Manitou Beach

Village in Saskatchewan, Canada

Manitou Beach (2021 population 364) is a resort village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 11. It is on the shores of Little Manitou Lake in the Rural Municipality of Morris No. 312. It is north of Watrous and approximately east of Saskatoon. The village is known for its saltwater lake, the historic dance venue Danceland, and thriving cultural, art, and tourism scene.

Manitou Beach incorporated as a resort village on August 11, 1919. The Beach attracted many tourists at the beginning of the 20th century. The Beach is nestled in a glacier scooped valley on Highway 365, three miles north of Watrous, Saskatchewan. The east and west beaches always seemed to be competing with each other and became rivals. Some would say this interfered with the growth of Manitou Beach but may also have spurred it on. In the 1920s and 30s, both sides of the beach were busy with the east beach being more popular. In the 1920s and ’30s Manitou Beach was alive. Thousands came to enjoy the mineral waters. It was the most popular summer resort on the prairies, offering an alternative, and became a rival for Banff Hot Springs. People came by rail when Watrous became a division point of the Canadian National Railway. Excursion trains arrived from the four main cities. The tourists would ride the train to Watrous and then take a shuttle taxi to the resort. Also, thousands of automobiles would be parked in fields on weekends. The beach population would grow from 200 to 15,000 during the summer months. The bustling resort had lots to offer any vacationer: 3 large dance halls, 2 large enclosed mineral hot bath houses, massage parlours, numerous beach stores and restaurants/cafes, several boarding houses, hotels and motels, many cottages, 2 drug stores, 3 grocery stores, 2 service stations, boat rentals, a barber shop, 4 ice cream parlours, a Y. W. C. A. building, a moving picture show, and real estate offices. And yes bootleggers and a brothel. In the 1930s, Saskatchewan was hit hard with drought, grasshoppers and poor wheat prices. Temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When the depression hit, crowds stopped coming. Those that did come, didn’t have much money to spend. They just wanted a cool dip in the water because the weather was hot and dry. By the 1940s the resort was in deep trouble. Mysterious fires happened. Clinics lost their patients. Many buildings were torn down because they couldn’t be maintained anymore. And the lake was receding. The change in travel habits of North American people also caused the resort to decline. Airplanes were invented and therefore long distance travel was no longer a hardship. Tourists were drawn to the warmer coastal or tropical resorts. Recreational vehicles became popular. Holiday travel went on wheels. Manitou Beach and its activities remained at a lower level for years awaiting rejuvenation in the late 1980s and 90s.

To First Nations people in this region, Little Manitou is the lake of healing waters. Bill Strongarm, committee member and residential school support worker with TATC, explains that Manitou, in Cree means “Great Spirits or the Creator” while Sakahīcan means “lake.” He says the lake was called Manitou Sakahīcan because it was a place where First Nations people gathered to heal people affected with various skin diseases and other sicknesses.

In the early 1930s, the government decided to construct a luxurious resort hotel as a relief project, using almost exclusively local materials. The Park Chalet was constructed in Manitou Lake Provincial Park by unemployed workers using fieldstone from local quarries. The original buildings had thatched roofs made from reeds and rushes. The resort consisted of 290 acres and was located on the west beach. It was operated as a commercial hotel until the early 1950s. In 1956 the provincial government sold the Park Chalet to the Saskatchewan Society for Crippled Children for $1.00. It became a summer resident camp for individuals experiencing disability. The 290 acre property was divided. 100 acres went to Camp Easter Seal and 190 acres were kept for Manitou Lake Regional Park. A brochure was published, promising a park with picnic grounds, camp kitchens, playgrounds, a tennis court, a 9 hole golf course and a mile long sandy beach – with free indoor showers to wash off the salt. Saskatchewan Society for Crippled Children (Camp Easter Seal) was established and began operating the facility as a summer camp for individuals experiencing disability.

Manitou Beach is a tourist destination. It features mineral spa, a dance hall, a nine hole golf course, numerous art galleries, and a regional park and campground.

The waters at the beach are known for their high salinity and resulting buoyancy. Because the lake water has a specific gravity 10 per cent higher than regular water, persons who enter the lake naturally float on top. It is one of only three bodies of water in the world with such properties, the other two being the Dead Sea in Israel and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.

The Jubilee Drive In theatre in Manitou Beach is one of the few left in Saskatchewan. The theatre continues to operate since its inception in 1955. The others include the Prairie Dog Drive in Theatre in Carlyle, the Clearwater Drive In in Kyle, the Moonlight Movies Drive in in Pilot Butte, and the Twilite Drive In Theater in Wolseley.

Danceland, known as the "Home of the World Famous Dance Floor Built on Horsehair" was built in 1928 and continues to be used as a popular year round venue for performances, weddings and more. The building remains open during the day for tourists to view the architecture and 5,000 square foot dance floor, famously springy due to underlayment of horsehair. Danceland offers square and pattern dancing on weekend, as well as Toonie Tuesday's. In 1928 Wellington White built "Danceland" pavilion on the east beach. It replaced an earlier Danceland built before 1919. There are two floors, a sub floor and a hardwood floor. Between the two floors is a layer of horsehair (bought from local farmers and imported from Quebec) six to ten inches thick. No nails were used to construct the floor. The unique construction of the floor gives it a flexibility (spring) which makes it easy to dance on. You actually feel the movement of the floor as couples dance. Jitney dances were popular in the 1920s. ("Jitney" means a nickel.) Danceland would get 500 people in attendance. The hall was open every night, including a “midnight frolic” on Sunday. Admission was 10 cents a dance or 3 for a quarter. "Art Harmony 7" band (Guy Watkins, a blind musician) used to broadcast concerts over CFQC Radio. Later Ken Peaker, Mart Kenny and his western gentlemen, Don Messer, Wilf Carter, Sammy Kaye, Bobby Gimby, The Inkspots, Gene Dloughy, Norma Locke, and The Silver Tone played there.

The annual Spirit of Manitou Trail is a self guided art show that feature artists and artisans from the communities of Guernsey, Meacham, Plunkett, Viscount, Watrous and Manitou Beach. The Studio Trail generally takes place the second weekend in July. The Studio Trail consists of local artists and artisans who have come together to present their works. As with all things Saskatchewan, there are distances to travel and that makes for part of the allure of exploring these studios. Trail participants have chosen to showcase their talents either at their work studio or have banded together in a central location. Participants offer demonstrations, restrooms and wheelchair accessibility. Jump on the trail anywhere you wish, and follow the brochure’s map to find the next artisan or artist.

Manitou Beach hosts Saskatchewan's only professional chainsaw carving festival every second year. The four day event often takes place the second weekend of August, starting on the Thursday. The event hosts food and craft vendors, a children's area, live demonstrations, and carving auctions.

The Resort Village of Manitou Beach is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on alternating Mondays. The mayor is Pauline (Poppy) Petersen and its administrator is Elise Dale.