Melita, Manitoba
| Melita | |
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| Town | |
Corner of Townsend Dr. and Front St., grain elevators in background.
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 Melita
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| Coordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°WCoordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 2.97 km2 (1.15 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Town | 1,069 |
| • Density | 360.4/km2 (933/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−6) |
Melita is a town located in the southwestern corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Arthur and occupies a bend of the Souris River. The population at the 2011 census was 1,069.[1] It sits at the junction of Highways 3 and 83, approx. 320 km southwest of Winnipeg. Melita is known as the "Grasslands Bird Capital of Manitoba"[2] and is located in Manitoba's banana belt.
History[edit]
Evidence of First Nations habitation in the area includes the Linear Mounds Archaeological Site and the Brockinton Archaeological Site, which have provided artifacts dating back to 800 A.D.[3] The site has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[4]
Charles West was the first recorded European settler, in 1879.[5] The early inhabitants chose the name "Melita" for the town after hearing a Bible reading (Acts 28:1) about St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta (Melita is an older name for the island).[6]
Notable people[edit]
Betty Fox, cancer research activist and mother of Terry Fox, was raised in Melita.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Melita, Town". Census Profiles. Statistics Canada.
- ^ "Bird Watching". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "Historical Interest". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Linear Mounds. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- ^ "Our First Century", Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983
- ^ Ham, Penny (1980). Place Names of Manitoba. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books. p. 83. ISBN 9780888330673.
- ^ Martin, Sandra (2011-06-18). "Betty Fox, cancer-advocacy champion and mother of Terry Fox, dies". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
External links[edit]
- Official Web site of the town of Melita
- Map of Melita at Statcan
- Statistics Canada - Community Profile - Melita
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Virden Pipestone |
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| Pierson |  |
Deloraine | ||
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| Westhope, North Dakota |
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