Brandon (Manitoba)

Brandon is a city of 49,000 people (2016) in southwestern Manitoba about an hour north of the North Dakota border. Brandon is the second-largest city in the province, after Winnipeg. Brandon is known as a city that is not too big to be impersonal, but not so small that it lacks the amenities of large cities.

History
Prior to the influx of people from Eastern Canada, the area around Brandon was primarily used by the Sioux people, the Bungays, the Yellow Quills, and the Bird Tails. In the 1870s and early 1880s, the Plains Bison were nearly wiped out by over-hunting. With the destruction of their staff of life, the buffalo, the nomadic Sioux people began to agree to settle in reserves such as the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, or left the area entirely.

French Canadians also passed through the area on river boats on their way to the Hudson Bay Post, Fort Ellice near present-day St. Lazare, Manitoba. The city of Brandon gets its name from the Blue Hills south of the city, which got their name from a Hudson's Bay trading post known as Brandon House, which got its name from a hill on an island in James Bay where Captain James had anchored his ship in 1631.

During the 1870s it was believed by most that the transcontinental railway would take a northwesterly direction from Portage la Prairie. Many thought that the route would most likely go through either Minnedosa or Rapid City, Manitoba because they were both located at natural river crossings. Rapid City was the front runner for the site of the new railway and had prepared for the impending building boom accordingly. But suddenly, in 1881, the builders of the railway decided to take a more westerly route from Winnipeg, towards Grand Valley. Grand Valley was located on the northern side of the Assiniboine, opposite the side of the river where present-day Brandon sits. Grand Valley was settled by two brothers John and Dougal McVicar, and their families. With the expectation of the new railway, settlers and prospectors now rushed to an area they had previously avoided. Around 1879 a few settlers led by Reverend George Roddick had begun to build their new homes about 10 miles south of Grand Valley, at the foot of the Brandon Hills.

Meanwhile, in Grand Valley with the promise of the railway, the town began to boom. Regular voyages were made by steam sternwheelers to the city, each bringing more and more settlers. In the spring of 1881, General Thomas L. Rosser, Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Grand Valley. It was Rosser's job to choose the townsites for the railway. Rosser approached Dougald McVicar of Grand Valley and offered him $25,000 for the railway in Grand Valley. McVicar countered with $50,000 to which Rosser replied that “I’ll be damned if a town of any kind is ever built here". So instead Rosser crossed the Assiniboine river and built the site of the railway on the high sandy south of the River, two miles west of Grand Valley. So the site was then moved to a site just west of today's current First Street bridge in Brandon. A shanty had been built there by a man named J.D. Adamson, and it was on this quarter section Adamson claimed that Rosser chose as the townsite for the CPR Railway and named Brandon. After the location of the railway was changed again, there was still hope that Grand Valley could become a rival neighbour to Brandon. But late in June 1881 it became clear that Grand Valley would not have lasted as a city long term. A flood hit in late June, and as the city was built on a low-lying part of the river, flooded quickly and dramatically. Because Grand Valley was built on a low flood plain, and Brandon was built on the heights on the other side, it became apparent that Brandon was the best place for a city in the area.

Rosser had chosen Brandon as the townsite in May 1881, within a year settlers had flocked to Brandon in such numbers that it was incorporated as a city.

An internment camp was set up at the Exhibition Building in Brandon from September 1914 to July 1916.

By plane
Although Brandon has a, limited commercial passenger service is available. WestJet Encore provides once daily service to/from Calgary. The Brandon Air Shuttle provides daily transportation from Winnipeg International Airport to locations in Brandon. The shuttle will pick up and drop off at any location in Brandon.

Winnipeg International Airport is approximately 200 km to the east of Brandon and is well connected with flights across Canada. Travellers can fly into Winnipeg and then transfer to ground transportation to reach Brandon.

By bus
Brandon Air Shuttle provide bus service from Winnipeg Airport 3 times a day.

By car
Brandon is at the junction of the Provincial Trunk Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and Provincial Trunk Highway 10. Provincial Trunk Highway 10 is travels north from to North Dakota in the United States of America. The US and Canada customs offices on this highway operate 24 hours. Provincial Trunk Highway 1 travels westbound from Winnipeg or eastbound from Regina, Saskatchewan. It is a four-lane highway.

By train
The Canadian, a train route between Toronto and Vancouver, stops at a train station in Rivers, 30 km north of Brandon on Highway 10. There are two trains per week in each direction.

By public transit
Brandon Transit operates ten bus routes throughout the city. The Brandon Transit website provides a map of the routes. Buses depart every 30 minutes during peak times and every hour during non-peak times. Limited public transit is available on Sundays.

By taxi
The city has no shortage of taxi companies. Fares are metered and based on rates set by the city.

By rental car
There are two car rental agencies in the city and prices are approximately the same throughout the city. Many rental agency offices are not open on Sundays.


 * Budget Rent-a-Car, 215 6th Street, +1 204-725-3550
 * Enterprise Rent-a-Car, 759 1st Street, +1 204-725-1300

Go next

 * Riding Mountain National Park: Located approximately 100 km north of Brandon.
 * Spruce Woods Provincial Park: Located approximately 60 km south east of Brandon. No public transit is available to Spruce Woods.
 * Souris: Approximately 40 km south of Brandon. Canada's longest Swinging Bridge is in Souris.
 * Spirit Sands: The featured destination of Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Home to Manitoba's only open sand dunes.