Manitoba lakes, islands and more named for thousands of local soldiers killed in WWI

© Google Earth One of the thousands of features named for Manitoba soldiers killed during the First World War.

With Remembrance Day on the horizon, Manitoba has commemoratively named more than 7,000 geographical features in the province after local soldiers who were killed in the First World War.

The list, announced Tuesday, includes a total of 7,764 lakes, islands, creeks and more across Manitoba.

“It’s important that we honour those Manitobans who sacrificed their lives for our country in the First World War,” said Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen.

“In addition, the Manitoba Geographical Names Program is currently engaged with the Geographical Names Board of Canada to ensure all of these names are also transferred into Canada’s Geographical Names Data Base.”

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This naming project dates back to 2016, the minister said, when more than 1,000 Manitobans contributed their ideas as to which features should be named.

The province had previously given commemorative names to more than 4,000 geographical features in recognition of fallen Manitoba soldiers who served from the Second World War through to the present.

Manitoba’s special envoy for military affairs, Jon Reyes, said he’s proud of the province for ensuring the names will be remembered forever.

“Ahead of Remembrance Day, in a year like no other, preserving the names of our brave men and women along with their stories will be a lasting legacy,” he said.

To access a full list of the commemorative features, and to see their locations, you’ll need to download the free Google Earth software, then follow the province’s link to open the map.

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