As with most of the francophone villages in southeast Manitoba, the history of \u00cele-des-Ch\u00eanes dates back to the late 1800s, when the Province of Manitoba purchased land from the Hudson\u2019s Bay Company and in turn sold it to newcomers to the region.<\/p>\n
Early settlers from Quebec occupied the land and turned the area into a farming and agricultural community. Every spring, the area around \u00cele-des-Ch\u00eanes would flood, forcing the settlers to seek refuge on higher ground. The most elevated point of the land surrounded by snowmelt was a place where oak trees grew in abundance, hence the town’s name of ” \u00cele -des-Ch\u00eanes” (“Oak Island”).<\/p>\n
Today, \u00cele-des-Ch\u00eanes is an active, thriving bedroom community, only ten minutes south of Winnipeg along Highway 59. \u00cele-des-Ch\u00eanes offers the best of both worlds: the benefits of country living close to city convenience!<\/p>\n