Wakopa

6. The Railway and the "New Village"

Railways, Railways & More Railways

When the Southwest Branch reached Killarney and Boissevain in 1885 patterns of commerce that had been in place for about five years, changed overnight. The new towns created on that line eclipsed Wakopa as commercial centres, and Wakopa area farmers were better off in that they now had to travel only ten or twenty miles to the nearest elevator.
But there was always that hope that more branch lines would be built and established farmers kept advocating for better service.
Around 1900 a proposal was being considered that would meet their needs. A branch of the Canadian Northern Pacific line that had established the towns of Baldur, Belmont and Wawanesa would connect to that line near Greenway and proceed southwest to the Wakopa region.

Manitoba Telegraph – June 12, 1901

Locals advocated strongly for the line to be built and in 1903 construction began.

Manitoba Telegraph - May 28, 1903

Construction of the Wakopa Branch near Neelin. (James Wall Collection - McKee Archives)

The arrival of rail service prompted the rebirth of Wakopa as a village, although the location was just slightly north of the original site, the community and the name remained. A station, elevator and store were soon constructed, and although the population and commercial activity remained small, the importance to local farm families was immense.

Beginnings in “New” Wakopa….

For many years the only establishments were the elevator and Morgan's store. A school located near the old village site continued there until it was replaced by a new building closer to the village.

With the end of the railway line, the elevator ceased to operate and only Morgan's store remained for a time. A visitor to Killarney might not be aware that the small building that housed a Hair Salon, (behind the shopping mall) is the elevator house from Wakopa.

Brandon Sun, June 17, 1966

Two overviews….

The view from Google Earth in 2020 shows past and present elements of the Wakopa story.