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I have just realised that I have not shown any photos of the Eaton's store yet, which is unforgiveable considering that in 2004 it has been demolished, and a new arena has been erected in its place.  So to make up for it, here are several pictures showing how it looked over time.
A hive of activity.  I am not sure what year this is, but notice that Eaton's only has five floors!
I am not very familiar with the history of Eaton's, so if I show my ignorance, please forgive me.
This photo was taken in 1910, and if I am not mistaken, it now has 6 floors.  So did they expand it to 8 floors in stages?
Now this is very curious.  This one was also dated 1910, but the building most definitely has all of its eight floors doesn't it?
Donald Street looking in the other direction
Now we have cars instead of horses, Eaton's in the 30's I would guess.
The drawing room of the Royal Alexandra Hotel
This was Qu'Appelle Street and the entrance to Central Park in 1913.

This information was supplied by Kip Lyon, now living in Victoria, British Columbia.

He wrote me a fascinating e-mail, giving insight as to what it was like growing up on this street.  To read it, please click on the Guestbook below, where you will find this and many other Winnipeg memories.
1914 K of P Parade.  (K of P ?  I have no idea!)
1917 Military Parade
I left this one large so you could see the wonderful detail.  It was dated 1906, and obviously tinted afterwards.  This interesting scene was taken at the Winnipeg Annual Fair. I don't know where it was located, but isn't that an unusual building in the background?  I bet one of you out there knows all about it!
Winnipeg Stampede in 1913
This picture was taken at the Winnipeg Expo in 1905, and was entitled "Ask Our Jack"  Was he a male version of an agony aunt I wonder?  Or maybe you stood to win a prize if you could stump him with a question.
This says "Earl Grey receiving cadets on Manitoba University grounds, Winnipeg"

Is he the fellow they named the tea after?
Decoration Day Parade No. 8
Decoration Day Parade No. 20
Decoration Day Parade 1916
This is Graham Avenue on the right, I worked on this street for almost 17 years.  You are looking towards Main Street, and can see the Federal Building in the distance.
And here is Winnipeg's first Carnegie Library in 1904, located as I said above at 380 William Avenue.  It was built with a $75,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie, who was responsible for lots of libraries across Canada. Most recently the building has been used for the City of Winnipeg Archives. 
The Banking Section on Main Street, clearly showing the Bank of Hamilton on the left.
The writing on the front of this card reads "Here is the new bank 11 stories high as it now looks.  The building that you see through it is City Hall."

Then written on the bottom is "Winnipeg's First Steel Building"
And here is that same bank as above in 1908.  It is of course the Union Bank, later the Royal Bank.  This building is still up at 504 Main
Devon Court built with a dining room on the 5th floor in 1908 for Winnipeg's wealthier citizens at 326 Broadway on the SE cornner of Edmonton.
Demolished in 1981.
And while we are on a roll with banks, here is the Bank of Montreal on the corner of Portage and Main in 1915 also still there.
A 1935 picture of the Fire Hall in St. Boniface
The Court House in 1908
First Baptist Church
Here we have a tinted 1906 photo of Assiniboine Avenue
This is what St. Mary's Academy looked like in 1907
Wesley College (now University of Winnipeg)
Here we have Winnipeg's first post office, built in 1852-1854.  Known as Ross House
It was originally located at the foot of Market Street and was relocated to 176 Higgins Avenue in 1949
In 1984, it was moved again to its present location at 140 Meade Street North
Here is Main Street again, with the Union Bank towering over its neighbours.  The writing on the wall of the building in the background says 'Ashdown's Hardware'
The Masonic Temple, which if I remember correctly became Mother Tucker's restaurant.  Which would place it on Donald Street.
The Manitoba College in 1910, located near the University of Winnipeg, now demolished.
The McLaren Hotel at 554 Main Street, shown here when it was a fairly new building.

Now, you can still see the McLaren Hotel, but one thing you won't see is the large sign behind advertising Player's cigarettes!
Here we have Smith Street.  I can't quite decide the year, because that woman's coat looks to be just below the knee, which would tell me it was the 30's or later. But those cars look older than that don't they?
This was just described as 'One of Winnipeg's fine residences'  It certainly is isn't it?  It looks sturdy enough that it should still be standing today.  Anybody know where it is located?  I would guess that it is somewhere near Assiniboine Park.  Let's see how long it takes before someone proves me wrong! :-)
This was a store fire on Jan 15th, 1924.  I bet the firefighters of today thank their lucky stars that they don't have to work with equipment like this!  Their clothing looked hardly adequate too!
A parade down Portage Avenue on September 18th, 1912.  I wonder what they were celebrating, and what on earth was that hanging down the side of the Eaton's building?
Another photo of St. Mary's Catholic School, showing the St. Mary's Cathedral on St. Mary Avenue in the heart of downtown.
(Thanks to Dave Quanbury for identifying this one)
Another church, this time it is St. George's English Church.
The Christmas lights of Portage Avenue - what a long tradition this has been - this photo was taken in 1912!
This was taken at the Winnipeg Stampede in 1913, and the lady showing off her skills with the rope was Tillie Baldwin.
Here is a 1900's photo of the YMCA building on Portage Avenue, which later became the Birks Building.  Last time I looked at it it was standing empty.  Such a shame, it is the type of building that is crying out to be an upper class fashion store.  Anybody read Scruples? I can just see it as that type of store.
So there you have it.  If you would like see more old photos,  click HERE for page 3, or if you would like to compare these photos with some taken in more recent years, click on the link below, or check out Folkestone, my other home town.  Also, don't forget to check out the Readers' Letters in the guestbook below.
Home
Aha!  But I knew that someone out there would.  Someone by the name of Melanie left a message in the guestbook saying that K of P probably stands for Knights of Pythius.  They must be still going strong, because she said her Grandfather belongs to them.  Apparently they are similar to the Shriners.

