From the section entitled "Valley Echoes (Wawanesa)"

As long ago as 1797, the famous explorer David Thompson records travelling the Souris River. One of his diaries refers to the site of one of his camps, where the party remained for some time, while they brought records up to date and secured supplies. It is claimed that this campsite was on the bank where Wawanesa is now located. The Historical Sites Commission had a cairn erected bearing a plaque to record this fact. However, when the bank slid in 1955, the cairn sank with it and the plaque was removed so it would not be lost.

When the men from Europe learned what efficient food pemmican was, and how easily it could be transported, they lost no time in trying to get all they could from the native Indians. Now another item of trade had been added to the ever-growing demand for Canadian furs. So it was not long before keen rivalry sprang up between the men and companies trying to get these products from the Indians.

The first real pioneer settlers arrived in 1878. Actually there was a small settlement established on the west bank of the Souris near its junction with the Assiniboine in 1876. This was where a land titles office stood and provided for the official registration of homestead claims, and legal description of land in 1881. It also included a post office under the name Souris Mouth. However, it did not long remain, as its function was a temporary one, connected with homestead registration, not really settlement.

Five years later, J. Harrison opened a store at Sourisbourg, which later became the first post office in the area. This was located near the present site of Methven Cemetery. Mr. Harrison used to drive over to the landing on the Assiniboine River to secure his supplies, which came on the river steamers, those romantic paddle-wheelers the ruins of which have recently been uncovered along the river's banks. A stop was made at The Landing to re-stock with cordwood. The school district retained the name Sourisbourg, even though all the original settlement had disappeared and been forgotten.

Millford and Souris City sprang up at just about the same time. Much has been written about these two settlements, both of which seemed, in the 1880's to bid fair to becoming thriving towns. But railroads were the cause of their death and disappearance, as settlers were almost totally dependent on rail transportation both for incoming supplies, and more importantly, to ship out their grain. So when the Manitoba and Southwestern Colonization Railway (later C.P.R.) stopped laying steel at Glenboro, Millford had to give up the ghost. Then the Northern Pacific built their line from Morris through Wawanesa, thus dooming Souris City.

The winter of 1889 saw unusual traffic on the ice of the Souris River. Many of the buildings from Souris City were hauled down to Wawanesa. Some on skids while others were torn down and rebuilt upon arrival. The large house now standing on the corner of Seventh and Cliff Streets was brought in piecemeal by A.C. Scott and has since served as a comfortable residence for several families.

In 1896, Mr. A.F. Kempton conceived the idea for an insurance company owned and operated by the farmers who were so badly in need of insurance protection on their threshing outfits. With Mr. C.D. Kerr, he drew up plans and solicited enough support to make the plan seem possible. Mr. Kempton came to Wawanesa, rented a small room over the drug store. From there grew one of the largest insurance companies in Canada.

The name Wawanesa itself had a sort of left-handed puritanical origin. When the settlement commenced, and some people and business activities began to locate, the name was chosen. Apparently the word in the language of various Indian tribes can have several different meanings when translated into English. One means Crooked River, which seems very apt. But some of the pioneers thought that "Sipeweski" sounded too much like "Sip of Whisky", so between December 1889 and May 1890 they had the name changed to "Wawanesa". Again various Indian names have been offered as its derivation. The most likely being Wa-wa-neche, the Dakota-Sioux word meaning land of no snow. Tradition claims the oldest Indian memories refer to the high banks of the gorge, with their southern exposure remaining free from snow for most of the winter. Some still favored the Cree origin which comes from Wawa, meaning goose, and nesa, meaning nest, making Wawanesa mean "goose nest".

(Source: Oakland Echoes 1879-1970, pp 264ff [1970; Adapted])

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD15-23-07-17-W1

In the Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa

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As noted above, a part of the community's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1970 is told in the volume "Oakland Echoes 1879-1970", especially starting on the cited pages. A free digital version of this and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #1241), transcribed by a member or members in 1999.