Before the founding of St. Léon in 1879, the Pembina Hills region was largely the domain of Aboriginals, French trappers and the Métis, who called the area prairie ronde (round prairie) because of its rolling hills.

Beginning in 1877, many settlers came to the area from Quebec and Ontario. It is believed that Bishop Taché chose to name the new parish Saint-Léon in honour of the pontiff at that time, Pope Leo XIII.

The landscape of this “round prairie” has undergone some major changes since then. Today, St. Léon is the site of a major wind farm, Manitoba’s first!

St. Léon is also known for its annual salamander migration, when the little creatures scurry across Main Street by the hundreds during the hot, humid summer days at the end of August. You can learn more about wind energy and salamanders at the St. Léon Interpretation Centre.