Copley   Photo from Manitoba Archives In 1882, European settlement made its to the southwestern corner of the Province. Among them were a group that belonged to the Church Of England. By the late 1880's, there was sufficient interest in the region to prompt Mr. Gale (living in England) to petition friends in London and Church of England Missionary Society for financial assistance to support the project. After the funds were secured, the settlers built the church. The church was consecrated in the fall of 1892 as “St. George's Anglican Church.” However, locally, it was known as either Butterfield or Copley Church. The Butterfield name was taken from an early post office that served the area, and Copley was the name of the school district in which the church was built in. Moreover, the name Copley came from an early settler. Although the establishment of the church added significantly to the community of Copley, it was rather short-lived. The late 1890s and early 1990s brought poor weather, crops, and prices. These discouraging conditions caused many families to leave the district. The church was deconsecrated on June 13, 1913—the same day that a new Anglican Church (St. John's) was founded in Pierson.  Info from Historic Sites of Manitoba The Copley School District was established formally in January 1895, named for local homesteader Edward Copley Thompson, and it operated a school in the Rural Municipality of Edward. Located initially near S4-1-29W, it was moved to SW16-1-29W in 1931. The school closed in 1956. As of 2012, the building still stands on the site.   |
