Selkirk has a vast amount of places where people have been able to unwind, explore, and enjoy themselves over the years. Explore what Selkirk has to offer such as parks, historical homes, buildings, and the popular pool. Take a tour, stay for a while.
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. In its heyday of the 1930s and early…
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…
The Rotary Club of Selkirk has been a driving force in the community since it received its charter in 1937. Its best-known contribution is the Selkirk Park Pool (Rotary Lake) in Selkirk Park. When the club did a door-to-door canvas to raise funds for Memorial Hall in 1946, they also asked residents about other amenities…
209 Eaton Avenue Lisgar Lodge #2 of the Masons was formed in Selkirk in February 1870 and chartered in July 1871. Meetings were held in various places in the area until this building was built in 1920. The building is brick on a wood frame. Renovated in 2019, the exterior features decorative brick belts and corbelling…
Pin bowling has a long history in the City of Selkirk. The earliest mention found in Selkirk’s online newspaper archives is from 1913; an ad stating that a bowling alley and billiards hall was opened in the Lisgar House hotel by Messrs. Terry and Comber. In October 1929, ads appeared for a new ten-pin bowling…
Prior to 2020 a lonely and seemingly out of place house at 202 Christie Avenue 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 Canada around the same…
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 as Ligar Lodge No. 2 (The first…
213 Dorchester Avenue A variety of early house designs can be seen in one block on this street. Compare the large square plan house at 213 with the fine examples of bungalows at 210, 211, 212 and the smaller houses on the north side. 213 Dorchester was constructed in 1915 for a successful local butcher…
233 Eveline Street Built prior to 1894 for F. E. Holloway who was a local businessman, this 1 1⁄2 storey home is topped by a hipped roof with dormers. The original chimney is on the south side of the building. In 1920, the assessor noted a barn and a henhouse were also present.
102 Pacific Ave Built between 1872 and 1874 for Frederick W. Colcleugh who would become Selkirk’s second mayor, (he was also cousin to James Colcleugh who was the first mayor of Selkirk) this is an excellent example of a side hall house, typical of that period. It is supported by a fieldstone foundation and exterior…
285 Eveline Street Built in 1892 for businessman William Fryer, this house is largely unaltered. It is constructed of horizontal siding on a milled wood frame.
309 Eveline Street This grand old Queen Anne-style house was built prior to 1890 for Edwin F. Comber, Chief Engineer at the Asylum, financial agent, electrician, inventor, and prominent citizen of Selkirk. It is constructed of brick on a wooden frame with a truncated pyramidal roof. Note the variety of windows: bay, Palladian, and leaded…
322 Eveline Street This house dates back to at least 1890 and is believed that Captain Roderick Smith was the first owner. Smith served as the first mate of the steamer “Northcote” during the Riel Rebellion and was part owner of a grocery store, but was a boat builder by trade. He built many York…
323 Eveline Street This Queen Anne-style house was built in 1888 for Captain Charles H. West by Robert Moncrieff and Frank Wright. This is a 1 1⁄2 storey structure with horizontal wood siding on a wood frame and sits on a stone foundation. A bay window protrudes into the open verandah, which is supported by…
202 Vaughn Avenue Many of the homes on Vaughn appear on the first assessment rolls in 1890, indicating that they are perhaps even older than that. Several of these homes were built from a side-hall plan. You will see an especially fine example at 202 and others at 205 and 227. An early duplex can…
218 McLean Avenue This home was built in 1916 for Rev. Chancellor Teeter, pastor of Wesley Methodist Church. It was designed by his nephew and architect, George Teeter, and has remained in his family to the present. Built in the bungalow style, which was then popular, with wood shingles over horizontal siding, this house included…
212 McLean Avenue This house was built in 1921 by Roy Hooker for pharmacist Fred Gibbs. Though its enlaced veranda is characteristic of the Queen Anne style, it is more similar to a Cottage style with its wood frame construction and horizontal wood siding and cedar shingles on the walls. This was also a popular…
202 McLean Avenue The Methodists erected a building on this site in 1895. When the Methodists united with the Congregational and Presbyterian churches in 1925, it was raised on a basement and served until the present sanctuary was built in 1958. An extension was added in 2011 and the old building now serves as a…
