In the many years before
European settlement, the lands around Neepawa were primarily used by the
Cree and the
Assiniboine. Native peoples in the area followed a regular cycle by following the
Plains Bison to take shelter in the areas north of Neepawa in the winter, and then heading south again across the plains and beyond Neepawa in the summer. Prior to settlement, the only
Europeans in the area were primarily
fur traders, many people made their way through the area on the
North Fort Ellice Trail which went from the
Red River to
Edmonton.
David Howard Harrison who owned a private bank in Neepawa was elected Premier of Manitoba in 1887. Neepawa's first hospital was completed in 1904 and had the capacity for 20 patients. The hospital included a nursing school. Neepawa's first school opened in 1881. It was a three-story building finally completed in 1898 and used until 1928. The Neepawa Salt Company mined salt here from 1932 until 1970. Author
Margaret Laurence wrote several books through the 1960s and 1970s, depicting the town under the name of
Manawaka. On May 12, 2010 Neepawa was the host of Manitoba's 140th birthday party. The town was chosen as the site of the festivities as a result of winning a contest within the province. Between the years of 2011 and 2016, the population of Neepawa jumped by almost 27%, following an influx of
Filipino immigrants, brought over by the establishment of a local pork processing plant. ==Geography==