About Wabowden

Wabowden is a picturesque small community nestled between Bowden, Bucko and Rock Island lakes.

It's Cree name, Mescanaganeek means "steel road". 

The Earliest Years

Wabowden started out in the early 1900's as a small settlement made up of a few families from Cross Lake and Nelson House, two native communities to the southeast. The village was located in an area called Monkey Town, on the shores of Setting Lake. Not only a good location for trapping and fishing, the settlement was a popular stopover point for travellers between Cross Lake and Nelson House. It was a local centre of the fur trade. Goods were transported to and from outlying villages by canoe in summer and by dog team in winter. Setting Lake owes its name to this activity-freight canoes often had to stop and sit, or "set" on its shores while travellers waited out storms.

The Rail Line Pushes North

In 1913, grading for the Hudson Bay Railway from The Pas to Churchill began, and the town was moved to the rail line site, a short distance to the south of the lakeshore. At first the new settlement was known simply as Mile 137, but that August it received its official name of Wabowden- named for W.A.Bowden, Chief Engineer in the Federal Department of Railways and Canals.

Hudson Bay Company Post: a Centre of Commerce

Wabowden continued to grow in importance as a northern transportation centre. It was in an excellent location for distributing supplies as it was on the path of both summer and winter transport to the Nelson River, one of the main fur trade "highways". At first, freighting was done by canoe from Kiski Creek. Then, in the spring of 1919 the first horse drawn freight toboggans left for Nelson House. By the next year, freight traffic from Wabowden had become so common that the trails had to be widened with hand axes to accommodate two-horse teams.
The Hudson Bay Post, first established in 1922 on the Point, became the hub of this transportation network. It handled all mail, freight and fur shipments to and from Cross Lake, Norway House, Oxford House, God's Lake Narrows, Nelson House and Island Lake. Trade was conducted with railway employees, prospectors, and both white and Cree Indian trappers.

Northern Industrialization

Forestry and mining also shaped the life of the town. Logging was introduced in the early 1930's when logs were cut for use as rail ties. In 1971, Churchill Forest Industries began a logging operation at Lake Sipiwesk. Wabowden loggers continue to supply wood for Manfor plant in The Pas, CFI's Successor.
Mining exploration was a major activity during the 1950's. Geologists and prospectors, some with wives and children by their sides, often braved the harsh winters in living only in camp tents. In 1971, several mines were opened in the area. Two of them-test mines at Bucko Lake and Bowden Lake-were shut down within a year. The Manibridge Mine and another at Soab Creek spurred the development of small communities. Manibridge workers and their families had to depend on Wabowden merchants for supplies and services.
The town suffered a decline after the Manibridge Mine shut down in 1977.