St. Adolphe, Manitoba, originally known as Pointe-Coupée, is a charming community nestled in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, Canada. Located on the east bank of the Red River, it's just a short 12-kilometre journey south of Winnipeg. Named in honour of Adolphe Turner, a generous benefactor to the local church, St. Adolphe is renowned for housing the world's largest snow maze. The community is encircled by a dike, a testament to the numerous floods it has withstood, including the infamous 1997 Red River flood.
The Métis were the first to settle in the area before 1812, later joined by others following the merger of the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company. The Parish of St. Norbert was founded in 1857, encompassing the settlements of Pointe-Coupée (now St. Adolphe) and Point-à-Grouette (now Ste. Agathe). The first school was established in 1865-1866, and when the R.M. of Ritchot was founded in 1890, St. Adolphe was incorporated into it. The post office opened in 1891, initially named Dubuc, but was renamed St. Adolphe two years later. The Parish of St. Adolphe was founded on 10 January 1896, the same year the School District of St. Adolphe was formed. The town was connected to the Manitoba Hydro electrical grid in 1939, and by 1946, the town had a population of 590.
St. Adolphe is well-serviced with a post office, an indoor hockey arena and community centre, a curling club, two churches, a pharmacy, multiple local businesses, and the R.M. of Ritchot's administrative offices. In 2001, a CA$6-million fund under the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Program was announced to overhaul the water supply system, serving more than 700 households in the Ste. Agathe, Ile des Chênes, and rural farmland areas.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, St. Adolphe had a population of 1,006 living in 389 of its 393 total private dwellings, a change of -4.8% from its 2016 population of 1,057. With a land area of 1.38 km2, it had a population density of 729.0/km2 in 2021. As of 2016, roughly a third of the residents have French as their first language.
The climate data for St. Adolphe is sourced from the weather station in Glenlea, a community approximately 5 km from St. Adolphe.
Road access to St. Adolphe is provided by Saint Mary's Road (Provincial Road 200) and PR 210. The Pierre Delorme Bridge, the only local crossing over the Red River, links the town with Highway 75 using PR 210. The bridge replaced a seasonal ferry in 1976, the last ferry to operate on the Red River in Manitoba. Many residents use Highway 75 to commute to and from Winnipeg. St. Adolphe is protected by a ring dyke as the community lies in the Red River Valley, a region prone to major flooding.
"A Maze in Corn," colloquially known as "The Corn Maze," is a popular attraction in St. Adolphe. Located 2 kilometres north of the town, it features a large corn maze, six ziplines, and other activities. In January 2019, they built the world's largest snow maze at 30,021 ft², verified by Guinness World Records.
