Plumas, Manitoba
| Plumas | |
|---|---|
| Local urban district | |
| Motto: "Proud to be Prairie" | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 50°23′N 99°05′W / 50.383°N 99.083°WCoordinates: 50°23′N 99°05′W / 50.383°N 99.083°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Manitoba
|
| Region | Central Plains Region |
| Division | Division No. 8, Manitoba |
| Rural Municipality | Rural Municipality of Westbourne |
| Established | 1872 |
| Government | |
| • Governing Body | Plumas Village Committee |
| • Committee Chair (R.M. Councillor): | John Sollner |
| • Other Committee Members: | Leanne Saunders, Mark Luxmoore, Randy Watts |
| Area | |
| • Local urban district | 0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 281 m (922 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Local urban district | 227 |
| • Density | 310/km2 (790/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 278 |
| • Urban density | 375.7/km2 (973/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Plumasite, Pin-Head |
| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| Area code(s) | 204 |
| Highways | 260 265 |
| Waterways | Jordan Creek |
Plumas is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district located in the Rural Municipality of Westbourne, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Plumas is roughly 70 km northwest of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and about 150 km northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg.
In perspective, the elevation of Plumas is lower than Neepawa, but quite a bit higher than Portage la Prairie or Winnipeg. Despite the community's proximity to the Arden Ridge (a higher rise in the landscape located about 15 km west of Plumas, consisting of a series of hills and valleys, where the elevation rises 50 metres), Plumas is quite flat. Riding Mountain National Park is located about 35 km northwest of Plumas, where the land rises significantly to an elevation of almost 700 metres. Just 30 km east of Plumas lies Lake Manitoba, where the elevation is about 35 metres lower. The Jordan Creek flows through Plumas, and empties into the Big Grass Marsh (east of Plumas), one of North America's largest and well-regarded areas of marshland. The Whitemud River runs south of the village along Provincial Hwy 16. Farmland, meadows, forest, bush, and marsh surround the area. Jackfish Lake, also part of a protected wildlife/waterfowl area, is situated 16 km northeast of Plumas; the lake is a major gathering spot for thousands of migrating sandhill cranes passing through each year.
The community is officially designated as a local urban district (LUD) within the Rural Municipality (RM) of Westbourne. David Single is currently the reeve of this RM. Though not a municipality of its own, Plumas has a committee as the local governing body that more or less plans community events and development, regards local issues within the community itself, and forms general decisions and recommendations that are intended to help resolve these issues. The committee consists of the chair, who is the councillor of Ward 4 of the RM (The LUD of Plumas is located within this ward), and three other committee members, elected by the community. Approximately 40% of the population voted in the October 2010 elections. The designated boundaries of the LUD do not include the houses on the north side of Queens Road, which are located in another ward, but are still counted as part of Plumas' urban population.
Plumas' history dates back to about 1872, when English settlers came to the area to farm. The land was fertile enough for growing crops, although not the best, yet affordable. In 1873, the community was originally named Jordan, named after the Jordan River located in Israel (Plumas also has a creek running through it still named the "Jordan Creek" today). Jordan School, one of the earliest schools in the district, was located in the northeast corner of the community, built sometime around 1873. Later on, as many as nine one-room schools existed within the Plumas School District. In 1879, the first post office was constructed. Jordan's name was later changed to Richmond in 1882. Again, sometime later, the community's name was changed to Plumas, after a man who had been in contact with Plumas County, California, came to settle here (The name "Plumas" is derived from the Spanish word "pluma," meaning "feather."). More immigrants, mainly of English, Irish, or Scottish descent, came to settle in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when they discovered that the land was fertile and cheap. In 1896, following the arrival of the Canadian National Railway (CNR), the already striving community began to really "take-off"; after a ten-year delay in the construction of this particular railway branch. The railway was quite important, as it transported freight, supplies, and passengers to and from Plumas.
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