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…
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. Map of Proposed Railway Route, 1872,…
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…
A few historical figures could be responsible for the naming of Eaton Avenue. Timothy Eaton, a successful businessman who founded the well-known Eaton’s department store brought his two nephews to Canada with the hope that they would help him run his stores. However, John James Eaton and Robert Y. Eaton were not interested in the…
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…
Selkirk’s First Commercial Street 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 riverbank to Lower Fort Garry.…