Souris, Man, Town, pop 1683 (2001c), 1613 (1996c), 1662 (1991c), 1751 (1986c), area 2.83 km2, inc 1903, is located at the junction of Plum Cr and the SOURIS R, 45 km by road SW of Brandon. Souris is known for its semiprecious agate stones, used in costume jewellery, and for one of the longest (177 m) suspension footbridges in Canada. The Souris area has seen Native warfare, fur-trading rivalries, Red River brigade buffalo hunts, and feudallike settlements under English and French landowners.
The townsite's first permanent settlers arrived 1880, followed in 1881 by a group of Ontarians. Souris, then called Plum Creek, was soon a developing agricultural centre. During WWII the town had a large Commonwealth air school. Souris services the surrounding agricultural region (grain production, dairying, purebred stock breeding) and has a few small industries.