Portage la Prairie, Manitoba is home to a unique railway site. The two major transcontinental railways – the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) – cross each other at what is known as a “diamond junction.”
Sitting Bull: The Great Lakota Chief
Sitting Bull is remembered as a great leader of the Hunkpapa Lakota.Through hardships, he united several tribes to combat the Americans.
The Red River Flood of 1979
The Red River flood of 1979 should have been even more devastating than the infamous flood of 1950, but because of the Red River Floodway and ring dikes protecting rural areas, it was one of the least harmful major floods in Manitoba history.
Brandon, Manitoba’s WWI Enemy Alien Detention Centre
The creation of an internment camp in Brandon is a highly overlooked chapter in the history of the city. The camp was used to detain hundreds of innocent immigrants, most of whom came from what we now know as Ukraine.
The Pre-contact Occupation of Brandon/Grand Valley at the Stott Site
The Stott Site, it is a place where Indigenous people have lived and hunted since around 800 A.D., long before Europeans arrived in this area. Stone tools, animal bones, and pottery sherds, among other objects, have been recovered at the site and demonstrate the diversity of activities that once took place.
The Daly Overpass
The 59-year-old Daly Overpass has long been a part of the history of Brandon, Manitoba. It is a major access point in Brandon and is considered the city’s primary traffic route.
The Chinese Head Tax
Chinese immigrants came to Canada to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Soon after the CPR was completed, federal authorities passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. A “head tax” of $50 applied to all Chinese people wishing to migrate to Canada.
Some Manitoba Grain Elevator Trivia
Grain elevators played a critical role in grade trade history. For a century and a half, farmers have been bringing their grain to elevators to be shipped by rail out of their communities to market. Here is some trivia about some Manitoba grain elevators.
Commercial Fishing in Winnipegosis
The second biggest lake in Manitoba, Lake Winnipegosis, was a huge source of fish for the Manitoba commercial fishing market.
Grain Elevators: The Cathedrals of the Prairies
Grain elevators were an important representation of the Canadian prairies from the beginning of their settlement.