The Town of Lac du Bonnet, Winnipeg River, Manitoba

Lac du Bonnet at the Winnipeg River

The Town of Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba

The Town of Lac Du Bonnet is situated 111 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The town is located on the west bank of the historic and picturesque Winnipeg River, and is the heart of the Rural Municipality of Lac Du Bonnet. The town remained under the R.M.'s jurisdiction from 1922 until December 31, 1947, the date of incorporation.

Walter Wardop Sr. gave the town the name, Lac du Bonnet, on October 1, 1900. Wardrop was an early entrepreneur in the area and also Lac Du Bonnet's first postmaster. He called the new post office Lac du Bonnet. The name originated from the large "bonnet like" shape of a lake 5 miles downstream from the town's original site.

During the subsequent years the town of  Lac Du Bonnet annexed adjacent lands to give the town the form it has today.

The town has a hospital, numerous stores, hotels and car dealerships. It the only place with a computer shop in the area.

History and what you should know about this little town

Lac Du Bonnet's defunct sawmill and brick works have been renovated into new water-ski facilities. The building of McArthur Falls Power Station resulted in the rise of water levels along riverbanks of the Lac du Bonnet area. The reconfigured shoreline has added a new dimension to the dynamic Winnipeg River.

Paved pathways through the local parks and downtown are special features of the area. A cairn erected to commemorate the first airmail to fly out of Canada in 1927, is also a special place to visit while in the town.

Author: Fredrick Buetefuer