Emerson

The rural municipality of Emerson-Franklin is the main crossing into Central Manitoba for Winnipeg-bound traffic from the United States. A sparsely-populated expanse of prairie at the eastern edge of the Pembina Valley, it includes the communities of Emerson, West Lynne, Roseau River, Franklin, Arnaud, Tolstoi and Dominion City.

Understand
Emerson is a tiny frontier town on the Canada-US border. In the years before uninterrupted travel across Canada by rail, voyagers heading westward would cross through the United States of America by necessity and re-enter Canada by crossing into Manitoba from Minnesota.

A Hudson's Bay Company post that began at Pembina moved north to West Lynne in 1871, serving traders on the Red River. Fort Dufferin, a Canadian government post (1872-1879), served as a base for the North American Boundary Commission, then as a launching point for the 1874 March West of the North West Mounted Police and finally as an immigration station for steamboats on the Red River. It closed once the railways had supplanted the river boats.

Emerson became a short-lived boom town when cross-border rail lines opened in 1879, only to go bust once the Canadian Pacific mainline redirected east-west domestic traffic via Winnipeg in 1884. While many of the abandoned buildings in Emerson were eventually destroyed by Red River floods or were simply demolished, a rural village of about 700 people remains. A few original historic buildings are still standing; the historic court house remains in use.

In 2017, Emerson received wide international news media coverage as a crossing point for third-country refugees escaping from the United States into Canada. Under Canadian law, international refugees arriving at official crossing points risk being turned back under a 2004 "safe third country" agreement (destroying any chance of their applying for Canadian refuge in the future), while those entering irregularly by crossing into snow-covered farmers' fields at night may obtain due process of law to make their case for asylum in Canada.

Get in
Emerson is south of Winnipeg on Manitoba Highway 75. There is no public transport to Emerson.

From the United States, take I-29 through Pembina, North Dakota, which is 8 km (5 mi) south of Emerson. This crossing is the main overland port of entry into Manitoba from abroad.

The nearest Via Rail train station and major airport are in Winnipeg.

Get around
There is no taxi in Emerson. The nearest scheduled bus service may well be in Fargo or Winnipeg. A car is likely the only viable option.

Do

 * The community of Arnaud features Canada Day celebrations on July 1.
 * Dominion hosts an annual Summerfest and the Dominion City Carnival in March.
 * Dominion hosts an annual Summerfest and the Dominion City Carnival in March.

Drink
The minimum drinking age in Manitoba is 18. The Emerson Hotel operates a Liquor Mart agency (+1 204-712-6194) to sell beer.

Stay safe
This is a remote area; Manitoba winters can be bitterly cold. Temperatures as low as -20°C are very common; extended exposure may cause rapid frostbite. Refugees have lost fingers and toes after arriving unprepared for local conditions or losing their way in winter blizzards.

In spring, the Red River is prone to flooding.

Go next

 * Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital and principal city, is north on Route 75.