Shoal Lake, Manitoba
Shoal Lake is a locality in the southwest of Manitoba, Canada. Originally incorporated as a town, Shoal Lake amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Shoal Lake on January 1, 2011 to form the Municipality of Shoal Lake, which became the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead on January 1, 2015. History. Shoal Lake was first settled in 1875 when the North-West Mounted Police established a barracks along the Carlton Trail at the south end of the lake. The community was established in 1884, and moved to its current location at the lake's north side in 1885 to  coincide with the building of the Manitoba & Northwestern Railroad (now CPR). The community incorporated as a village on January 12, 1909, and then changed to town status on October 10, 1997. It amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Shoal Lake on January 1, 2011, which combined further with the Rural Municipality of Strathclair on January 1, 2015 to form the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead. Geography. The community lies to the northeast of a lake of the same name. With a length of and a stock of walleye and northern pike, the lake is a destination for boating and fishing. The  lake appears on the Palliser map of 1865. Demographics. In the 2011 Census, Shoal Lake had a population of 714 living in 325 of its 357 total dwellings, a 5.0% change from its 2006 population of 680. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2011. Attractions. The community has a nine-hole golf course and hosts facilities for baseball, ice hockey, and curling. It is home to the province's official museum to the North-West Mounted Police, which was built in 1984 to replicate barracks established at the south end of the lake in  1875. Infrastructure. Transportation. Shoal Lake is located at the junction of highways 16, 21, and 42. It is serviced by the Shoal Lake Airport and Shoal Lake Water Aerodrome and by the Greyhound bus service (freight only).