History of Winnipeg

Hello everyone,
One of the things I did at university besides drink too much was study history. So as a refresher I went out and bought a book on the history of the cities in Canada. I wanted to this to be part of my blog so that years from now when I can't remember my grade 8 history this will help me remember it. To be quite honest, it is amazing how much of it you forget. Or at least I did.
Winnipeg, Winterpeg, The Peg, home to Winnie the Pooh, the gateway to the Prairies that is geographically almost at the centre of Canada. The First Nations people have lived here for 6,000 years and depended on the herds of buffalo that roamed the land. However, by the end of the 19th century the herds were almost hunted to extinction. More Europeans came and built the towns and farmed the land. Many of them Europeans married native women which created the Metis community and we remember their famous leader Louis Riel who was executed in 1881. We walked by the church (St. Boniface) which Louis Riel is buried. The area of Winnipeg called St. Boniface is the second largest French speaking community outside of Quebec. Over half of Manitoba's population lives in Winnipeg and the population of Winnipeg is around 700,000 people.
If I could travel to one spot in the world (and I will some day) it would be to Iceland. That is my "dream vacation". Gimli Manitoba, is home to the largest Icelandic community outside of Iceland. In 1875, Icelandic settlers claimed land in nearby Willow Creek and soon proclaimed and independent state which lasted until 1897 when the government insisted that other immigrants be allowed to settle in Gimli. Today, every August there is an Icelandic Festival and it is home to the New Iceland Hertiage Museum. Maybe if I don't get to Iceland soon, I will go to Gimli for the festival.
Famous spots in Winnipeg, Portage and Main. Often called the coldest intersection in Canada. It is pretty neat to be standing at this spot when you have heard about this for so long. One of the things they don't mention to you (lucky for us the people of the Fairmount Winnipeg who treated us so well, did) is that it is actually illegal to cross the street at this intersection. Of course I did not take them seriously at first but it is true. You have to walk underground to cross Portage and Main. Winnipeg also has a underground path system similiar to Toronto that takes you all over the downtown area. However, like in Toronto I got lost in this one too!!
One of the other famous spots in Winnipeg is called "The Forks". This is where the Assiniboine River and Red River meet. It was a major trading post for the Indians and now is a family entertainment centre for the city.
Trust me when I say this, Manitoba license plates say "Friendly Manitoba" and it is very true. The people of Manitoba and Winnipeg are just great. They are very friendly and if you read on....you will see what I mean.