Niverville opens new park symbolically honouring the town’s past

The Town of Niverville celebrated a part of its past with the opening of the Station Lands Heritage Park on July 18 and the well that is located there.

“The well that we’re celebrating here is not just a hole in the ground it is a revolution in the way life is lived in Southern Manitoba and Niverville happens to be the place where we have (that) symbol,” said historian Ernie Braun, who was at the opening and spoke about the historical significance of the well.

According to Braun, the well was used by Canadian Pacific Railway to fill their steam engines, which is evident by the train tracks that currently run alongside the park. When the train came in December 1878, it revolutionized the way people moved from one place to another essentially replacing the Red River ox cart and boats. It also meant people and goods could travel year-round and not just seasonally.

With the train came the post office and the telegraph which connected the town to the rest of the world. “Before the telegraph it took weeks and months for the news to get here. Today it happens through satellite, but to telegraph was a major leap forward,” said Braun.

Mayor Myron Dyck said the town matched $75,000 it received from the province to build the park. Work started in 2022 with grading, drainage, and excavation of the well. In 2023, the wall was built around the well from reclaimed brick and in 2024 trees, grass, and the design and build of the timber frame shelter were established.

“What this does is gives us a link to our history and our past, but it also contributes to active living and community connection. We have over 160 acres of public greenspace and 24 kilometres of trails,” said Dyck.