Founded by homesteaders, it was home to a substantial community of Métis, who were the only settlers until the Canadian Northern Railway built its line and set up the resort along the Grand Beach in 1917.

[2] In the early days, the grandest building in the resort was the Dance Pavilion, built in 1918[3] and rated by some as the largest dance hall of its time in the Commonwealth, but it was destroyed in a fire that began at 11 am on September 5, 1950.

[4] Prior to the fire, CNR had put the resort buildings up for sale.

[5] Along with the incredible beaches, the dance hall made Grand Beach a very attractive day trip destination for Winnipeggers in the 1920s, that was made possible by regular train services to Winnipeg, with the last train leaving at midnight.

[citation needed] A boardwalk at the West end of the beach offers food and shopping.