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Virden was established in 1882 as a stopping point on the Canadian Pacific Railway as it moved west across the prairies. Initially known as Gopher Creek, for a creek that flowed into the Assiniboine River, its name was changed to Virden in 1883, for the country estate of the Duke of Manchester, who served on the CPR Board of Directors. Oil was discovered in its vicinity in 1957, making Virden the centre of Manitoba’s “oil patch.”
Present Status
Town of Virden (14 September 1904)
Incorporation History
Village of Virden (2 August 1890)
Town of Virden (14 September 1904)Adjoining Municipalities
Land Area (square km)
8.97
Year
Total
1891
606
1901
901
1906
1471
1911
1550
1916
1618
1921
1361
1926
1380
1931
1590
1936
1481
1941
1619
1946
1597
1951
1746
1956
3225
1961
2708
1966
2933
1971
2823
1976
2936
1981
2940
1986
3054
1991
2894
1996
3137
2001
3109
2006
3010
2011
3114
2016
3322
2021
3118
Term
Mayor
1890-1892
Robert Adamson (1852-?)
1892-1894
William James Kennedy (1857-1912)
1894-1896
B. F. Foster
1896-1897
Benjamin Meek (1834-1905)
1897-1904
Duncan McDonald (1856-1920)
1904-1905
Richard Langtry (1866-1954)
1905-1907
J. A. Blakeman
1907-1909
George Clingan (1868-1953)
1909-1911
James Robert Mullins (1864-1941)
1911-1912
William A. Bridgett (1867-?)
1912-1913
T. A. Carscadden
1913-1916
T. M. Mitchell
1916-1918
D. S. Carnahan
1918-1921
H. N. Thompson (?-1953)
1921-1922
James Henderson Chalmers (1876-1942)
1922-1924
James Gardner
1924-1925
James E. Rothnie (1887-1937)
1925-1931
James Gardner
1931-1935
A. E. Higginbotham
1935-1941
George Jacob Gabel (1884-?)
1941-1947
H. N. Thompson (?-1953)
1947-1948
R. J. Timms
1948-1949
James Gardner
1949-1951
Clarence Moore (1884-1977)
1951-1953
H. N. Thompson (?-1953)
1953-1957
D. J. Reid
1957-1961
John Clifford Cory (1904-1971)
1961-1970
H. J. McNeill
1970-1975
Steven Hegion
1975-1977
Brian Archer
1977-1980
Allen Shepherd Case (c1928-2010)
1980-1986
W. Glen McKinnon
1986-1989
Richard Joseph “Rick” Plaisier (1948-2017)
1989-1993
W. Glen McKinnon
1993-1995
Darcy Cockbill
1995-1998
J. Richard Armstrong
1998-2001
David J. Reid
2001-2006
Stan Ward
2006-2010
Bruce Dunning
2010-2018
Jeffrey “Jeff” McConnell
2018-2022
Murray Wright
2022-?
Tina Williams
Search the MHS collection of biographies for ones connected to Virden:
Custom Search
Go here for a list of historic sites in Virden.
Go here for a list of history books for Virden.
Geographic Names of Manitoba, Manitoba Conservation, 2000.
We thank Jeff McConnell for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 28 October 2022
