Manitoba Organization: Manitoba Women’s Institutes

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Presidents | Chapters

The Women’s Institutes movement arrived in Manitoba in 1910 when a group at Morris formed an organization to provide an educational and lobbying forum for rural women.

Presidents

Period	President	Community
1911-1912	Mrs. A. H. Chisholm	Morris
1912-1913	Mrs. R. W. McCharles	Manitou
1913-1918	Mrs. J. W. Dayton	Virden
1918-1923	Mrs. David Watt	Birtle
1923-1926	Mrs. T. A. Cohoe	Pilot Mound
1926-1929	Helen May Peake (1876-1969, wife of William H. T. Peake)	Transcona
1929-1931	Mrs. George Simmie	Solsgirth
1931-1933	Mrs. T. A. Bulloch	Reston
1933-1935	Miss Mabel Childerhose	Rosser
1935-1937	Margaret Ethel McTavish Armstrong (1879-1955, wife of George Thomas Armstrong)	Manitou
1937-1939	Mrs. John L. Rose	Ochre River
1939-1941	Mrs. W. H. Hicks	Souris
1941-1943	Mrs. T. L. Townsend	Birtle
1943-1945	Mrs. R. J. Burgess	Clearwater
1945-1946	Mrs. George Langdon	Langruth
1946-1948	Mrs. R. Palmer	Waskada
1948-1950	Annabelle Muriel MacKenzie Cameron (c1891-1983, wife of Duncan Lloyd Cameron)	Manitou
1950-1952	Mrs. G. C. Catley	Sanford
1952-1953	Mrs. A. E. Underhill	Hartney
1953-1955	Mrs. W. J. Johnston	Swan River
1955-1957	Edna Ida McFadden Forrester (1888-1971, wife of Walter Ross Forrester)	Emerson
1957-1959	Mrs. William Thomson	Souris
1959-1961	Mrs. R. J. Moss	Amaranth
1961-1963	Mrs. George Black	Pilot Mound
1963-1965	Mrs. Don Burton	Swan River
1965-1967	Mrs. E. V. Fulton	Birtle
1967-1969	Mrs. E. R. James	Grosse Isle
1969-1970	Mrs. S. D. Price	Warren
1970-1972	Edith Alma Gauld Poole (1906-2000)	Kemnay
1972-1974	Mrs. E. Weight	Douglas
1974-1976	Mrs. W. D. Warren	Great Falls
1976-1978	Mrs. W. E. Brake	Boissevain
1978-1980	Kathleen Alice “Kay” Hamblin (1923-2004)	St. Jean Baptiste
1980-1982	Lois Edie	Dugald
1982-1984	Marion McNabb	Basswood
1984-1986	Edna Hammond	Deloraine
1986-1988	Audrey Turbett	Lilyfield
1988-1990	Alice McLaren	Clearwater
1990-1992	Joyce Johnson	Rivers
1992-1994	Lois Neabel	Minnedosa
1994-1996	Audrey Grier	Woodmore
1996-1998	Barbara Stienwandt	Grandview
1998-2000	Helen Rigby	Oak Ridge

