St. François Xavier, Manitoba
| St. François Xavier | |
|---|---|
 St. François Xavier
|
|
| Coordinates: 49°54′46″N 97°32′30″W / 49.91278°N 97.54167°WCoordinates: 49°54′46″N 97°32′30″W / 49.91278°N 97.54167°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Manitoba
|
| Region | Winnipeg Capital Region |
| Census Division | No. 10 |
| Founded | 1824 |
| Post office established | 1871 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.37 km2 (1.30 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 574 |
| • Density | 170.2/km2 (441/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| Area code(s) | 204 |
For the rural municipality, see: Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier
St. François Xavier is an unincorporated urban centre located in the southeastern part of the Rural Municipality of St. François Xavier in Manitoba, Canada. It is located about 25 km west of the city of Winnipeg on the Assiniboine River.
St. François Xavier had various names including White Horse Plains (La Prairie du Cheval Blanc) and Grantown after its founder Cuthbert Grant. Cuthbert Grant arrived in 1824 and was soon joined by many Métis families.
In 1851 Father Louis-François Richer Laflèche accompanied the Métis buffalo hunters from the parish of St. François Xavier on one of their annual hunts on the prairies. The hunting group, led by Jean Baptiste Falcon, son of Pierre Falcon, was made up of 67 men, a number of women who came to prepare the meat, some small children and 200 carts. In North Dakota they encountered a band of Sioux. Lafleche dressed only in a black cassock, white surplice, and stole, directed with the camp commander Jean Baptiste Falcon a miraculous defence against 2,000 Sioux combatants, using a crucifix at the Battle of Grand Coteau (North Dakota). After a siege of two days (July 13 and 14), the Sioux withdrew, convinced that the Great Spirit protected the Métis.
The St. François-Xavier post office was opened in 1871 and closed in 1975.
St. François Xavier is classified as an unincorporated urban centre and is a designated place in the Canada Census of 2011. It had a population of 574 in 2011 down 8.5% from 2006. The land area was 3.37 km2.
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