VIRDEN

town, southwestern Manitoba, Canada. It lies near the Assiniboine River, 47 miles (76 km) west of Brandon. A farming and grain-shipping centre, the community prospered after the discovery of oil in 1951 and has become the operational headquarters of the province's oil industry. Some wells have been drilled within the town limits. There are also extensive local potash deposits. The town's economic activities include flour milling, feed and dairy production, metalworking, and printing. Originally called Gopher Creek, it was renamed Manchester in 1882. Later it was called Virden for the Scottish home of Lord Mountstephen, a railway financier, when some of his kinsmen settled in the locality. Inc. village, 1890; town, 1904. Pop. (1991) 2,894. city, Macoupin county, southwest-central Illinois, U.S. Laid out in 1852 along the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad, it was named for John Virden, a local innkeeper. Once a coal-mining town, Virden was the scene of a mine riot on Oct. 12, 1898, in which at least 10 people were killed. The city was under martial law for several days, and the union movement credited the incident as an important milestone, especially in the winning of the eight-hour day. The mines have since ceased operation. Virden is now an agricultural community with corn (maize) and soybeans as the chief crops. Livestock raising is also important. Inc. 1873. Pop. (1990) 3,635.