In Manitoba, counties were originally only organized for judicial purposes. Between 1875 and 1890, they also existed for municipal purposes.
History In 1875, provision was made for a majority of the electors in a judicial county to petition to have it organized for municipal purposes. By 1881, the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba passed legislation to redivide the entire Province into municipal counties, as a consequence of its enlargement.
They existed only until 1890, though the term itself lived on with respect to the County Courts and land registration districts.S.M. 1890, c. 55, s. 87
Organization The Municipal Act, 1886 listed the counties of Manitoba as follows:
Number County United County Rural Municipalities Cities/Towns 1 Lisgar Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli St. Andrews', St. Clements' East Selkirk, Selkirk 2 Gimli Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli Gimli, Rockwood 3 Plessis Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli Plessis 5 Manchester Douglas, Franklin, Montcalm Emerson, West Lynne 6 Carillon La Broquerie, Hanover, De Salaberry 7 Morris Morris, Youville Morris 8 La Verandrye Hespeler, Ste. Anne, Taché 9 D'Iberville Cartier, Macdonald, St. Norbert 10 Selkirk Assiniboia, Kildonan, Springfield, St. Boniface, St. Paul, Varennes St. Boniface, Winnipeg 11 Marquette Marquette and Fairford Belcourt, St. François Xavier, Woodlands 12 Fairford Marquette and Fairford Fairford, Posen, St. Laurent 13 Dufferin Carleton, Dufferin, Rhineland Nelson 14 Portage la Prairie Elm River, Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie 15 Norfolk North Cypress, North Norfolk, South Cypress, South Norfolk 16 Rock Lake Argyle, Derby, Lorne, Louise Pilot Mound 17 Westbourne Westbourne Gladstone 18 Beautiful Plains Glendale, Osprey, Lansdowne, Rosedale 19 Riding Mountain Minnedosa and Riding Mountain Riding Mountain 20 Minnedosa Minnedosa and Riding Mountain Blanchard [sic],S.M. 1886, c. 52, s. 28 Clanwilliam, Harrison, Odanah, Saskatchewan, Strathclair Minnedosa, Rapid City 21 Brandon Cornwallis, Daly, Elton, Glenwood, Oakland, Whitehead Brandon 22 Turtle Mountain Deloraine, Riverside, Turtle Mountain, Whitewater 23 Souris River Arthur, Brenda, Inchiquin, Medora 24 Dennis Sifton, Pipestone, Wallace, Woodworth 25 Shoal Lake Shoal Lake and Russell Archie, Birtle, Boulton, Ellice, Miniota, Oak River, Shoal Lake 26 Russell Shoal Lake and Russell Rossburn, Russell, Shell River, Silver Creek
County No. 4 (Varennes), created in 1881, occupied that part of Manitoba around Rat Portage, in an area disputed with Ontario. It was abolished subsequent to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council's decision in 1884 to award the territory to Ontario, later confirmed by the Canada (Ontario Boundary) Act 1889.
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