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Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada |
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Grand Beach
NO PART OF THE FOLLOWING
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHS
MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT
PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR ©
This currently-popular nature area has an amusement past. A sandy beach nearly three kilometres in length was enjoyed by natives long before settlers moved west in Canada. Such an attraction was a plus for any developer, so The Canadian Northern Railway placed a line to the area in 1916. They may have seen how well The Canadian Pacific Railway was doing with its development Winnipeg Beach on the western shore and decided they could open a similar venue. There's was located across the lake on the eastern side.
During and after the Great War, the place began to be developed in a more commercial manner. By the early 1920s, a bath house and food concessions had been established along with a wooden boardwalk that ran from the station along the beach to a lagoon. It would eventually be illuminated at night. Trains brought vacationers and picnicking day trippers from Winnipeg eighty kilometres southwest of Grand Beach.
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Train Station Circa 1940s or 50s  |
A steam-engine train waits patiently as
passengers mill around it and the station.
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A huge dancehall was erected early on (1915 from one source). At the time it was supposedly the largest in the Commonwealth until the massive floor at Crystal Beach opened in May of 1925. The Grand Beach dancehall would entertain patrons until destroyed by fire in 1950. Admission was free but dances were initially priced at 5 cents. Frequent vacationers saw the need for a hotel, as well. It may have been built at the same time as the dancehall.
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Dance Pavilion Circa 1930s  |
| The raised boardwalk stretches out along the beach toward the dance pavilion. Note the arched roof on the dancehall. |
The only amusement ride shown in research so far is a carousel. However, no details of it have surfaced other than that it was enclosed and apparently had only horses. Other entertainment at the park included beauty contests and body building exhibitions.
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The Beach Circa 1930s  |
| This shot of the beach on a sunny day shows the water filled with swimmers. Notice the simple playground-style water slide at Center Right. |
By the end World War II, several hundred had built summer homes in the area. Canadian National Railway was servicing the area by then and the beach'e popularity had grown to require two runs per day in peak season. This service would run until September, 1961 at which time CNR's land there would go to the province. Presumably this is when the area became a provincial park. However, it's possible the amusements at the park ended in 1950 when the dancehall burned.
Today the area is a Manitoba provincial park of almost 2500 hectares that promotes day usage of tennis, swimming, picnics, hiking, etc. The park also offers a historical photo exhibition along the boardwalk, and ski trails in the winter.
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