Riverton
Riverton Transportation and Heritage Museum in winter.
Riverton Transportation and Heritage Museum in winter.
Riverton is located in Manitoba
Riverton
Riverton
Location of Riverton in Manitoba
Coordinates: 50°59′45″N 96°59′55″W / 50.99583°N 96.99861°W / 50.99583; -96.99861
CountryCanada
ProvinceManitoba
RegionInterlake
Rural MunicipalityMunicipality of Bifrost – Riverton
Government
 • MP (Provencher)James Bezan (CPC)
 • MLA
(Interlake-Gimli)		Derek Johnson (PC)
Elevation
218 m (715 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total475[1]
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Postal code span
R0C 0A8
Area code204

Riverton is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Bifrost – Riverton within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. It is located approximately 110 kilometres north of Winnipeg. The CPR's train conductor is reputed to have named the community.

Riverton is a descriptive which replaced the earlier name, Icelandic River.[2] Icelandic River was named in 1875 by an Icelandic expedition as a prelude to Riverton. Originally known as White River, it appears on Arrowsmith's map of 1821, and as White Mud on Palliser's map of 1865.[3]

The main economy is fishing. The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation operates a fish-packing factory on the banks of the Icelandic River, which passes through the centre of Riverton. Other industries include agriculture and the service sector, with manufacturing being done by ECB (Erosion Control Blanket) a distant third. Being in a unique position on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, Riverton services the northern communities via a winter road. It is on the way to Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park and many people from Winnipeg stop in or pass by the community on the way to cottage country each summer.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Riverton had a population of 475 living in 215 of its 254 total private dwellings, a change of -11.7% from its 2016 population of 538. With a land area of 1.19 km2 (0.46 sq mi), it had a population density of 399.2/km2 (1,033.8/sq mi) in 2021.[4]

Education

Notable people

Solar eclipse

Riverton was the closest community to the point of maximum totality for the solar eclipse of February 26, 1979. This total solar eclipse was part of Saros cycle 120, Series 59. Riverton hosted astronomers and eclipse chasers from across the world, providing free rooms to many of the visitors.

References

  1. ↑ "Riverton Census Profile". Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 63. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  3. ↑ Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 59. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  4. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
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