Grosse Isle Heritage Site

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Grosse Isle Heritage Site

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Dedicated to the preservation of pioneer and railway buildings. The tall grass prairie is another important feature of the site.

The Heritage Site currently has several heritage buildings restored and open for visitors to the site during designated times. The pioneer village has expanded from the original jigger shack to include the Gunton Wait Station, Ridgeway Heritage House, East Rosser School, Emerson Train Station and a caboose. It is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers, who are always welcoming of additional help.

10/05/2026

And just like that, another The Prairie Dog Central Railway season has rolled out of Grosse Isle.

Thank you to the Prairie Dog Central team and all of their volunteers for another season. Putting on a great show each week takes a collective effort, and we're always happy to lend a hand in giving passengers an amazing, welcoming experience when they arrive in Grosse Isle.

It's been especially wonderful watching our Google reviews grow with comments from happy visitors who enjoyed their time at the Heritage Site. Every kind word means a lot to our volunteers and reminds us why we keep working to make this little place even better.

Now the trains may be gone for the winter, but the work certainly isn't! We have seven months and a growing list of special projects we'd love to tackle before we hear that whistle again.

Thank you to everyone who visited, volunteered, rode the train, grabbed something from the canteen, explored our buildings, shopped with our vendors, or simply spent an afternoon with us this season.

We'll be busy getting ready to welcome you all back in May.

09/24/2026

Add your name before we wash the blackboards!

September 26th and 27th: this is our last weekend open for the season. Come see us from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, grab a hot dog or grilled cheese from the canteen, and take one last wander through the Heritage House, one-room schoolhouse and old church.

Say hi to our volunteers, visit our vendors, and enjoy a little fall time around the village before we start closing everything up for winter.

Soon the school's blackboards will be washed of all our 2026 visitors, the buildings winterized and Grosse Isle Heritage Site will settle in for the colder months.

09/22/2026

Before anyone gets too concerned about the size of our young volunteers, no, they did not suddenly grow to 40 feet tall.

Grosse Isle has a brand new grain elevator! The elevator is little. Very little.

Our newest miniature landmark now sits along the mini train route, complete with “Grosse Isle” on the side and its own solar light. Visitors can keep an eye out for it as they make their way around the site.

We’re hoping this is just the beginning. Over time, we’d love to add more little details, landmarks and surprises along the route for mini train riders to spot. You can see the train flower boxes we installed last summer in the background.

A huge thank you to Three Wishes Wood Design (amiskwoodworking on IG) for the amazing craftsmanship and for dropping off this tiny addition to Grosse Isle.

Come tower over our new elevator; we're open this weekend.

09/21/2026

🚨 PSA: THEY’VE STRUCK AGAIN.

Every year, we open our doors. We welcome visitors. We stock the Gift Shop. We try to run a respectable heritage site.

And every year Bonnie & Clyde show up and ruin everything!

They’ve robbed our Gift Shop. They’ve terrorized our volunteers. They’ve caused general mayhem around the village. Frankly, we’re beginning to suspect
The Prairie Dog Central Railway is enabling them.

Thankfully, Grosse Isle has survived another season of lawlessness.

It’s all in good fun, of course. We love having Bonnie & Clyde roll into town and we can’t wait to welcome these notorious troublemakers back in 2027.

We’ll just be keeping a closer eye on the Gift Shop.

09/17/2026

The most common request we get at the gift shop? A good hat that lasts. Here it is.

Built from heavyweight 100% brushed organic cotton twill, these caps are ready for all your adventures, season after season.

The 6-panel construction gives it a structured crown and mid-profile fit, with a pre-curved sandwich bill, stitched eyelets, and a self-fabric adjustable strap with an elastic buckle. There's an interior hook-and-loop system too, so it's comfortable enough to wear all day.

Grab yours at the site and show your Grosse Isle pride wherever September takes you.

09/14/2026

Buy a mug, get a free drink.

Our new 16 oz ceramic mugs have landed in the gift shop and the day you buy one, your first fill is on us. Just carry it over to the canteen, show them your new mug, and they'll fill it with coffee, tea or hot chocolate at no extra cost.

It's our way of saying thank you for supporting us.

09/08/2026

Have you been in our gift shop lately?

It's filled with work by local authors, artisans, and artists, plus a carefully curated selection of specialty items. Our volunteers put a lot of time into gathering the best quality pieces they can find, with a real focus on highlighting the people making things right here in our own backyard.

You'll find children's books, prints, décor, non-fiction and more, much of it created by artists living mere meters away from the site.

And everything else? It's chosen the same way. Things that last; that get used and enjoyed, not tucked in a drawer and forgotten.

After 51 years, we take a lot of pride in our place. Quality shows up in everything we do, right down to what's on the shelves.

Come have a look next time you're out.

09/04/2026

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes on a train day?

Come find out. We're always looking for new volunteers, and honestly, the best way to figure out if it's for you is to come hang out with us for a day and see what we do.

Our volunteers greet visitors in the Church, Heritage House, School House, and Natural Museum. Others work the canteen, run the mini-train, put on programming in our buildings, or keep the whole place running through maintenance and repairs. There's a lot going on and many ways to be part of it.

We're a close-knit bunch, and we pour a lot of care and effort into it. It's an easy place to love.

Fair warning, though: most people who come out for "just one day" end up here for decades.

Interested? Send us a message or grab any volunteer next time you're on site and we'll get you set up.

09/03/2026

We're beyond ecstatic to see our very own Fred Gross featured on CTV News, showcasing his labour of love: 41 years of wood carving!

We've been overjoyed by the outpouring of love for Fred and his carvings! So many of you have shared beautiful memories of his work, and it warms our hearts to read every single one.

We wholeheartedly agree: Fred is an absolute gem, and we're so proud to call him part of our heritage site family. Keep the stories coming!

He is just one amazing example of the kind of people who make our heritage site home.

Congratulations, Fred! Well deserved 👏

And note: There are a few weekends left this year if you want to come say hi to Fred and take home a one-of-a-kind creation before we close for the 2026 season.

08/28/2026

Fred has been selling his hand-whittled carvings here since the site had exactly one building on it and the train stopped just for him.

He started whittling in his 40s. A retired schoolteacher with soft-spoken ways and a knack for holding a room. Forty-some years later, he's 89, our oldest vendor, in years and in tenure and he's still at it, table set up, magnets and carvings laid out in all their variety.

Ask him why he sells them and he'll tell you it's because he'd have nowhere to put them all.

Each piece takes him over an hour. His magnets are $8 and they cost him $7 to make. The math on that tells you everything: it's a labour of love.

Fred has watched generations of families come through and climb aboard that train. If you've been out here, you've likely seen him. Stop and say hello; he'll happily whittle away while you tell him your story. He says it keeps him young.

No custom orders, but everything on his table is one-of-a-kind anyway.

Address

111 Prairie Dog Trail
Grosse Isle, MB
R0C1G0

Website

https://grosseisle.org/

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