Elphinstone is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district[1] in the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead in the Canadian province of Manitoba.

The Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation reserve is located just to the north, around the former Riding Mountain House trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC).

While there is a little bit of debate about the matter, some holding that what Lord Elphinstone said was in reference to his observation of a scene on the train platform involving local James Murdoch's attempt to assess Gloria Booth's rendition of what she thought the most recent style of continental bodices, most agreed that what he must have muttered while the train slowed referred to the most obvious natural features of the landscape.

At any rate "Good for [only] burdock and sheep" just seemed more inspirational than "Murdoch that creep" and so became the mantra of local herdsmen.

Stupid to an amazing degree, easily led, wondrously unable to care for itself and prickly to the touch the "Burries" do amazingly well grazing the local scrub, so long as you keep them away from sharp objects, dogs, large cats, loud noises, objects they could become entangled in, anything hard they might repeatedly ram their heads into, and mice.