Matheson Island, Manitoba
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Matheson Island | |
|---|---|
 A view of Matheson Island and the ice road to the community in winter. | |
| Nickname: Snake Island[1] | |
 | |
  Matheson Island Location of Matheson Island in Manitoba | |
| Coordinates: 51°44′25″N 96°55′27″W / 51.74028°N 96.92417°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Region | Interlake |
| Government | |
| • MP (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski) | Niki Ashton (NDP) |
| • MLA (The Pas-Kameesak) | Vacant |
| • Mayor | Wanda Mowatt[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 21.34 km2 (8.24 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 220 m (720 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 136[3] |
| • Density | 4.7/km2 (12/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Postal code span | R0C 0B9 |
| Area code | 204 |
Matheson Island is a community and an island located in the Canadian province of Manitoba, at the narrows of Lake Winnipeg. A designated place in Canadian census data, the community had a population of 136 in the 2021 Canadian census.[3] Commercial fishing is the number one source of income for the community and area, the Matheson Island Marketing Co-Op works with approximately 110 local fishers.[4]
In the early days of the settlement of Manitoba, the island was known as Snake Island, as the locals had noted a high amount of garter snakes present on the shale island. It appears that eventually the snakes were killed off by the residents of Matheson Island.[1] The island and community were then called Matheson Island, after Daniel Matheson, the man who was the caretaker of the lighthouse from 1891 to 1918 on Black Bear Island, which is just north east of the island.[5] The Matheson family was originally from Aultbreakachy, Sutherland, Scotland. Daniel Matheson's grandfather arrived in Churchill, Manitoba in 1813, before traveling the next 700 miles to the Red River Settlement by canoe.[5]