Don't you learn a lot here eh? :-)
A bird's eye view of Transcona in 1911.  Not many houses there in those days was there?
This 1914 postcard was entitled "Winnipeg's Handsome Buildings" and they sure were in those days!
Here we have a lovely photo of the Winnipeg Auditorium at I would guess. the late 40s or early 50s.
This photo was sent to me by David, who describes himself as Morehall Boy!  That is a reference to my other home town.  David is also from Folkestone and Morehall School for boys was just down the road from me - which I might add, did not escape my attention! :-)
I  received this lovely photograph from Rob McInnes. 
Do you remember on my previous page, I was asking if anyone knew where the CN Exhibition had been held?  Well, the first one is of the Winnipeg Industrial Bureau building, which was located on Main Street, just south of Portage Avenue, and was demolished to make way for the Federal Building. This card was postally used in 1913.

Rob was saying that this building just might be the place that housed the CN Exhibition.  These people were all flocking to the Free Exposition Local Industries and Natural Resources.  Was that the same one I wonder?
Thanks Rob - they are  wonderful photos! :-)
The second photo from Rob is fascinating too.  It shows the pontoon bridge leading over to Elm Park.  Which apparently was the only way to get into the park.  It cost the princely sum of 5 cents for admission!

It sure looked a bit rickety didn't it?  Good job there were no roller blades in those days!
Rob also sent me this little photo depicting the Assiniboine River with the Osbourne Street bridge in the background, dated 1908.  This bridge too had an overhead structure in those days, as did many others it seems.
Just had an e-mail from Rob McInnes telling me he just found out that it was located on Dufferin Avenue
This is the way St. Boniface Basillica looked in 1964, just a few short years before it went up in flames yet again.

What a beautiful building - such a terrible shame.
This page updated January 2, 2015
Several people have written to tell me that this was Kelly House, located on the corner of Assiniboine Avenue and Carlton Street.  Quite a scandal associated with this house, and you can read all about it in the guestbook linked below.
The answer to this question is in the guestbook  linked below.
Someone told me that these lights used to be left up all year round.
Eureka!  I have finally found a photo of Upper Fort Garry, you can see it in the background of this one taken around 1873.  In the foreground we have the paddlewheeler SS Dakota, docked at the Hudson's Bay Company landing on the Assiniboine River.
I received an e-mail from Allan P. Gray of Austin, Texas, which you can read by clicking on the 'Winnipeg Memories' link at the bottom of this page.
He was reminiscing about his childhood on Craig Street, near Omand's Creek, and mentioned a nearby orphanage.  He came up with the name, and now I have come up with a photo to match!  This was St. Joseph's Vocational School on Portage West, built in 1906 as an orphanage by the Grey Nuns.  In 1938 it was taken over by the Sisters of Providence, who must have been running it when Allan was a boy.
I don't know if he was, but here is what I have found out about him:
Earl Grey was born Albert Henry George, the 4th Earl Grey, on November 28, 1851 in London, England. He was appointed Governor General of Canada by the British Parliament in 1904. He made several trips to Winnipeg during his tenure as Governor General – among them, the opening ceremony for the City’s first Carnegie Library at 380 William Avenue.
You can see more photos of Upper Fort Garry in the John Steel Collection attached to this site
St Stephen's Broadway United Church was built in 1906 as Broadway Methodist.  Following church union in 1925 it joined with St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church (now Elim Chapel).  St. Stephen's Broadway was burned down in 1968 and was rebuilt two years later.
July 1968
This is the way the Rainbow Stage used to look when it was first built.  You really prayed for good weather in those days!
The former Great West Life building at 177 Lombard Avenue
Another aerial shot which shows a portion of Main Street with Birt's Saddlery on the corner of Main & Bannatyne.  Birt's opened in 1965 and when it closed, it was owned by Susan Thompson, former Mayor of Winnipeg.  I have been looking at the corner on the left.  Is that the monument that used to stand in front of the old City Hall?
If you have your own memories of Winnipeg, please share them with us by jotting them down in the book
To check your bearings, (and to find my mistakes!) you might find this 1911 map of Winnipeg useful.
Use your back button to come back here afterwards
Eaton's opened their 5 story retail store in 1905 and almost immediately decided to add another 3 floors which were completed within the year.
There may be some artistic licence on the "Donald Street looking north" postcard.  You are right there appears to be 6 floors and not 5 or 8.  The white colored line of stonework does not appear to continue on the upper 3 floors as it does in the other images.  It is interesting to note the building on the right is the Somerset Building (still standing).
Ahah!  I received the following from David Jenkins
Thanks very much David!
Prior to moving to its last location at Main & Bannatyne, Birt's Saddlery
was located at Main and Market St and was demolished to make way for the
Centennial Concert Hall and Museum complex.  Yes, the statue is the
Volunteer Monument which was previously in front of the old City Hall.  It
was moved across the street and north a block from his original location.
David Jenkins came to the rescue on this one too:
Built in the 1930's (1932 to be exact David) this building is still standing, but much changed.  It is now the Manitoba and HBC Archives Building.  In addition to being the site of many concerts, it housed the Manitoba Museum and the Winnipeg Art Gallery before they moved to their current locatons.
David Jenkins also had some information on this building.
Folkestone Then & Now
Another e-mail has shed a little more light, he says: 

"Today it would be known as Winnipeg’s  “ Old Exhibition Grounds”.  The Old “Ex” as it is referred to  now ,  actually was turned into an enlistment area during World War 1, where my grandfather enlisted."

Thank you very much kind sir!