Manitoba’s first explorers were Aboriginal people who entered the region from the south over 11,000 years ago. At that time, only a small portion of the province was accessible, as most of it was covered by an ice sheet or glacial lakes.
These first people hunted now-extinct species of Ice Age animals and manufactured a distinctive style of stone spear point. The scarcity of such artifacts indicates that the earliest explorers were members of a small, highly mobile population whose territory included present-day southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
As time went on, the ice sheet gradually melted and the glacial lakes slowly drained away. The central and northern regions of Manitoba soon supported a variety of plant and animal resources that drew the attention of Indigenous hunters and gatherers. By 7,000 years ago, most of the province had been explored and subsequently occupied by successive generations of Manitoba’s first people.
This commemorative plaque was erected at Boissevain in 1993 by the Manitoba Heritage Council in front of the former Boissevain Telephone Exchange Building. It was gone by 2018 and its present whereabouts are unknown.
Manitoba’s First Explorers Plaque (August 2010)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.23027, W100.05394
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Boissevain Telephone Exchange Building (460 South Railway Street, Boissevain, Municipality of Boissevain-Morton)
Manitoba's First Explorers, Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques
We thank Glen Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 July 2025
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