The C.G.S. Bradbury was prefabricated in Sorel, Quebec, and later assembled along the bank of the Selkirk Slough in 1915. The ship was made of steel, it was 48 meters (158ft) long, and had a maximum speed of 15 knots (28km/hr). The Bradbury replaced the S.S. Baldur and operated as a fisheries patrol vessel for…
The four-generation business, Gilbart Funeral Home, begins with James Maurice Gilbart. Maurice and his wife, Muriel Dixon were married in their hometown of Elkhorn, Manitoba. When they moved to Winnipeg, Maurice found work at Leatherdale Gardiner Funeral Home. Having found his passion, Maurice wrote and passed his exams to become a funeral director and embalmer.…
Gordon Howard was the driving force behind a thriving senior’s centre in Selkirk. In the latter years of his life, Gordon focused his energy towards improving the quality of life of senior citizens. His philosophy was that “senior citizens should not conform to the stereotypical image of being old, worn out, and useless that western…
The Asylum’s Beginnings The history of asylums begins at the turn of the 19th century in England, with the United States quickly following suit. Since then, more asylums began to pop up across the United States and in Canada. In Manitoba, the Provincial and Dominion Governments established the first asylum at Lower Fort Garry in…
Humble Beginnings As with many early pioneer settlements, Selkirk’s fire protection was left to bucket brigades and whatever citizens were available to assist in battling the flames. After two very devastating fires in 1894 and 1896, where 20 buildings burned to the ground, Selkirk’s citizens established a volunteer fire brigade consisting of 12-15 men and…
The municipalities of Selkirk and St. Clements had long sought out to have a permanent link built across the Red River to replace a busy ferry service, but finding the necessary funds proved elusive. That changed in spring of 1934 when the federal government announced a $40 million national infrastructure program meant to provide employment…
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…
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. The Alexandra Rink, Date Unknown – Selkirk Enterprise…
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…
Rothstein Theatres Ltd. entered the Selkirk market in 1938 when it took over the Central Theatre on Eveline Street. Nathan Rothstein was well known in theatre circles. In the 1920s, he owned the Arlington Theatre in Winnipeg and a handful of theatres in rural Manitoba. In 1926, he led an investment group that built several…