Founded by homesteaders, it was home to a substantial community of
Métis, who were the only settlers until the
Canadian Northern Railway built its line and set up the resort along the Grand Beach in 1917. After it was made accessible by the railway, it became a very popular resort for Manitobans. In the early days, the grandest building in the resort was the Dance Pavilion, built in 1918 and rated by some as the largest dance hall of its time in the Commonwealth, but it was destroyed in a fire that began at 11 am on September 5, 1950. Prior to the fire, CNR had put the resort buildings up for sale. Along with the incredible beaches, the dance hall made Grand Beach a very attractive day trip destination for Winnipeggers in the 1920s, that was made possible by regular train services to
Winnipeg, with the last train leaving at midnight. A Harvey J. Emke of Winnipeg bought the properties from CNR in 1951. ==Sites and attractions==