Oakbank, Manitoba
Oakbank () is a small town in
Manitoba,
Canada located about 15km east of the provincial capital
Winnipeg, in the Rural Municipality of Springfield. It has a population of about 3,000 persons and serves as a dormitory town or
bedroom community for Winnipeg, as a majority of the residents work and play in Winnipeg. Some noteworthy locations include two gas stations, a car wash, an elementary, junior high and high school, and a few locally owned shops. Oakbank's rapid population growth is representative of small towns in the capital region, as two new housing developments have recently been initiated in the town.
In 1899 a post office was established in the present location of Oakbank and the village grew around it. In 1901 a
Presbyterian church was moved to the community and a Baptist church built in 1908. In 1906 the Canadian Pacific Railway built a track that passed through the village; by 1927 the line was double-tracked. A train station existed until 1968. Electricity was supplied by the
Winnipeg Electric Company starting in 1930. Rural electrification did not reach the surrounding area until 1949. In 1887 a telephone was installed in the home of the municipal secretary treasurer. Various private telephone companies, often with only a dozen subscribers, operated until they were all absorbed by
Manitoba Telephone System in 1950. A local manual telephone exchange was in operation until 1966 when an automatic exchange was installed. A Credit Union was founded in the village in 1945 and continues to operate today. In 1964 local school divisions were consolidated and Oakbank became the local center for elementary, junior high and high school students.
Aileen Kraushar et al, "Springfield 1st Rural Municipality in Manitoba 1873-1973", Dugald Women's Institute, Dugald Manitoba Canada 1974, ISBN 0-919212-40-9
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Oakbank community profile
