Oakville, Manitoba

1,400 miles 

Feb 9 – The location now known as Oakville originally had poor land, few trees, & little available drinking water.   Legend says that an Aboriginal tribe once set up camp here and named it “Kawende”, meaning “no good”, and soon abandoned it.  White people created a village here, but, knowing that new settlers would not want to live in a “no good” town, they changed the name from Kawende to Oakville.  This was meant to invoke an image of the great number of oak trees that once covered the region.  In 1891, the name was changed back to Kawende to avoid confusion with Oakville, Ontario.  Then in 1939, the name was officially changed back to Oakville.

The town is proud of its spectacular canola fields, which grow well in poor soil.

info:  http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/59/prairiemonuments.shtml

image:  http://flickriver-lb-1710691658.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/photos/btitaro/sets/72157616982304214/

canola field image:  http://www.oakville-mb.ca/in-the-community/business-directory/