Argyle is a small hamlet located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Argyle is in Manitoba's Interlake Region, adjacent to the Rural Municipality of Rockwood and approximately 30 km from Manitoba's capital, Winnipeg. Nearby are the towns of Stonewall, Balmoral, Teulon, Grosse Isle, Gunton, Rosser, Stony Mountain and Selkirk.(Note: This is the hamlet Argyle( not the Rural Municipality of Argyle which is located in Southern Manitoba, near Brandon.)
The major industry is agriculture,where mixed farming prevails. Many residents work in Winnipeg or surrounding towns. [1]
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The Principal Meridian of Canada, dividing Eastern and Western Canada also marked the division between the Argyle and Brant Districts, as well as the mark between neighboring Rockwood and Woodlands Municipalities. As the local residents were living on either side of the Prime Meridian, several institutions derive their name by combining the words: Brant-Argyle.
Just North of the town, is the ancient Lake Agassiz beach ridge. About 10,000 years ago, this huge inland lake, the remnants of glaciers, began to drain in present day Manitoba. Left behind were the gravel and sand deposits that were once the beaches of the former lake. These ridges mark the northern edge of the Red River Valley, and offer a different geological atmosphere. Many local gravel pits are found in this region.
The Town is located approx 30 min north of Winnipeg off of highway 67 from Stonewall. Many farms and gravel companies thrive around this area. There is heavy forest and abundant wildlife everywhere.
Settled by European pioneers during the late 1870s, the newcomers were mostly those granted 160 acres (0.65 km2) of free land from the Canadian Government. This land grant was to encourage European farmers to fill up the vast prairies and secure the region between Ontario and the Pacific Ocean for Canada.
The first settlers came from Argyllshire, Scotland and named the district as Argyle in honor of their former home. The adjacent district was soon called Brant.
In 1878 the residents gathered in the Guthrie home to attend Presbyterian church services. In 1881 they built a small church on the East side of the Prime Meridian, called Brant-Argyle Presbyterian Church. The surrounding land was made into a cemetery. The earliest settlers buried their dead here.
Note:The church has since been converted into a home, with a porch.
It was also in 1878 that Thomas Guthrie established the first post office in the Argyle District. At first, Guthrie had to walk to Stonewall and later in 1882 he picked up the mail as it arrived in Marquette by rail. It is said that he received $50.00 annually for postmaster and an extra $12.00 per month for carrying the mail.
In 1882 the local one-room schools were built for the settler's children. Brant, McLeod and Argyle schools were the original educational facilities that would eventually combine, making the Brant Consolidated School in 1914. It is Brant Argyle school is a 4 room brick school that is the only one of its kind in Manitoba that is still used as it was intended to - as a school for the local community children. The school is part of a Heratige agreement certificate which keeps it from being demolished or abbandonned. It will most likely become a museum one day. The school currently has about 60 students. It has a capacity of 100, and this multi grade environment hosts grades Kindergarten to grade 8. http://www.historicplaces.ca/visit-visite/com-ful_e.aspx?id=3486; http://www.isd21.mb.ca/argyle/; http://www.argylecountrylife.ca/school.html.
In 1912, a small spur line built by the Canadian Northern Railway branched off the Oak Point Subdivision at Grosse Isle heading north. This first year, the railway reached a gravel pit, possibly to supply future or existing railbeds. The next year, this new local line reached through the Argyle and Brant Districts, ending at Woodroyd, Manitoba. Eventually, the line was built to Hodgson, following a zig-zag formation to pass nearest the existing settlements.
When the railway came to the Argyle District, there was a church, post office, homes and farms. As they were spread across the country side, the nearest railstop was called Argyle Station. This was to distiquish the railway depot from the nearby post office.
With the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway, a small store, blacksmith shop, station, elevator, stock yards, section master's house and the new post office were built. In the next few years, more homes were built and the new Brant Consolidated School (now Brant-Argyle School) was constructed (1914). This united the two small schools of the area. The railway made it easier to ship materials to and from the district.
It was truly the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway that guaranteed the long term existence of Argyle. The railway now serves as a recreational trail for hikers, bikers, and snowmobilers all across the Manitoba prairies.
With the new millennium, Argyle celebrated the Homecoming 2000. This was a three day event in August that encompassed a parade, displays, social, breakfast and fellowship. In 2003, the Brant-Argyle School became a Provincial Historic Site. This is recognition that it is one of the last consolidated schools in the Province, and the best example of its style. see [2], and www.isd21.mb.ca.
There are many businesses that flourish in the community. Some of the oldest are the Argyle General Store, Meridian Trail General Store(Post Office), Argyle Memorial Community Hall, and the Argyle Curling Rink. All these facilities are used extensively by the community and surrounding area: see http://www.argylecountrylife.ca .
The unique small town setting that Argyle has to offer has been captured in film. [3]The Good Life (2007)starring Bill Paxton and Chris Klein was partially shot here. The Argyle General Store was the bus stop set.
[4]Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West (2000) was entirely filmed in the Argyle region. Two couples, the Logies and Treadways were the stars of this reality television series that aired on History Television. The homestead is located north east of the village and still offers tours of the 19th century pioneer settlement.
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