341 Eveline Street The Presbyterians built a 36’ x 38’ church on this site in 1880 and a manse on the west side of the property in 1896. In 1903 provincial architect, Samuel Hooper drew up plans for a new church building. Construction began in 1904 and the church was in use by the end…
360 Eveline Street The Winnipeg, Selkirk, and Lake Winnipeg Railway Company was formed by a group of local businessmen in 1901 to provide passenger and freight services for residents. By 1906, the line was electrified, and directorship of the company was turned over to the Winnipeg Electric Company. The line ran along Eveline Street until…
205 Eaton Avenue This Queen Anne-style house was built in 1898 by Robert Scott, Country Agent and Police Magistrate. A typical side-hall house with a slant roofed kitchen, it boasts a distinctive tower with a pyramidal roof and an enclosed verandah. The Robertson Family owned the house from 1921-1990 when it was sold and became…
250 Manitoba Avenue Selkirk’s first post office was opened in 1876 with James Colcleugh as postmaster. Construction of the present building began in 1907 by Brown and Garson Construction Corporation and it was designed by the Winnipeg architectural firm of James Chisholm and Son. For many years it housed the federal government offices in addition…
Manitoba Avenue As you walk along Manitoba Avenue, look at the tops of the buildings; these squared-off tops, known as “Boom-town” fronts, give the small buildings an impression of size. They also gave the merchant a place to paint a sign. Notice the variation in the tops of numbers 238, and 240. The shape of…
383 Eveline Street The first Merchant’s Hotel on this property was built in 1887 by John Christian Shultz. The original building was moved back in 1903 to make room for this one. In addition to serving as a hotel, this building has provided space for the Bank of Montreal, a barbershop, and a pool room.…
389 Eveline Street Garson Quarries of Tyndall began work on the foundation of this building in July 1903. J. M. Beattie was in charge of the construction of the building. The first floor was shared by the bank and Moody’s hardware, the second provided space for many of the city’s professional offices, while the third…
478 Eveline Street James Stuart, manager of the Selkirk Electric Light Company, built this house in 1904. The Selkirk Electric Light Company was formed in 1890 and was the first producer of electricity in town.The 2 1⁄2 storey house is of brick masonry with a poured concrete foundation. It is distinguished by decorative brick belts,…
East End of Dorchester Avenue Little Lake Park was officially opened in 1991, but its roots date back to a much earlier greenspace called Daerwood Park. Located near the southern boundary of the former St. Peter’s Reserve, this land was going to be the site of a summer cottage subdivision, planned in the early 1900s…
301 Queen Avenue Murray Sinclair Park was one of a pair of playgrounds built by the Kinsmen Club of Selkirk in the mid-1950s. It was part of a national Kinsmen program to provide improved play opportunities for the new wave of children born immediately after the war. Kinsmen South Playground on Main Street at Dorchester…
486 Eveline StOn the morning of July 1, 1905, 1,200 members of the International Order of Oddfellows left Winnipeg for Selkirk aboard steam trains operated by the Winnipeg Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway (WS & LW). They were greeted by Selkirk’s Oddfellows before walking a couple of kilometres to what was formerly Red River Park…
163 Edstan Place As its name suggests, this park was once part of a 37-acre farm with a storied history created by A. A. Gilroy. Gilroy came to Manitoba from Ontario in 1905 as a senior executive with the T. Eaton Company. At the time he started the farm, he was also president of the…
314 Eveline Street at Britannia The site of Veterans Memorial Gardens played an important role in the community long before the erection of the war memorial in 1927. This site was home to Manitoba’s first national fish hatchery, which was built in 1892 by the federal government. It was described in the department of fisheries’…
600 block of Moody Avenue Penwarden Park was created in 1966 as the development of the residential neighbourhood around it was set to begin. The earliest newspaper mention of Penwarden Park comes from the January 22, 1968 city council meeting: “Councillor Taylor suggested there should be an official opening of the Wm. Penwarden Park.”. It…
304 Eveline Street The site that is now home to Queens Park was vacant since the construction of the Selkirk Lift Bridge in 1935, and perhaps even longer as before the bridge, this junction was a busy ferry crossing. In May 1951, the local Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) lodge leased this land from…
