BIG THINGS in Manitoba Roadside Attractions
This website has beautiful photos from around Manitoba. Well worth a long look!http://www.manitobaphotos.com/statues.htm
Winnipeg
Did You Know ?
The Golden Boy, the statue that graces the top of the Manitoba Legislature,
spent World War 1 in the hold of a troop ship acting as ballast,
criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean, after the French foundry that cast it was
bombed.
In 1914, a WW1 Winnipeg Captain, Harry Colebourn, took a black bear
cub to England as his Regiment's mascot. When Colebourn shipped out for
France, he donated the bear named Winnie after his home town, to London
Zoo, Author A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin loved "Winnie the
Pooh" and his father crafted stories about his boy and a bear.
Winnipeg was the first city in the world to develop the 911
emergency phone number.
The largest collection of Ukranian-language books outside the
Ukraine is housed in the Oseredok Ukranian Cultural and Educational
Center in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg has the largest, mature elm tree urban forest in North
America with approximately 170,000 elms. Over 60,000 of these trees are
on public boulevards, providing a graceful arched cover over many
neighbourhood streets.
In 1912, dignitaries celebrated the completion of the new St.
Boniface sewer system by holding a lavish banquet in the main chamber of
the sewer itself.
Pine Street in Winnipeg's west end was home to three WW1 soldiers
who received the Victoria Cross for their bravery in battle. The street
was renamed Valour Road in honour of its three courageous citizens.
The University of Manitoba was incorporated in 1877 as the first
university in the west. In 1880, the first graduating class had one
person in it.
Winnipeg has over 100 kilometres of navigable waterways with three
rivers.
Winnipeg's river boats were the first in Canada to hire female
captains.
The Golden Boy's official name is Eternal Youth. Winnipeggers
nicknamed him Golden Boy because of the sunlight that reflected off of
his bronze casting.
The Countess of Dufferin was the first railway engine to operate in
Manitoba. It was brought to Winnipeg aboard a steamer down the Red River
in 1875. It can currently be seen at the Winnipeg Railway Museum at Union
Station.
The first CPR transcontinental train arrived in Winnipeg on July 1,
1886.
Winnipeg was the first city in Canada to establish a United Way
charity.
The Winnipeg Foundation was established in 1921 with a donation
from William Forbes Alloway, making it the first community foundation in
the country. Today, it is the second-largest community foundation in
Canada and has distributed more than $125,000.000 to charitable
organizations in Winnipeg.
William Alloway, the founder of the Winnipeg Founation, had a
younger brother, Charles, who is credited with saving the buffalo from
extinction with his "pet" 13 purebreds.
More young soldiers from Manitoba were lost in the Second World War
than from any other province.
Canada's first monument dedicated to women who served in World War
11 is located in Winnipeg's Memorial park.
In 1936, Louise Staples, a teacher at Greenwood Elementary, was the
first Canadian to organize a school safety crossing patrol.
Winnipeg is home to the second largest community of
French -speaking Canadians west of Quebec.
The Golden Boy, a magnificently glided four metre (13.5 foot)
figure, is probably Manitoba's best known symbol. Embodying the spirit of
enterprise, he is poised atop the dome of the Legislative Building facing
north, towards Manitoba's rich mineral resources, fish, forest, furs,
water power and seaport.
Winnipeg's Union Station was designed by the same architects
responsible for Grand Central Station in New York City.
Metis leader Louis Riel was hanged in 1885 for treason after
leading a rebellion. Today, that opinion has changed and many consider
this man to be the "Father of Manitoba."
In 1862, the bells of the old ST. Boniface Cathedral were shipped
across the ocean to England for re-conditioning. Coming home, a storm
blew the ship off course and the bells ended up in St. Paul, Minnesota.
It was so expensive to bring the bells back to Winnipeg via Red River
Cart, that they were transported back by ship to England and returned to
Winnipeg through the Hudson's Bay.
L.L. FitzGerald was a Winnipeg painter who became a member of
Canada's famous Group of Seven. These artists heavily influenced Canadian
art and Canadian's impression of their country.
The St. Boniface Museum is the oldest building in
Winnipeg and the largest oak log structure in North America.
Carpathia Road in River Heights was named after the ocean liner
that came to the rescue of the Titanic in 1912.
Winnipegger Nellie McClung was a leader in the sufragette movement
that advocated for the right of women to vote.
Winnipeg's Exchange District has been designated as a National
Historic Site by the Canadian government due to its rich collection of
turn-of-the century terracotta and stone cut buildings, unrivalled in the
world.
Westview Park, affectionately known as "Garbage Hill," was
originally nicknamed "Lil's Hill" after Lillian Hallonquist, an
alderperson and the chair of the committee charged with finding a
solution to the half-century of accumulated trash that made up "Garbage
Hill" by 1948.
The University of Manitoba was the only university with an
architecture program in Western Canada until the 1970s.
More than half the population of the province of Manitoba lives in
Winnipeg.
The Assiniboine Forest is the largest urban forest park in Canada.
