WINNIPEG NEARBY SITES

                                        Two Interesting Sites
        Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Center is located about 40 miles outside of Winnipeg. Thirty-six square kilometers, of the Marsh’s 9000 acres, are under wildlife management.
  Our docent informed us, “Originally St. Andrews Bog covered 450 square kilometers, but by 1960 the bog was nearly dry. In the 70s and 80s the Federal and Provincial governments, along with Ducks Unlimited, reclaimed the bog, and changed its name to Oak Hammock.”

Once there was a hamlet between two oak groves where people often hung hammocks between the trees, hence the name.

 The Interpretative Center opened in 1993. At the time of my visit there were 200,000 water fowl in residence. By the end of October they will have all flown south.  This center is one of the finest I’ve ever visited.

The center entertains 40,000 school children each year in a four month time-frame of April-May and September-October. The hands on activities were inviting. A TV monitor, attached to a remote camera in the marsh, provided an extensive view, way beyond that of the naked eye.     Computers had neat information for one to access. Metal rubbings, various puzzles, lovely wildlife displays, fish tanks containing marsh fish, and a water tank with sand were among the many offerings. A fair size theater was available for presentations.

 Outside, it was windy and chilly. The marsh contains marsh, meadows, tall grass prairies, lure crops, and aspen and oak bluffs. There are 25 kilometers of hiking trails and dyke walkways in the park. Since 280 species of birds migrate through the area, the marsh is one of the best bird viewing spots in North America. Also living in the marsh are 25,000 muskrats as well as many insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals like rabbits, deer, and beaver.

It was a very interesting and informative morning.

 For a late lunch, we arrived at Lower Fort Garry, where we were served a delicious Irish stew and bannock, an Indian bread. Lunch ended with apple crumble topped with ice cream. A perfect lunch on a rather chilly day.

Lower Fort Garry Historical Site was closed for the season on the day of our visit, but  they opened the site just for us, and it was wonderful to have the place all to ourselves with our very own docent.

During a tour of the site, the docent explained, “Lower Fort Garry, now a historic site, is the oldest stone fort in the province. The Big House was built in 1832 for Governor George Simpson, then president of the Hudson Bay Company. The entire fort is built of limestone.”

In 1670 King Charles signed a proclamation giving exclusive trading rights of a huge territory to the Hudson Bay Company.  The North West Trading Company gave the Hudson Bay Trading Company competition, and in 1821, they joined forces. In 1826, a flood destroyed Fort Garry. Lower Fort Garry was built twenty miles south of Winnipeg on the Red River in 1830. It was the headquarters for the Hudson Bay Company from 1831-37. Hunters complained about the location, so later on, Fort Garry was rebuilt in Winnipeg.

Fort Garry was rebuilt with wooden buildings that were later torn down. However, that was some time ago as the Fort Garry Hotel, on part of the original Fort property, is a lovely old Victorian structure.

Fort Garry was the home of the York boat, the boat that won the West. It was a heavier and larger boat than the canoe, and required 6-9 rowers. The boat was too heavy to be ported across land, so it was dragged. The river system opened up the Prairie Provinces to settlement. The steam boat eventually replaced the York boat.           

WINNIPEG, CANADA

                                     Provincial Capitol 

A population of 650,000 makes Winnipeg Canada’s seventh largest city. It is the Provincial capital of Manitoba.  In spite of being geographically isolated, Winnipeg is a center  of commerce and culture which includes a symphony, opera, ballet, theater, and local native artists. Buffalo hunting plains Indians as well as French and English settlers,  the first inhabitants.

            We learned the city has seen steady growth since the boon days, and has a diverse economy which includes manufacturing, banking, transportation, and agriculture.  Today, distinct ethnic areas are found in the city including Ukrainian, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Mennonite, Hungarian, Portuguese, French, and English.

            In 1738 the fur trading company, NorthWest Company, established a trading post at the juncture of the Red and Assiniboini Rivers. In 1812, Lord Selkirle, a Scot, brought an agricultural settlement to the area. The city incorporated in 1873, and in 1886 the Canadian Pacific Railroad followed the European immigrants.  Winnipeg, the principal city in western Canada, is a railroad hub for livestock and grain.

Provincial Legislative

The Provincial Legislative building, built in 1920, is made of Tyndall stone, a type of local limestone. The stone is heavily fossilized and fossils can be seen everywhere giving the stone an unusual texture. A statue of Queen Victoria is in front of the legislative building.

 A huge bronze buffalo stands on each side of the grand staircase in the foyer of the building. The bison or buffalo, stands for strength and endurance and is the symbol of Manitoba. It is also on the Provincial flag.