Chapters

Community	Organized	Charter No.	Charter Year
Altona	1936	172	1936
Amaranth	?	143	1932
Arborg	1961	305	1965
Arden	1939	187	1947
Arizona	1916	65	1922
		276	1957
Arnaud	1915	25	1922
Arrow River	1922	119	1922
Arwood	1915	304	1968
Ashern	1910	5	1922
Austin	1915	26	1922
Avonlea	1922	117	1922
Baldur	1937	178	1940
Balmoral	1917	73	1922
Bardal	1940	239	1956
Basswood	1918	76	1922
Beausejour	1932	144	1932
		289	1959
Belmont	1915	23	1922
Benito	1912	15	1922
Berton	1922	124	1922
Beulah	1916	52	1922
		195	1950
Bield	1916	53	1922
Big Woody	1945	196	1950
Binscarth	1928	136	1931
		177	1939
Birch River	1933	156	1934
Birchwood	1934	160	1935
Birds Hill	1916	54	1922
Birdtail	1923	132	1924
Birtle	1910	11	1922
Boissevain	1915	27	1922
Bowsman	1921	113	1922
		282	1957
Brandon	1917	71	1922
		307	1965
Broomhill	1951	240	1956
Brunkild	1931	140	1931
Camper	1939	179	1940
Cardale	1949	241	1956
Carman	1922	126	1922
Carroll	1933	157	1933
Cartwright	?	145	1932
Charleswood	1916	81	1922
Chatfield	1934	162	1935
		291	1959
Clanwilliam	1946	197	1950
Clearwater	1918	88	1922
Cold Springs	1921	106	1922
Cordova	1961	301	1963
Coulter	1918	103	1922
Crandall	1915	28	1922
		281	1957
Crestview	1952	242	1956
Crocus	1946	198	1950
Cromarty	?	146	1932
Crystal City	1920	107	1922
Culross	1922	125	1922
Cypress River	1916	105	1922
Dand	1949	243	1956
Darlingford	1922	110	1922
Davidson	1939	183	1944
Decker	1920	111	1922
Deepdale	1945	199	1950
Deloraine	1910	12	1922
Domain	1947	200	1950
Dominion City	1915	24	1922
Douglas	1948	210	1950
Dry River	1946	211	1950
Duck Mountain	1947	238	1950
Dufresne	1958	286	1959
Dugald	1915	30	1922
		302	1965
Dumfries	1939	188	1947
Durban	1915	22	1922
Ebor	1927	203	1928
Eden	1950	245	1956
Edrans	1918	32	1922
Edwin	1915	33	1922
Egilson	1946	212	1950
Egremont	1932	151	1932
Elgin	1952	244	1956
Elkhorn	1915	35	1922
Ellenville	1919	36	1922
Elm Creek	1920	34	1922
Elphinstone	1921	37	1922
Elva	1918	38	1922
		295	1960
Emerson	1910	7	1922
		299	1962
Erickson	1937	190	1950
Ethelbert	1916	118	1922
Ewart	?	147	1932
Fairdale	1947	213	1950
Fairford	1947	246	1956
Fannystelle	1949	247	1956
Fisher Branch	1948	214	1950
Fisherton	1948	215	1950
Flee Island	1917	40	1922
Flin Flon	1935	168	1935
Fork River	1916	41	1922
Foxwarren	1916	42	1922
		270	1956
Gilbert Plains	1914	16	1922
Gimli	1917	44	1922
		288	1959
Gladstone	1915	21	1922
Glenora	1955	248	1956
Grand Narrows	1953	249	1956
Grandview	1915	46	1922
Graysville	1918	47	1922
Great Falls	1958	285	1959
Green Ridge	1935	164	1935
Gretna	1947	216	1950
Grosse Isle	1946	217	1950
Grunthal	1960	293	1960
Gunton	?	148	1932
Gypsumville	1921	48	1922
Hadashville	1958	284	1959
Hamiota	1910	14	1922
Hamiota Girl’s	1921	50	1922
Harding	1965	?
Harlington	1936	176	1937
Harmony - Fork River	1946	250	1956
Hartney	1915	31	1922
Hullett, Glendenning, Tisdale	1928	208	1928
Inglis	?	149	1932
Inwood	1919	85	1922
		287	1959
Iroquois	1928	206	1928
		272	1956
Isabella	1920	100	1922
Jaques	1956	274	1956
Justice	1951	251	1956
Kaleida	1936	173	1937
Kelwood	1947	218	1950
Kemnay	1960	294	1960
Kenton	1917	101	1922
Keyes	1930	138	1931
Killarney	1915	55	1922
		309	1967
Kirkhams Bridge	1950	252	1956
Lake Francis	1922	114	1922
Langruth	1917	56	1922
LaRiviere	1915	57	1922
Lauder	1938	191	1950
Lavinia	1946	219	1950
Lenore	1915	58	1922
		283	1957
Lenswood	1935	169	1936
Lidstone	1918	59	1922
		264	1956
Linwood	1928	205	1928
Livingstone	1921	60	1922
Lowe Farm	1947	220	1950
Lundar	1916	61	1922
Lyleton	1918	62	1922
		275	1957
MacGregor	1918	63	1922
		278	1957
Magnet	1935	166	1935
Makaroff	1922	123	1922
Makinak	1921	64	1922
Manitou	1910	13	1922
Manson	1945	221	1950
Marchand	1938	180	1940
Marquette	1922	122	1922
