Wendy's Winnipeg Page

My grandfather was Alexander Ross McPherson, born 1880 in New Gairloch, Nova Scotia- came to Manitoba in 1898, eloped to marry grandmother Mary Bell Robertson in Dec 2, 1908 and started the City Creamery, later City Dairy in Winnipeg February 1912 until sometime in 1914 when he was bought out by a man from California. It then became, Modern Dairies, Crescentwood Dairies, and then I believe, Silverwood Dairies......Wendy

A general view of Winnipeg, and very clearly you can make out the Walker Theatre, and John W. Peck & Co.

C.P.R. have a large hotel just to left of station, in fact they are joined now. The Royal Alexandra Hotel is similar to the Fort Garry in another picture. There is also their 1st engine, 'The Countess of Dufferin" mounted in a little park in front of station here.

If the wording alongside the following photos is in black, it means it is a reprint of what had been written on the back - by Wendy's Aunt Hellen.

The CNR Railway station, the wording over the front door reads 'Jasper'.

The city of St. Boniface is on the other side of the Red river in the background.

The General Post Office, Portage Avenue, which is no longer there. However, the building on the opposite corner is. It is where you go to obtain a birth certificate.

Main Street looking North. The large building on the left is the Royal Bank of Canada.

The Grand Stairway, Legislative Building.

This is the gate of the old Fort Garry. The upper fort which was at the junctions of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, just back of the Fort Garry Hotel now.

Swan pond between large picnic green & zoo. Pavilion in background where meals & refreshments are also sold. To right of pavilion about 200 yds is large conservatory where a lot of tropical plants & flowers grow in natural way. Here also one finds cricket greens, a number of picnic green corners & childrens' playground & Canadian animals in natural surroundings.

One of the flower garden corners (in City Park) This is Winnipeg's largest park. There are 54 parks in Wpg., so it is often called a city of parks. So many for its size. Not all parks are large but 8 are quite a size with car drives.

The Legislative Building. This was taken some time ago, as trees & foliage now a lot larger.

Portage Avenue looking West, showing The Lyceum Theatre & block and the Eatons Store.

St. Andrew's Locks near Winnipeg

The Fort Garry Hotel. This is the Canadian National Railways hotel. Just about 1/2 a block from the station & across the street.

The Bank of Montreal. This is at the intersection of Portage Ave & Main St.

Looking down Main Street, taken from the corner of Portage & Main.

You can read enough of the writing on the building in the centre to know that it was the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Lower Fort Garry. This is the lower fort which is about 10 miles north of Wpg., and is now being used as a club, and being preserved by the club in its original way. It has a golf course etc. around there.

This lovely photo of the Royal Alexandra Hotel was dated August 22, 1914, from Wendy's Grandmother's sister, Maggie Edmondson, who was announcing the birth of their son on the previous Friday.

You have seen photos of the CPR station, and the Royal Alexandra Hotel. This tinted postcard shows how they were joined together.

Another tinted postcard, this time of the Law Courts Building.

And another of City Hall

The Bank of Montreal again, this time showing the Federal Building a little further down Main Street

The General Hospital, now known as the Health Sciences Centre.

Science Building, University of Manitoba

A lovely postcard of Main Street. I can't make out the date, but it has a George V stamp on the back, and I think it is from Wendy's Grandmother's sister.

Another interesting one of Portage Avenue, looking east from Garry Street.

Auditorium, Cenotaph, Legislative Building and University Building. Notice the streetcar tracks going off to the right? I guess that must be Broadway.

Here is the postcard which told us the exact date that Happyland Amusement Park opened, you can't see it in the scan, but it says 'Opening of Happyland Park, May 24, 06.'

This is strange, it's a postcard, but doesn't say what it is of. Obviously it's the aftermath of a dreadful fire in the middle of winter, I will have to ask Wendy if she knows.

Dated Jan 15, 1913 - and Wendy's Grandfather, James Robertson had written on the back asking his wife to post a letter he had inadvertently left on the table. The picture is of a lovely paddle steamer at St. Andrews Locks.

Entitled 'Merry Go Around, Winnipeg Beach', and the card was produced by Cleven Photo, 367 Main.

This is not Winnipeg, but wanted to include it because it has such a dreadful name! It is the Home for Incurables in Portage la Prairie, and sadly, it was sent by someone called Jean.

The Winnipeg Flood of 1950

This was the flood which prompted Premier Duff Roblin to build the Winnipeg Floodway - known by many as 'Duffs Ditch'. The 1950 flood, which was the worst in 100 years cost Winnipeg tax payers millions of dollars. This is what the city looked like back then. Was your street one of the unfortunate ones?