Deloraine, Manitoba, is an unincorporated urban community nestled in the southwestern corner of the province, near the Turtle Mountains. Once a town, Deloraine amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Winchester in 2015, forming the Municipality of Deloraine – Winchester. This community, located 100 km south of Brandon in the Westman Region, has a rich history dating back to its incorporation as a village in 1904.
The Assiniboine and Hunkpapa tribes originally inhabited the area of Deloraine, Manitoba. The town site was established in 1883 along the Boundary Commission Trail, and a post office was built in the general store by postmaster James Cavers. He named the post office Deloraine after his home district in Scotland, which eventually became the town's name.
The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1884, and by 1886, it ran from Deloraine to Boissevain and eastward to La Riviere. This development led to the relocation of the town site to its current location alongside the railway. Deloraine quickly became the grain shipping centre of southwestern Manitoba, taking grain shipments from as far away as Carnduff.
The federal government's efforts to settle the area led to an influx of Belgian settlers in 1888 and 1892. By 1893, the land office closed its doors as the settlement efforts were completed. Deloraine incorporated as a village on March 1, 1904, and then as a town on May 1, 1907.
Deloraine, Manitoba, is located on the western shore of Whitewater Lake, a brackish lake in an endorheic basin. The Turtle Mountains, a plateau rising 90 to 120 m above the surrounding countryside, lie just south of the community. The Manitoba side of the plateau is protected by Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, which spans approximately 186 km2.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Deloraine had a population of 962 living in 441 of its 490 total private dwellings. This figure represents a -1.6% change from its 2016 population of 978. With a land area of 2.52 km2, Deloraine had a population density of 381.7/km2 in 2021.
Deloraine, Manitoba, is home to one of only two stone bank vaults still in existence in western Canada. The community also hosts harness racing during the summer at a 1/2-mile track. Additionally, visitors can explore Prairie Sentinels Park, home to the Flags of the World millennium project.
In the early days of Deloraine, water was sourced by drilling using the power of steam engines and locomotives. However, the water quality was poor and salty. After the dry years of the 1930s, a 100-acre water reservoir was constructed southeast of the town on the Turtlehead Creek. The reservoir and the pipe connection to the town were completed in 1963, providing the community with a reliable source of potable water. Sewage lagoons were constructed at the east end of the community, and treated sewage flows north and east into Whitewater Lake.
