dependence of a town’s
economy on a major lumber
company employer, foreign
ownership, and transportation
challenges in the North.
Each of the industries and
transportation networks at
The Pas had their challenges
and successes during the
early 1900s. The growth and

development of industry in
The Pas, including the
construction of the Finger
(later known as The Pas)
Lumber Company mill, the
Pasquia Reclamation Project
that protected farmland in
Carrot Valley, fur
rehabilitation blocks (also
known as “muskrat ranches”),

distribution of fish caught
commercially in northern
lakes, and mineral
discoveries near Flin Flon,
all contributed to the
opening of the North – of
which The Pas was the
recognized gateway. The
construction of the Hudson
Bay Railway to Churchill and

Highway 10 to The Pas were a
valuable source of employment
and helped open up the
natural resources of Northern
Manitoba to transportation
networks in the south and
overseas. During this period
the Saskatchewan River, so
heavily used during the fur
trade era, saw its decline as