East Region
Located approximately forty kilometres southeast of Winnipeg on the TransCanada Highway, the town of Richer emerged from two dynamic nations: the French and the Metis. The first settlers were attracted to the area, initially called Côteau-de-Chênes, by the abundance of lumber. The construction of the Dawson Trail, beginning in 1869, attracted even more settlers who came to live alongside the Métis who had been in the area since the 1840s.
In 1901, the town was renamed Thibautville, in honour of the first missionary to work in the area, Fr. Jean-Baptiste Thibault. With the population growth, in 1905, a post office was established and the town’s name was changed to Richer, in honour of a political benefactor, Isaïe Richer. At the beginning of the 1960s the exodus of the populations toward Winnipeg caused a rapid decline in the towns population. Moreover, in 1995, towns Enfant-Jésus Church, on the Historic Dawson Trail, saw its doors closed.
In October 2008, through efforts of community members, the weathered building obtained the status of the municipal heritage site. The town of Richer today offers many amenities to its residents and the many tourists who frequent the areas many campgrounds and who pass through on their way to the Whiteshell Provincial Park.
A visit to Manitoba means travelling through Treaty 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 territory and communities signatory to Treaties 6 and 10, the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anish-Ininiwak, Dakota, Dené, Iiniwak, and Nehethowuk and the homeland of the Métis Nation. Its ongoing existence is thanks to these ancestors and their present day relatives who continue to love and care for the land.
