawmill brought in from Brandon, three merchants, one of them T. J. Lawlor, established ambitious general stores, Ed Machon set up a blacksmith shop, and several houses were erected. It was not long before word spread that the Manitoba South Western was in difficulties and the C.P.R. taking it over. Then came the report that the c.P.R. was going to extend its Rosenfeld-Manitou line westward. Still the people of Tisdale hoped it would come their way. Rumors spread that surveyors were at work south of the chain of lakes. Alas for the high hopes of the people of Huntly, Glendenning and Tisdale, these rumors were true. The railway line swung south through Pilot Mound, Crystal City, Clearwater, Mather, Cartwright, Holmfield and Killarney and on to Ninga and Boissevain. By choosing the southern route the C.P.R. not only avoided the difficult grades of the Glen- denning Valley but hoped to eliminate competition from the south.

What was to have been the thriving town of Tisdale faded away. T.J. Lawlor had his store taken down and hauled to Killarney,
Byron Mason and Peter Finnen handling the contract in February, 1884. Ed Machon moved his blacksmith shop to section 3 which he bought from the railway, and combined blacksmithing and farm- ing until he, too, moved into the growing settlement of Killarney. Hugh and Dougald Cameron moved away, selling their land to H. C. Beck and William Pinkerton.


Heritage Website...





Tisdale School





http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/stjohnsanglicantisdale.shtml








http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/tisdaleschool.shtml