New Emerson campground and beach open

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This article was published 02/06/2014 (4001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The finishing touches are being done, but the new Prairie Oak Campground by the Red River near Emerson is open for business. Owner Kyle Wiebe said the man-made lake with its shallow incline for kids has already proved a big hit with families.

Wiebe purchased the 60-acre park with his brother Mark, dad Jack, and uncle Ernie last year. Before that, the former Kampgrounds of America (KOA) site was untended for 10 years.

The park connected to the historical Fort Dufferin has trails for walking, biking, atvs, and horses; showers; campsites with water, electric, and some with sewer; and the wheelchair accessible main building that will soon serve as a store and a place to watch a football game.

The beach was made after land was moved to create the new ring dike protecting the campground from a rising Red River. Wiebe also said a fishing pond has been created, and a play structure is going up as quickly as the newly seeded grass.

Wiebe said he and his family, who own JKW construction, decided to get into the private campground business because of their love for nature and desire to get people more interested in conservation. The Plum Coulee family knows the people from Emerson, according to Wiebe, after decades of working in the town — soon to be Emerson-Franklin after a merger with the neighbouring municipality — and saw an opportunity to offer something back to the community.

Prices for 2014 are $20 per night or $25 with sewer, $450 per month, or $1,800 per season. For more information call the campground at 204-304-1445.

 

Find out more about the new attraction in the next edition of The Carillon.