Morris is a small town in the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba, Canada, located 51 km south of Winnipeg and 42 km north of Emerson. Morris is home to 1,885 people (2016). Named after Alexander Morris, the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. Highway 75, which turns into Interstate 29, is the major highway which runs from Winnipeg to Missouri. Morris is the only town in which Highway 75 is called "Main Street". The town of Morris is mostly surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Morris, except for a relatively small eastern border with the northwest corner of the Rural Municipality of Montcalm, across the Red River of the North. Morris is host to the annual Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition. History The town has a very long history involving floods and fur trade companies. Fur traders started to settle in the Morris area in the late 18th century because of its strategic location along the Red River. By 1801, there were two fur-trading stations at the settlement, the North West Company and the XY Company. Barges came up and down the Red River, and the Red River ox carts that travelled between Fort Garry and the Pembina Settlement went right through Morris, and offered many opportunities for trade. (See Red River Trails) By 1874, the ox carts began to carry settlers to the areas around the Scratching River (now the Morris River) and the population began to grow. The town of Morris was named after Alexander Morris, the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, and was officially incorporated in 1883. Morris is one of 18 communities in the Red River Valley of Manitoba surrounded by a ring dike. The first ring dike was built to protect the town from the 1966 Red River Flood, by the Canadian Army Engineers, the Mennonite Disaster Service and local volunteers. A permanent dike protected Morris during the 1997 Red River flood. Geography The town of Morris lies in the middle of the Red River Valley. The shallow valley spreads for many kilometres to the east and west, but only rises a few metres at most. The land is remarkably flat. Repeated flooding in the past has left the valley floor covered in rich river silt. The fine black soils are some of the best-producing agricultural soils in the world. The Red River Valley is part of the remnants of the prehistoric Lake Agassiz, which was once