Mayfield	1916	66	1922
McAuley	1919	67	1922
		189	1949
McConnell	1946	223	1950
McCreary	1922	128	1922
		277	1957
Medora	1919	68	1922
Melita	1915	69	1922
Melton	1916	79	1922
Miniota	1915	72	1922
		266	1956
Minitonas	1914	17	1922
Minnedosa	1910	8	1922
Moline	1916	74	1922
Moore Park	1918	75	1922
Morris	1910	1	1922
Mountain Gap	1946	222	1950
Mountain Valley	1930	142	1931
Mt. Lildon	1946	224	1950
Mt. Vallent	1948	253	1956
Myrtle	1920	77
		225	1950
		306	1965
Napinka	1921	78	1922
Narcisse	1923	201	1925
		310	1969
Neepawa	1910	2	1922
Newdale - Ravens Glen	1955	256	1956
		300	1962
Niverville	1949	254	1956
	1949	296	1961
North Durban	1944	226	1950
Northcote	1928	207	1928
Norwood	1923	134	1929
		159	1929
Oak Bluff	1954	255	1956
Oak Lake	1910	4	1922
Oak Point	1927	204	1928
Oak Ridge	1936	170	1936
Oak River	1921	83	1922
Oakburn	1915	80	1922
Ochre River	1919	82	1922
Onanole	1946	227	1950
Osprey-Stoney Creek	1947	228	1950
Pelican Lake	1937	175	1937
Pembroke	1922	121	1922
Pierson	1921	84	1922
		297	1961
Pilot Mound	1910	3	1922
		130	1922
Piney	1939	186	1945
Pipestone	1920	86	1922
Pleasant Valley	1947	229	1950
Plum Coulee	1919	87	1922
Portage la Prairie	1915	39	1922
		279	1957
Pretty Valley	1939	184	1944
Rathwell	1939	194	1950
Regent	1951	257	1956
Reston	1919	89	1922
Ridgeville	1939	193	1950
Rivers	1917	90	1922
		273	1956
Riverton	1948	230	1950
Roblin	1915	91	1922
Rochedale	1925	202	1928
Roland	1915	92	1922
Rorketon	1929	209	1931
Roseisle	1922	127	1922
Rossburn	1921	94	1922
		269	1956
Rosser	1915	93	1922
		298	1961
Rothesay	1947	231	1950
Ruby-Durban	1938	182	1944
Russell	1915	95	1922
		280	1957
Sanford	1930	139	1931
		265	1956
Shell River	1940	181	1942
		271	1956
Shellmouth	?	96	1922
Shoal Lake	1915	97	1922
		263	1956
Shortdale	1919	108	1922
Sidney	1926	135	1931
Sifton	1916	98	1922
Silverton	1948	232	1950
Sinclair	1935	163	1935
Solsgirth	1915	29	1922
Somerset	1921	101	1922
Souris	1914	18	1922
Sperling	1915	43	1922
Sprague	1920	102	1922
Springvale	1949	258	1956
Square Plains	1935	167	1936
St. Andrews	1946	233	1950
St. Norbert	1951	259	1956
St. Vital	1929	137	1931
Steele	1935	165	1935
Steinbach	1931	141	1931
Stockton	?	104	1922
Stony Mountain	1914	19	1922
Strathclair	?	150	1932
Swan Lake	1915	45	1922
Swan River	1910	6	1922
		290	1959
Swan Valley	1939	185	1944
		268	1956
Sylvethe	1936	174	1937
Taras	1932	154	1932
Teulon	1949	260	1956
The Pas	1934	161	1935
Tilston	1921	109	1922
Tolstoi	1915	303	1965
Transcona	1915	49	1922
Treherne	1915	51	1922
Tummel	1921	112	1922
Two Creeks	1938	192	1950
		267	1956
Union	1946	234	1950
Valender - Lady Hubble	1956	292	1959
Valley River	1965	?
Virden	1910	10	1922
Vista	1955	261	1956
Vita	1933	155	1933
Warren	1922	120	1922
Waskada	1920	115	1922
		235	1950
Whitewater	1915	79	1922
Willen	1948	236	1950
Wilson River	1910	9	1922
		152	1932
Winkler	1922	128	1922
Winnipeg	1914	20	1922
Winnipegosis	1916	116	1922
Woodmore	1945	237	1950
Woodville	1952	262	1956

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Women’s Institutes Plaque (Main Street, Morris)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fisher Branch Women’s Institute Monument (RM of Fisher)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ranchvale Women’s Institute Monument (RM of Rossburn)

Sources:

Obituary [Helen May Peake], Winnipeg Tribune, 31 December 1969.

The Great Human Heart: A History of the Manitoba Women’s Institute, 1910-1980 by Manitoba Women’s Institute, 1980.

The Great Human Heart II: A History of the Manitoba Women’s Institute, 1980-2000 by Manitoba Women’s Institute, 2000.

We thank Angela Pickett for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 November 2022