Winnipeg is situated on the fertile deposits of a prehistoric lake.
Lake Agassiz.
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were nomadic Aboriginal
peoples from three tribes: the Cree, The Assiniboine and the Ojibwa.
Winnipeg's motto since 1972 has been "Unum Cum Virtute Multorum"
meaning "one with the strength of many."
Winnipeg has purchases the only known painting of "Winnie the Pooh"
by the original illustrator E.H. Shepard. The painting, purchased for
$285,000 Canadian from Sotheby's auction house in London, England, is on
public display at the Pavillion Gallery in Assiniboine Park.
Winnipeg is the sunniest winter season in Canada with 358 hours of
sunshine.
The Manitoba Theatrre Centre is Canada's oldest English-language
regional theatre and the country's best attended. It operates a Mainstage
series, the MTC Warehouse, and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival,
North America's second largest.
Pantages Theatre built in 1913-14, hosted vaudeville performances
by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Marx Brothers. Tickets cost .10
cents, .15cents or .25 cents for an exclusive box seat.
It was the first air-conditioned building in Winnipeg. Huge pieces
of ice were placed in the basement and large fans were used to blow air
over the ice and cool the patrons.
Prairie Theatre Exchange is the only live theatre in the world that
is located in a shopping centre.
Winnipeg's French Theatre Company, Le Cercie Molliere, is Canada's
oldest continuously operating French theatre.
The Winnipeg Folk Festival, now almost 35 years old, is one of the
oldest and largest folk festivals in the world.
The University of Winnipeg's woman's basketball team has the
distinction of typing the world record for most wins. The team was
defeated by its crosstown rival, the University of Manitoba.
The Costume Museum of Canada is home to 35,000 artifacts spanning
400 hears and is the only museum in North America uniquely dedicated to
the collection of costumes, textiles and related accessories.
The Manitoba Museum is one of only three attractions in all of
Canada to earn a three-star rating from the famous travel guide, the
Michelin Green Guide.
British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards selected Oak Hammock
Marsh as the International winner in the Environmental Experience
category, recognizing Oak Hammock as a global Eco-tourism site.
Winnipeg-born Clara Hughes, a cycling and speed skating Olympic
athlete, made history by becoming the first Canadian to earn medals in
both the summer and winter Olympics, achieved by only three other
athletes in the history of the Olympics.
Winnipeg-born magician Dean Gunnarson holds two Guinness world
records for escaping from handcuffs, chains and a straightjacket.
The Smother Brothers Show, the most successful comedy show of the
1960s, and the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hours, the 1970's popular TV
program, were both produced by Winnipeg-born Allan Blye.
Rainbow Stage is Canada's oldest outdoor musical theatre, providing
over 50 years of beloved musicals.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery has the worlds's oldest collection of
contemporary Inuit art, including over 10,300 works of sculpture, prints
textiles and paintings.
Festival du Voyageur is the largest winter festival in Western
Canada. Giant snow sculptures, ice climbing, French cuisine, music, dance
and revelry occur within the French Fort Gibraltar each February.
The Leo Mol Sculputure Garden is one of the few sculpture gardens
featuring the work of a single artist in the world. The Winnipeg
sculptor, Leo Mol, is acclaimed worldwide and his works grace the Vatican
and sites across the globe.
The first million-dollar hockey player was the "Golden Jet" Bobby
Hull. He played for the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association in
1972 and received his cheque at a public celebration at Portage and Main.
Officers of the Hudson's Bay Company brought the game of golf to
Winnipeg in the early 1800s. It seems to have caught on with more than 40
courses in the city and within an hour's drive. A famous celebrity who
also caught the bug, right here in Winnipeg, was Bob Hope.
Winnipeg hockey teams have won two Olympic gold medals, three Avco
Cups (WHA) and three Stanley Cups (pre NHL).
The Winnipeg Falcons were the first Olympic hockey gold medallists
in 1920.
Winnipeg-born author Gabrielle Roy was arguably the best
French-language writer in Canada. She is most famous for writing The Tin
Flute, which won the Prix Femina in France and the Literary Guild award
for North America.
Winnipeggers Richard Condie (The Big Snit) and Cordell Barker (The
Cat Came Back) have both been nominated for Academy Awards. Richard
Condie won an Oscar for his animated short film.
Winnipeg-born Deanna Durbin was the highest paid Hollywood star of
the early forties.
Some of Winnipeg's film talent includes Nia Vardalos, whose movie
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was one of the highest-grossing independent
movies of all time, and Academy Award winning actor Anna Paquin, seen in
The Piano, X-Mean and Almost Famous.
The University of Winnipeg women's volleyball team broke the world
record for number of consecutive wins with 123. This shattered the record
previously held by a men's team at UCLA.
Folklorama, held in Winnipeg each August, is North America's
largest multi-cultural festival, featuring pavillions celebrating over 40
ethnic cultures. The World Tourism Organization voted it the festival
that best depicts Canadian Culture.
Winnipeg's Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art won the Specail
Prize at the renowned Venice Biennials in 2001, a first for Canada.