       Golden Boy sits on top of the building’s dome. A French sculptor put a sheaf of wheat, representing agriculture, in one hand of Golden Boy, and a light, representing economic development of the future, in the hand raised above his head. The 5-ton 13 ½ feet tall statue is sheathed in gold,

The area that is now Winnipeg was under  a body of water known as Lake Argosy 10,000 years ago.

Winnipeg is the home to the city government, headed by a mayor, a rural municipal government, and the Lt. Governor, who is appointed for a five year term, and has the responsibility of handling all royal arrangements and protocol whenever any member of England’s royal family visits. He lives in a house, built in 1883, located just behind the legislative building.

Winnipeg is very flat and the name means meeting of muddy waters. The Assiniboini River runs into the Red River. The east side of the river was settled by the French, the west side by the English.  Today there still remains two large, distinct areas. In the French Quarter, the signs are  in French first, English second. One half of Manitoba’s population lives in Winnipeg.

Our guide said, “Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are Canada’s three Prairie Provinces. Manitoba, also known as the keystone province, is the easternmost province, and is nearly in the geographic center of the country. Manitoba is derived from an Indian word meaning Great Spirit. Manitoba was the fifth province to join the union and did so in 1870.

“The province is divided into three sections, north to south.  In the north is the sub arctic, then the Canadian shield or boreal forest, and in the south are the low lands or grasslands.”

     In 1997 the Red River flooded becoming several miles wide. Today, it is a few hundred feet across the river. Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, two large lakes, are north of Winnipeg. Interlake, the area between the lakes, has a large Icelandic settlement. Winnipeg is home to both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba

The Museum of Man and Nature is one of the best museums I’ve ever visited. It was nice of them to open up just for us, since they are closed on Mondays. Providing us with a docent, to escort us through the museum, with an interesting and running commentary, was certainly a real plus. It would have been a shame to have missed this fantastic venue. Obviously our tour company knew the right people and for us provided a real bonus to the trip to this cold country.

We moved from the pre-Cambrian area, on to, and through that of modern man in the urban gallery. We stopped to construct an Indian teepee, which was a fun hands-on exercise. The docent even unlocked the gate for us to board the replica of the Nonsuch,

She  told us, “The Nonsuch was a 50 foot ketch that sailed into  Hudson Bay in 1668. She returned to England with a cargo of furs. (the beginning of the Hudson Bay Company) This full size replica was built in England, and sailed to  Hudson Bay for our tricentenary in 1970.”

 “Buffalo hunts took place only twice a year, in spring and fall. The indigenous people would build a stone chute, ending at a cliff. Then, they would chase the animals into the area. After falling off the cliff, the animals were finished off with an arrow. One well know place is called Head Smashed In Bluff!” I’d read about this before and seen a couple of movie versions of the exercise. I know the indigenous people had to eat and that this was a very effective way to harvest meat, but it seems so cruel. I’m just glad it was only done twice a year.

FORKS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

                   An Interesting Site and Fun Afternoon

        In Winnipeg, Manitoba, the historic site is part of the Forks Complex, a 56 acre site, built in 1988, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboini rivers. The Forks is a crossroads, meeting of the old and the new, meeting of diverse peoples, and a place for people to meet, work, and play.   The complex contains markets of all kinds, a public market, shops, eateries and restaurants.

       The adjoining park contains many bike and walking trails with many interpretive displays. A children’s museum, and an aboriginal ceremonial pit, with some interesting art surrounding it, are also part of the complex. An old four story warehouse has been converted to a shopping plaza, housing unique shops and more restaurants.

We wandered the many shops, and the public market. The tables in the market place and solariums were full, so we decided to go inside a restaurant for lunch. Mid afternoon, we chose Branagans, and requested a window table, so we could watch the activity outside.

After this pleasant respite, we climbed the observation tower for a look over the complex. Then we

Aboriginal ceremonial pit at Forks

wandered through the park, took some pictures, and read many of the interpretive markers. Suddenly the day was gone.    

We spent a couple of days in isolated Winnipeg on our way to Churchill to see the polar bears. We enjoyed our stay at the national historic Fort Garry Hotel.  The old Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built the hotel in 1913 and it has defined the skyline and been a symbol of Winnipeg's importance as a North American transportation hub ever since. The chateau style architecture first found expression in the magnificent railway hotels built across Canada in the early 1900s. Similar hotels can be found at Lake Louise and Victoria, B C as well as other Canadian cities. By the 1950s, the chateau style, with its steep rooflines, expansive wall surfaces, turrets, ornately decorated windows, and lavish ornamentation, was internationally acknowledged as distinctly Canadian.

