History

The lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB) has evolved from an ancient Indigenous travel and ceremonial route and a 17th-century fur trade corridor into a region defined by hydroelectric power, mining, and tourism. Key developments include the 1906 construction of the Pinawa dam, the establishment of the Pine Falls paper mill in 1926, and the creation of Whiteshell Provincial Park in 1961. The region's economic history is also marked by copper-nickel and lithium mining in the early 20th century and the transition from river-based transport to rail and road networks, including the Trans-Canada Highway.

• The lower Winnipeg River basin has a long history of Indigenous use, with archaeological evidence of human presence in the Whiteshell area dating back to 3000 BCE, and the continued use of sacred petroform sites for healing and teachings.
• The river served as a critical commercial artery for the fur trade in the 17th century, connecting the Red River region to Lake of the Woods, until the merger of the North West Company and the Hudsons Bay Company in 1821.
• Hydroelectric development in the LWRB began with the 1906 construction of the Pinawa dam, which was Manitoba's first year-round power producer; six additional generating stations were subsequently built and remain operational.
• Industrial activity in the early 20th century included the discovery of copper-nickel deposits around 1920 in the Bird River greenstone belt and the first commercial lithium shipments from Bernic Lake in the 1930s.
• The Pine Falls paper mill, established in 1926, was a central economic hub for the town of Pine Falls and was the only newspaper-making facility on the Prairies in the 1970s before closing in 2010.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2021). History. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-8-history.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. History. 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-8-history.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=History |date=May 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-8-history.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2021history, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{History}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-8-history.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }