Brochet, Manitoba

There is no year-round road service to the mostly Cree population. A winter road is in place only a few months a year. Air service at Brochet Airport is the main link outside the community. It takes roughly one hour to reach Brochet from Thompson, Manitoba, by air, and approximately 4 to 6 hours via winter road from Lynn Lake, depending on road conditions.

In Northern Manitoba, there are a few unincorporated communities aside from Brochet, such as Granville Lake and South Indian Lake. There are also several First Nations and Aboriginal communities, such as: Barren Lands First Nation, Northlands First Nation, Sayisi Dene, Split Lake Cree, Fox Lake, Shamattawa, and Mathias Colomb.

History

Founded as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post and Roman Catholic mission, the community was originally called Fort du Brochet, first appearing on maps in 1883. The community's name was shortened in 1924 to Brochet, which is the French name of the northern pike, commonly known in Manitoba as the "jackfish."

Brochet's Cree inhabitants historically ranged over a wide area, and in the fur trade era, other trading posts once competed for their business. Nearby locations of this type include Le Pensie, also known as Sandy Hills, which closed in 1930.