Originally the hotel was to be called The Selkirk, but instead was named The Fort Garry after Upper Fort Garry, which once stood at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Today all that remains is the gate in a little park just east of the hotel. It was the northern entrance to the fort. One enters the hotel lobby through an impressive front door only to see a grand staircase in the spacious 44 by 66 foot lobby. The Napoleon grey marble floor with inlaid Belgian black marble supports the high-beamed ceilings and heavy Corinthian pillars supporting the overlooking mezzanine gallery. Looking up one can’t miss the glittering chandelier. The brass mailbox beside the elevators is original.

There are numerous other features to the hotel, these happen to be the ones that grabbed my eye and interest. It was great fun to stay at the historic hotel and I imagined what fun a child might have had years ago playing hide and seek behind the red velvet drapery.

You may also want to check post: Oak Hammock Interpretative Center 2/512 

Winnipeg 6/17/12,    Tundra buggies 1/9/11    Polar Bear jail 9/21/10

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

                                               Winnipeg Info and History

            Our historic hotel, built on part of the site of Fort Garry, was an easy walk to an area called The Forks. Forks National Historic Site and the Forks Complex is a 56 acre site, built in 1988, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboini rivers. The Forks is a crossroads, meeting of the old and the new, meeting of diverse peoples, and a place for people to meet, work, and play.   The complex contains markets of all kinds, a public market, shops, eateries and restaurants.

The adjoining park contains many bike and walking trails with numerous interpretive displays, a children’s museum, and an aboriginal ceremonial pit, with some interesting art surrounding it. An old four story warehouse has been converted to a shopping plaza, housing unique shops and restaurants. We climbed the observation tower for a look over the complex. We wandered through the park, took some pictures, and read some of the interesting interpretive markers, and suddenly the day was gone.          

We walked the few blocks to downtown. We observed many pedestrian overpasses which I’m sure must be nice during the cold winter. Such overpasses are probably common in many cold places, but coming from a warm climate they were new to me.

Winnipeg is Canada’s seventh largest city as well as the Provincial capital of Manitoba.  In spite of being geographically isolated, Winnipeg is a center of commerce and culture including a symphony, opera, ballet, theater, and local native artists. Buffalo hunting plains Indians as well as French and English settlers were the first inhabitants. Today, distinct ethnic areas are found in the city that include: Ukrainian, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Mennonite, Hungarian, Portuguese, French, and English.

            In 1738 the fur trading company, NorthWest Company, established a trading post at the juncture of the Red and Assiniboini Rivers. In 1812, Lord Selkirle, a Scot, brought an agricultural settlement to the area. The city incorporated in 1873, and in 1886 the Canadian Pacific Railroad followed the European immigrants.  Winnipeg, the principal city in western Canada, is a railroad hub for livestock and grain

            A city tour highlighted many buildings, but the one that got my attention was The Provincial Legislative building, built in 1920. It is made of Tyndall stone, a type of limestone quarried nearby. A statue of Queen Victoria stands proudly in front the  building. A huge bronze buffalo stands on each side of the grand staircase in the foyer of the building. Golden Boy sits on top of the building’s dome. A French sculptor put a sheaf of wheat, representing agriculture, in one hand of Golden Boy, and a light, representing economic development of the future, in the hand raised above his head. Golden Boy is sheathed in gold, weighs 5 ton, and is 13 ½ feet tall.

On the day of our excursion to Oak Hammock we had a late lunch at Lower Fort Garry, where we were served a delicious Irish stew and bannock, an Indian bread. Lunch ended with apple crumble topped with ice cream. It was a delicious lunch prepared and served by the Ladies’ Auxiliary of Fort Garry.

Lower Fort Garry Historical Site was closed for the season, but they opened the site specially for us, and it was wonderful to have the place all to ourselves with our own docent and no crowds.

Lower Fort Garry, now a historic site, is the oldest stone fort in the province. The Big House was built in 1832 for Governor George Simpson, then president of the Hudson Bay Company. The entire fort is built of limestone. In 1670 King Charles signed a proclamation giving exclusive trading rights of a huge territory to the Hudson Bay Company.  The North West Trading Company gave the Hudson Bay Trading Company competition, and in 1821, they joined forces. In 1826, a flood destroyed Fort Garry. Lower Fort Garry was built twenty miles south of Winnipeg on the Red River in 1830. It was the headquarters for the Hudson Bay Company from 1831-37. Hunters complained about the location, so later on, Fort Garry was rebuilt in Winnipeg.

Fort Garry was the home of the York boat, the boat that won the West. It was a heavier and larger boat than the canoe requiring 6-9 rowers. The boat was too heavy to be ported across land, so it was dragged. The river system opened up the Prairie Provinces to settlement.

I’m not a big fan of cold weather, but we were lucky to have sunny days with minimal winds during our stay in Winnipeg.