Queen Avenue honours Queen Victoria who ruled the Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. Victoria became queen of England when she was just 18 years old. By the time she died, 64 years later, she was Empress of India and ruler of the largest empire in the world. Her reign was the longest of any…
Robinson Avenue is named for Captain William Robinson, a man of many talents who grew rich in shipping, timber and fishing. Robinson’s fleet of fishing boats and tugs, fishing and timber camps provided 1000 jobs to the people of the region every year. His enterprises provided timber and fish for processing in Selkirk’s first factories…
This street honours Lord Dufferin, Canada’s third Governor-General. It is on the Selkirk Town Plan of 1875. On August 17, 1877, Lord and Countess of Dufferin actually visited the town! The Governor-General and his wife were the highest ranking persons ever to visit the fledgling community. Their visit convinced her citizens that Selkirk was fated…
Morris Avenue is named for Manitoba’s second Lieutenant-Governor, Alexander Morris. Morris was given a street name on the earliest plan of the town. Why? Because Morris changed the development pattern of Selkirk … and all of Western Canada. He also made it possible for hundreds of newcomers from Ontario to become wealthy in the west.…
Superior Avenue points eastward to Lake Superior from where the rail line from Eastern Canada was inching its way west in 1875. The next step would be the building of the rail bridge across the Red River! Selkirk would become “the new Chicago”- the transportation hub of Western Canada (see map of proposed railway 1882).…
Manitoba was Canada’s fifth province and its first expansion into the west. Selkirk was one of the first new towns in this new province. With the prospects of becoming the transportation hub for western Canada, Selkirk was a town with unlimited potential. A street named “Manitoba” captured the feelings of enthusiasm and optimism about the…
The Governor General and his family lived on an estate in Ireland called Clandeboye. When Lord and Lady Dufferin visited Selkirk in 1877, as Queen Victoria’s representative, it was a momentous event! Naming a street after the noble visitors’ home showed the loyalty of the townspeople. It also might have created an address that drew…
Eaton Avenue was named for William Herbison (W.H.) Eaton, a member of Timothy Eaton’s merchandising-empire family. W.H. Eaton and two of Timothy Eaton’s sons came to Selkirk in the late 1870’s and set up businesses. The boys ran a livery stable and made money renting wagons, carriages and teams of horses to construction crews and…
The name of this avenue recognizes the family of D.W. McLean. The family farmhouse stood on the NW corner where Knox Church was built in 1904. Sometimes naming a street in honour of a landowner helped persuade him to sell when the town fathers wanted the land. “Church Street” One of the architectural treasures of…
Vaughan Avenue commemorates the long service and guidance to the community by two remarkable surveyors, father Amos Vaughan and son Lynds Smith Vaughan. Amos did the first surveys of the town and even labelled the streets on the first town plan. He and his son L.S. alternated as town surveyors and councilors for more than…
Britannia Avenue is a tribute to the connection that Selkirk residents felt toward the British monarchy. The avenue was likely named at the start of World War I when British patriotism was at its peak in the town. British jingoism was at its height between the Boer War and the beginning of WWI. Songs such…
Rosser Avenue recognizes former Confederate General, Thomas Lafayette Rosser. In 1881, as chief engineer of the CPR, he granted Selkirk’s fondest wish. For a price, he gave Selkirk a rail line, though such branches were against CPR policy. Many thousands of extra dollars changed hands before track was laid. Within a year, Rosser was fired…
The name Eveline was given to the muddy trail behind the busy waterfront in 1875. Eveline was most likely the wife of inn-keeper and entrepreneur, John Greig. Before the creation of Selkirk, the “inner trail”, as it had been known for 50 years, led along the river bank to Lower Fort Garry. The fur trade…
Dr. John Christian Schultz had come to prominence by leading the “Canadian faction” opposing Louis Riel’s efforts to make Manitoba a province. He invested in Selkirk and came to own the land that became Clandeboye, Manitoba and Superior Avenues. He built the first Merchants Hotel in 1877. A Real Scallywag After Louis Riel had negotiated…
Colcleugh Avenue is named for Selkirk’s first Mayor and founder, James Colcleugh. As a contractor on the telegraph line between Rat Portage and Manitoba, Colcleugh reached a spot tentatively called “Selkirk” which was to be “the crossing” of the Red River. The location was just a mark on a railway map – not even a…
