The history of Lac du Bonnet is long and diverse. Our stories emerge from a patchwork of exploration and discovery, a blending of cultures from around the world, and a legacy of a wild landscape.
The oral traditions of the Anishinabe people pass on the stories of their ancestors and their heritage.
The maps and journals of European traders and explorers tell stories of their travels along the turbulent waters of the Winnipeg River. The calm, quiet sections of river offer a place of reflection for the rugged beauty of the land.
HBC clerks documented life at fur trading posts, leaving stories of surviving a Manitoba winter, trading with local Indigenous people and battling their NWC neighbours.
Newspapers preserve stories of immigrant families arriving to small settlements at the end of rail lines and of visionaries with grand plans for the future.
Lac du Bonnet grew out of the wilderness, built by generations of hard-working people brought in by industry. The brick plant and lumber mill started this community. The construction of hydroelectric generating stations sustained this town. Local bush pilots flew with only reckoning and hand drawn maps to transport civilization to remote mines and outposts.
Our stories define us. They remind us of how understanding the past shapes our future.
Written by Jennifer Strassel