Birtle, Manitoba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Birtle
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Unincorporated Community
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Looking west down Main Street in Birtle.
Horse fountain in front of the Pratt Building on Main Street.
Birtle war memorial.
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 Birtle
Location in Manitoba
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Manitoba |
| Established | 1884 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.26 km2 (3.58 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021)
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| • Total | 625 |
| • Density | 67.49/km2 (174.81/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Postal Code |
R0M 0C0
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| Area codes | 204, 431 |
Birtle is a small community in Manitoba, Canada. It's located where two highways, Highway 83 and Highway 42, meet. Before 2015, Birtle used to be a town. Now it's part of the Prairie View Municipality.
Contents
Discover Birtle's History
Birtle was officially started in 1884. It sits in the beautiful valley of the Birdtail River. The community has a large park that has grown over the years. This park includes a golf course and tennis courts. The tennis courts are still in their original spot but now have modern surfaces. They are considered some of the best in western Manitoba.
Birdtail Country Museum
A cool place to visit is the Birdtail Country Museum. It's in an old stone building on Main Street. This building was first a bank in the early 1900s. The bank was on the main floor, and the bank manager lived upstairs.
In 1983, the local government bought the building. It opened as the Birdtail Country Museum in 1984. This was a special project to celebrate the area's 100th birthday. Inside, you can find over 4,000 historical items. These include diaries from early settlers and tools used long ago. You can even see trophies won by Samuel Larcombe. He was an early settler who became known as the "World Wheat King." In 1917, he created a type of wheat that could resist a plant disease called rust.
The second floor of the museum looks like a Victorian home. People also visit the museum to research their family history. They can read old newspapers from Birtle dating back to 1891.
Exploring Birtle's Past
You can take a self-guided tour to learn about Birtle's old buildings and sites. This tour shares the history of many places in the community.
Two books have been written about Birtle's history. The first, A View of the Birdtail, came out in 1974. It covered the history from 1878 to 1974. The second book, Passing it On, was published in 2009. It tells more about the history of the town and area.
Birtle was first called Birds Tail Rivulet on a map from 1813–14. The settlement itself started in 1879 and was first named St. Clair City. From 1888 to 1970, a school called the Birtle Indian Residential School operated here.
Birtle's Natural Surroundings
The Birdtail River is a small, slow-moving river. It has a dam just above Birtle Park, which creates a small lake. This lake is great for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The Birdtail River flows into the Assiniboine River a few miles south of Birtle.
About 15 minutes west, the Qu'Apelle River also flows into the Assiniboine. Many smaller streams and valleys make this area very pretty. It's a good place for different kinds of wildlife and popular for people who love watching birds. The land around Birtle is very fertile, with farms in all directions.
Birtle's Climate
Summers in Birtle are warm. The average temperature in July is about 17.9 °C (64.2 °F). Winters are long and cold. The average temperature in January is about −18.3 °C (−0.9 °F).
| Climate data for Birtle | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
13 (55) |
19 (66) |
34 (93) |
36.5 (97.7) |
40.6 (105.1) |
40 (104) |
38.3 (100.9) |
37.2 (99.0) |
32.5 (90.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −13.1 (8.4) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
9.2 (48.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24 (75) |
17.5 (63.5) |
10 (50) |
−2 (28) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −18.3 (−0.9) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17 (63) |
11 (52) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
1.6 (34.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −23.3 (−9.9) |
−19.6 (−3.3) |
−12 (10) |
−3 (27) |
4.3 (39.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
11.2 (52.2) |
10 (50) |
4.5 (40.1) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−11 (12) |
−20.2 (−4.4) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −45.6 (−50.1) |
−44.5 (−48.1) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−4 (25) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−26.7 (−16.1) |
−38 (−36) |
−43 (−45) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 20.5 (0.81) |
15.3 (0.60) |
21.6 (0.85) |
27 (1.1) |
48.8 (1.92) |
85.1 (3.35) |
70.8 (2.79) |
65.3 (2.57) |
50.7 (2.00) |
28.7 (1.13) |
19.9 (0.78) |
19.4 (0.76) |
473.1 (18.63) |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Fun Things to Do in Birtle
Birtle has a high school, Birtle Collegiate Institute, for grades 5 to 12. Students from nearby communities also come here. The school offers regular classes and a construction technology program. It even offered a way to get a high school diploma and a health care aide certificate at the same time. The elementary school (Kindergarten to grade 4) is also home to the Park West School Division offices.
Birtle Riverside Park & Recreation
The Birtle Riverside Park is a great place for outdoor fun. It has many things to do in one spot:
- a golf course
- a restaurant
- tennis courts
- a campground with services
- picnic areas
- a big playground
- the Birtle beach, which is a sandy swimming area next to the river.
Other fun places in Birtle include a skating arena and a curling rink. Both have artificial ice. There's also a fitness center open 24/7. You can join baseball and soccer leagues. In winter, there are trails for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. These trails connect to bigger routes across the province.
Unique Attractions
A fun place for both tourists and locals is a costume barn called Whooo's That? You can look through thousands of costumes from different times and themes. You can even get a photo shoot in period clothing!
Birtle is also known for its amazing gardeners. The community won national "Communities in Bloom" awards in 2000 and 2001. Every two years, there's an event called "Gallery in the Garden." During this event, art is shown in private and community gardens. Some private gardens are open for visitors all summer. They are part of the "Gardens of Western Manitoba" self-guided tour.
Remember to check out the museum and the heritage walking tour mentioned in the "History" section!
Birtle's Economy
The main jobs in Birtle are in farming and raising animals. Farmers grow crops like wheat, rye, barley, and canola. These crops are planted in May and harvested in August or September. They also raise animals like cattle and hogs. Some people also raise sheep, goats, and dairy cows.
A potash mine about 50 kilometers away in Saskatchewan provides many jobs for people in the area. This mine has grown a lot since 2009. Because the mine is so close, many businesses in Birtle support it. These include Mainline Motors, a local car dealership, and the Birtle Pharmacy. The Birdtail Oilfield has also helped the economy. It brings in money from oil rights and supports other local businesses. More oil drilling started in 2010.
Birtle's Population
In 2021, the population of Birtle was 625 people. These people lived in 285 homes. This was a small change from its 2016 population of 642. Birtle covers a land area of 9.26 km2 (3.58 sq mi).
Famous People from Birtle
- Rick Berry (born 1978) – an NHL player
- Bill Derlago (born 1958) – an NHL player
- Ron Low (born 1950) – an NHL goaltender and coach
