The first industrial site in Manitoba was located in St. Francois Xavier - a site where Red River carts were constructed.

St. Francois Xavier’s bootlegger was Paul Stanlee. He bought a farm in SFX in 1935. Legend has it that he had stills at many locations. He had souped-up cars and ran moonshine to Chicago and sold to Al Capone. He did time in jail and told people he was away at “college”. Apparently was a very gregarious and generous man. From the local history book: “He built a platform for dancing down by the river, his wife Fanny cooked and the Zurba Brothers of Winnipeg played the music.” Many people have told the present owners of the property they used to frequent the Stanlee farm where they bought their booze.

Cuthbert Grant, his friend Pierre Falcon, and Pascal Breland are all buried in the local cemetery.

The former Grey Nuns’ Convent is a simple, yet attractive structure,  constructed in 1916 for the Grey Nuns of St. Francois Xavier Parish. When the parish was established in 1828, it was the most westerly church parish in the Red River Settlement. In 1850 the Grey Nuns arrived in St. Francois Xavier, then known as White Horse Plains, where they ministered to the spiritual and educational need of the Metis society for the following 118 years.

In 1823, Cuthbert Grant was selected by Gov. George Simpson and the Hudson Bay Company, to initiate and lead the move of the Metis people at Pembina, which had been declared south of the border, to the White Horse Plain. Upon their arrival, the settlement was called Grantown, and Cuthbert Grant hailed as the leader of this "New Nation", the Metis. Grantown was predominantly French with Roman Catholic beliefs. Early church services were held in Grant's home, and later the area became the second Catholic parish in Manitoba. The Metis began mixed farming, but continued to hunt buffalo twice a year. The well-known Red River cart was also built in Grantown. In 1854, after Cuthbert Grant passed away, Grantown became St. Francois Xavier, so named for the original parish in Pembina.