Ashern is a local urban district[2] located in the Municipality of West Interlake in Manitoba's Interlake Region.
Ashern | |
|---|---|
  Ashern Location of Ashern in Manitoba | |
| Coordinates: 51°10′56″N 98°20′44″W / 51.18222°N 98.34556°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Manitoba |
| Region | Interlake |
| Census Division | No. 18 |
| Government | |
| • MP | James Bezan |
| • MLA | Derek Johnson |
| Population | |
• Total | 616 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Postal Code | R0C 0E0 |
| Area code | 204 |
| NTS Map | 062O01 |
| GNBC Code | GABCU |
Today, the community supports the agriculture (mostly beef in addition to a few private pork and chicken farms), fishing, mineral extraction, recreation and tourism industries. The community of Ashern is the largest community in the municipality and is a regional service centre to a trading area of approximately 8,000 people.
History
editThe Canadian National Railway arrived in this area in 1911,[3] and a fourth-class CPR station was built in 1920.[4] Ashern was named after A. S. Hern, a timekeeper of the firm that constructed the railway that served the Western Interlake.[3]
The Ashern School District was established in February 1911, originally as number 1556 but later being reformed as number 1880 in April 1917, when the former number was reused for the Beatty School District.[5]
In 1919, the Ashern Presbyterian Church was constructed, later becoming the Ashern United Church in 1925. An addition to the building was made in the 1950s.[6]
A new school building was constructed in 1953, later replaced with the present-day Ashern Central School. The Ashern Primary School (also known as Ashern Elementary) would later be replaced with Ashern Early Years School. In 1967, Ashern became part of the Lakeshore School Division.[5]
The community previously belonged to the Rural Municipality of Siglunes, incorporated in 1917, which amalgamated with RM of Eriksdale to become the Municipality of West Interlake in 2015.[7]
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ashern had a population of 616 living in 279 of its 326 total private dwellings, a change of 9% from its 2016 population of 565.[8] With a land area of 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi), it had a population density of 204.7/km2 (530.0/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Amenities and activities
editAshern is home the world's largest sharptail grouse, a 5-metre-tall (16 feet) monument erected in 1979 to commemorate the birdwatching and hunting qualities of the area.[10]
The Ashern Museum, open seasonally between June and September, features six restored heritage buildings: the Ashern fourth-class Canadian National Railway station (built in 1920), which is now the museum office; St. Michael’s Anglican Church (1912); Hoffman log house (1929); Ashern post office building (1931); Siglunes municipal office (1931); and Darwin School No. 1576 (1912).[4]
Ashern has a community hall, an Elk's Hall and a Royal Canadian Legion Hall that cater to a wide variety of events and community groups.
The fall months are welcomed by avid hunters as the Siglunes region is a popular place for hunters.
It hosts the Annual Ashern Rodeo during the Labour Day weekend. A street dance, fireworks, parade, rodeo and social are also a part of Labour Day Weekend in Ashern, as well as the Ashern Horse Show.
The Ashern Hornets is the hockey team that plays in the South Interlake Hockey League (SIHL). Ashern is the hometown of the former NHL player Chuck Arnason, as well as actor Adam Beach. Ashern is about two hours north of Winnipeg. The (Grade 5-12) high school is the largest in the division. It also has an elementary school (Kindergarten-Grade 4), recently built daycare, and a hospital serving the region.
Climate
editAshern has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers and very cold winters. Due to its position far from large moderating bodies of water and its quite high latitude Ashern see extreme temperature variation over the course of the year.
| Climate data for Ashern | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
9 (48) |
16.1 (61.0) |
33 (91) |
37 (99) |
36.5 (97.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.5 (99.5) |
36.7 (98.1) |
26.5 (79.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
8 (46) |
37.5 (99.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −13.3 (8.1) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
9.6 (49.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
23.8 (74.8) |
17 (63) |
9.8 (49.6) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −19.3 (−2.7) |
−15.8 (3.6) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
3 (37) |
11 (52) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
16.9 (62.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
4.5 (40.1) |
−6 (21) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
1.3 (34.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −25.2 (−13.4) |
−22.1 (−7.8) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
4 (39) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10 (50) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.2 (−53.0) |
−46.1 (−51.0) |
−39.5 (−39.1) |
−33 (−27) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−4 (25) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−20.5 (−4.9) |
−39.5 (−39.1) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−47.2 (−53.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 17.1 (0.67) |
12.8 (0.50) |
23.5 (0.93) |
28.9 (1.14) |
50.2 (1.98) |
87.4 (3.44) |
61.1 (2.41) |
80.7 (3.18) |
60.8 (2.39) |
38.2 (1.50) |
21.7 (0.85) |
17.5 (0.69) |
499.9 (19.68) |
| Source: Environment Canada[11] | |||||||||||||
Pop culture
editThe 1982 National Film Board film, The Pedlar, was shot in town.[12]
Notable people
edit- Chuck Arnason, former professional hockey player
- Adam Beach, Actor
References
edit- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Ashern, Local urban district [Designated place], Manitoba and Manitoba [Province] - 100% data". Statistics Canada, 2016 Statistics Canada. 2017. Ashern, LUD [Designated place], Manitoba and Manitoba [Province] (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released November 29, 2017.
- ^ "Local Urban Districts Regulation". Government of Manitoba. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b "Manitoba Communities: Ashern (Incorporated Village, Municipality of West Interlake)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ashern Pioneer Museum (Ashern, Municipality of West Interlake)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ashern School No. 1556 / Ashern School No. 1880 (Ashern, Municipality of West Interlake)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ashern Presbyterian Church / Ashern United Church and Cemetery (Ashern, Municipality of West Interlake)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Manitoba Communities: West Interlake (Municipality)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses". Statistics Canada.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Sharptail Grouse Monument (Ashern, Municipality of West Interlake)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Environment Canada - Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 08 March 2011
- ^ "Filming Location Matching "Ashern, Manitoba, Canada" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb. Retrieved February 13, 2020.