Asessippi Provincial Park

Asessippi Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West, Manitoba, Canada.

Asessippi Provincial Park
Asessipi ski resort
Map showing the location of Asessippi Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Asessippi Provincial Park
LocationManitoba, Canada
Nearest townInglis, Manitoba
Coordinates50°57′59″N 101°22′47″W[1]
Area23.2 km2 (9.0 sq mi)
Established1964
Governing bodyGovernment of Manitoba

It is located near Inglis, Manitoba, about 100 km (62 mi) west of Dauphin, and is 23.2 km2 (9.0 sq mi) in size.[2] A campground on the south shore of the Shellmouth Reservoir has serviced and un-serviced sites as well as a group-use area.[3] Asessippi Ski Resort is also in the area.

The park is considered to be a Class III protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories,[4] and was designated a provincial park by the Government of Manitoba on 9 April 1964.[2][5]

History

Asessippi Park was established as part of the creation of the Shellmouth Dam and its reservoir, the Lake of the Prairies.[2] The lake provides anglers with opportunities to fish for perch, northern pike, and walleye.[3][6]

Asessippi comes from the Cree language[7]—the second part is the word sîpiy ('river');[8] and the first part may be the word êsa ('clam shell') or the word asinîs ('stone').[8][7][9]

The park is named after the town of Assessippi, which was established on the Shell River in 1882.[7] A dam was built in the town, with which water power was harnessed to power a flour mill and a sawmill.[9] A cheese factory, a brickyard, and blacksmith followed.[9][2] The town lasted less than ten years as the hope of the railroad passing through the town failed.[10] A plaque commemorates its existence on PTH 83, 23 kilometres (14 mi) north of Russell.[10] A trail with interpretive signs provide information about the townsite and its history [11]

On 9 April 1964, the Government of Manitoba designated Asessippi as a provincial park.[2][5]

Geography

The park is shaped by the melting of the Keewatin Ice Flow, part of Laurentide Ice Sheet more than 10,000 years ago.[2] Assessippi is situated at the meeting of the valley of the Assiniboine River, a glacial spillway and the Shell River valley, a meltwater channel.[2] Water from large meltwater lakes to the northwest emptied into Lake Agassiz through the Assiniboine River.[2] The modern-day Assiniboine and Shell Rivers are much smaller and meander within the large valleys created by their glacier fed predecessors. They are examples of a misfit stream, where a river occupies a river channel that does not match its size.[2]

Annual flooding results in stepped terraces in the alluvial till deposited after glaciation.[2] A portion of an Assiniboine River valley terrace can be found by the west end of the Shellmouth Dam. The pavilion area and the old Asessippi townsite are found on terraces in the Shell River valley.[2]

Shellmouth Dam in Asessippi Provincial Park.

Mass wasting continues to modify the shape of the valley walls. Surface runoff from snow melt and precipitation as well as groundwater springs contribute to instability that result in ravines and slumping.[2] The Ancient Valley Self-guiding Trail ascends the slope of the valley to a viewpoint that offers vistas of the Assiniboine River Valley.[11] Interpretive signs provide information on the glacial origin of the valley and the processes of erosion that continue to shape it.[11][2]

See also

References
  1. "Asessippi Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. "Asessippi Provincial Park". Find Your Favourite Park. Parks and Protected Spaces Branch, Government of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. "Asessippi Provincial Park Information and Map" (PDF). Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  4. "Asessippi Provincial Park". Protected Planet. UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. "A System Plan for Manitoba Parks". Government of Manitoba. 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. "BRMB Blog - A Lake Fishing Paradise in the Prairies!". www.backroadmapbooks.com. Mussio Ventures Ltd. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  7. Goldsborough, Gordon. "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Asessippi Townsite / Steel Through Truss Bridge (Shell River, RM of Riding Mountain West)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. "Plains Cree: online dictionary: Home". dictionary.plainscree.atlas-ling.ca. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. Goodes, John (2009). "The Story of Asessippi, Manitoba" (PDF). stelijahpioneermuseum.ca. St Elijah Pioneer Museum. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  10. "Asessippi Townsite". www.gov.mb.ca. Historic Resources Branch. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  11. "Asessippi Village Self-guiding Trail" (PDF). Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
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