Getting the Wheels Rolling The suggestion to have a transit service was first introduced in 2004 by Bill Chartier. Chartier was the owner of Will’s Taxi and had noticed the fees that taxis changed were too steep for low-income families and seniors. The desire to have affordable and accessible transportation led him to connect with…
Beginnings A citizens group called the Selkirk Literary Association was established around 1879, primarily to bring speakers to the town and to host debates. One topic in August 1879 was ‘…be it resolved that Canada is a better field for immigrants than the United States.’. The society is mentioned sporadically through the 1880s, which suggests…
Former Masonic Lodge – 209 Eaton Avenue The Lisgar Masonic Lodge is the second oldest Masonic lodge in Manitoba. It received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Canada on January 4, 1871, and its charter was issued on July 13, 1871. When the Manitoba Grand Lodge was established in 1875, Selkirk’s lodge became known…
Curling’s popularity continued to grow after the Second World War, and several new rinks were built in the region including Winnipeg Beach in 1952 and Gimli in 1953. Selkirk also wanted to replace its ageing building but would have to wait a few more years. The Selkirk Curling Club formed a building committee on March…
Beginnings After a few false starts, Selkirk established its curling club in 1893. On Christmas Eve 1893, the Manitoba Chapter of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (the registry body for curling clubs in the province) met to discuss the creation of a curling club in Selkirk. They announced that; “D. Fromer, secretary of the Selkirk…
In September of 1906, Selkirk ratepayers voted in favour of allowing its municipal government to borrow up to $150,000 to install a waterworks and sewer system for the town. The waterworks would distribute a pressurized, filtered water supply to a network of businesses, homes, and fire hydrants. Prior to this, residents relied on their own…
The lonely and seemingly out of place house at 202 Christie Avenue — slated for demolition in 2020 — was home to the same family for a century. Frederick (Fred) Charles Barnard was born in England in 1883 and moved to Selkirk around 1908. Annie Harris Wilson was born in Canterbury, England and came to…
In February 1946, a group of people (representing more than two dozen community organizations) came together under the chairmanship of Louis G. Howard to form the Selkirk and District Memorial Committee. Their objective was to decide on a suitable memorial to the servicemen and women of the region who died in the Boer War, First…
The Alexandra Rink Selkirk’s first indoor arena was established in 1907. John W. Jones purchased the outdoor rink used by the Selkirk Skating Club on Fox Avenue near Main Street. Over it, he constructed what one account describes as a “concave-shaped, tin-covered monster” and christened it ‘Alexandra’, after his daughter. In its heyday of the…
Little Lake Park East end of Dorchester Avenue, R1A 02K Size: 44 acres (approx.) Little Lake Park was officially opened in 1991, but its roots date back to a much earlier greenspace called Daerwood Park. The first mention of Daerwood Park comes in the recollections of Mabel Vogen of the Selkirk Enterprise. In a 1954…
