Shoal Lake, a charming locality in the southwest of Manitoba, Canada, is a place where history and nature intertwine. Originally a town, Shoal Lake underwent a series of amalgamations, first with the Rural Municipality of Shoal Lake in 2011, and later with the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead in 2015.
Shoal Lake's history dates back to 1875 when the North-West Mounted Police established a barracks along the Carlton Trail at the lake's southern end. The community was officially established in 1884 and relocated to the lake's northern side in 1885, aligning with the construction of the Manitoba & Northwestern Railroad (now CPR).
Shoal Lake was incorporated as a village on January 12, 1909, and later achieved town status on October 10, 1997. The town amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Shoal Lake on January 1, 2011, and further combined with the Rural Municipality of Strathclair on January 1, 2015, to form the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead.
Shoal Lake, the community, is nestled to the northeast of a lake bearing the same name. The lake, with a length of 9 km (5.6 mi), is a popular destination for boating and fishing, thanks to its abundant stock of walleye and northern pike. The lake's existence has been recorded as far back as 1865 on the Palliser map.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shoal Lake had a population of 652, residing in 307 of its 342 total private dwellings. This represented a -7% change from its 2016 population of 701. With a land area of 2.52 km2 (0.97 sq mi), the population density stood at 258.7/km2 (670.1/sq mi) in 2021.
Shoal Lake offers a variety of recreational facilities. The community boasts a nine-hole golf course and hosts facilities for baseball, ice hockey, curling, and pickle-ball. It is also home to the province's official museum dedicated to the North-West Mounted Police, built in 1984 to replicate the barracks established at the lake's southern end in 1875.
Shoal Lake is conveniently located at the junction of highways 16, 21, and 42. It is serviced by the Shoal Lake Airport and Shoal Lake Water Aerodrome, and by the Greyhound bus service (freight only).
