Heritage Sites

Breland Log House (St. François Xavier)

The housewas reconstructed in 1998-2000. A replica of an ox cart is on display at this site.

Chalmers Presbyterian Church (Treherne)

Former Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Municipal Heritage Site.The
first Presbyterian service was held in Treherne in the early 1880s, and a modest wooden church built in 1887, was replaced in 1907 with this building, called Chalmers Presbyterian. Architecturally, the church is an ambitious interpretation of a typical L-shaped plan, with a handsome tower set into the apex of the ell. The Gothic Revival styling, de rigueur for Protestant churches, is seen here in the pointed Tudor windows and in the main door. The skillful handling of the building is no surprise, being the work of renowned Winnipeg architect J.H.G. Russell. Russell was the man often called upon in the design of major Presbyterian churches. This building is now a United Church, celebrating its centennial in 2007.

Flee Island Dakota Entrenchment (Portage la Prairie)

The eastern Dakota (Sioux) of Minnesota traditionally built “cunkaské” (pronounced choonkashkay)-wooden palisades, piles of stones and earthen entrenchments- around their camps and villages for protection against elements, wild animals, and potential enemies. One group was even referred to as the “Cunkaskétonwan,” Nation of the Forts. In the summer of 1862, many Dakota openly rebelled against the intolerable treatment they had received from American authorities. As a result, several hundred Dakota refugees moved north to the relative safety of the Red River Settlement. In the spring of 1864, following an attack by Chippewa (Anishinabe) bounty hunters from Minnesota, the Dakota constructed fortified camps in the Portage la Prairie district. Each camp was enclosed by a circular trench and embankment behind which armed defenders could position themselves. Inside this circle was a ring of pits where the women and children could take refuge in the event of an attack. The Flee Island Entrenchment is nearly circular with a diameter of 73 metres. It is not quite continuous, however, as the eastern portion has been incorporated into the adjacent field. Depth of the intact trench varies from 0.3 to 1.0 metres, and there was a semi-continuous bank of earth on the outside. A number of deep, circular pits are also located on the inside, close to the trench.

Former Dominion Post Office Building (Portage la Prairie)

This Portage la Prairie building is an example of Fuller’s interpretation of the Romanesque Revival style. The 2-1⁄2 storey hammer-faced limestone building features a steep mansard roof and central gable. Political controversy in Ottawa delayed construction, but the building was finally opened in 1898. This building is now Portage la Prairie’s City Hall.

Former Grey Nuns' Convent (St. François Xavier)

The former Grey Nuns' Convent is a simple, yet attractive structure constructed in 1916 for the Grey Nuns of the St. François Xavier Parish. When the parish was established in 1828, it was the most westerly church parish in the Red River Settlement. In 1850 the Grey Nuns arrived in St. François Xavier, then known as Grantown, where they ministered to the spiritual and educational needs of Métis society. The original exterior of the two-storey, wood-frame structure has remained unaltered. The gables of the building have a simple Tudor-style detailing.

Former Qually Brothers Store (Dacotah)

This modest but unusual building was for many years the central gathering spot for the community of Dacotah. Built in 1935 for the Qually Brothers new retail establishment, the operation sold general merchandise and wasalso the local International Harvester dealer. Qually’s store also housed the telephone operator’s office for a locally established “farmer’s line” system. Today, the old store, which is being restored, is the only remaining commercial building to mark the community’s main street.

Frikirkju (Bru) Lutheran Church (Cypress River)

Frikirkju Lutheran was built in 1910. This church is a fine example of Lutheran architectural traditions, with its Gothic Revival details. The church was moved in 1998 to its current site where it found new life as a restaurant and bed and breakfast.

Galloway Bros. Department Store, Provincial Heritage Site (Gladstone)

The formerGalloway Bros. Department Store was constructed in 1902 to designs prepared by George W. Gouinlock (1861-1932), a prominent Canadian architect. It remains one of the earliest department store buildings outside a major urban centre in Manitoba.

Herdukried Lutheran Church (Langruth)

Former Herdukried Lutheran Church, Municipal Heritage Site. The construction of this church began in 1929. Congregation member Carl Lindal, a master cabinet builder, designed and constructed the platform enclosure and pulpit. The church was dedicated in the summer of 1930. “Herdukried” is the name of a mountain in Iceland and, in the Icelandic language, means ’wide shoulders.’ Church buildings were of a simple design-a wood-frame, rectangular-shaped structure with a tower and a gable roof. Buildings were enlivened with Gothic Revival elements, such as pointed arched entrances and windows and crenellated porch sections.

Holland Emmanual Historical Site (formally Emmanuel Anglican Church) (Holland)

Holland Emmanuel Historical Site was the former Anglican Church in Holland.  Built in 1894 it is a beautiful wood structure with stone basement.  It boasts a high arched ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows.  

  The building is now privately owned by Holland Emmanuel Friends Inc.

Macdonald Pioneer Cemetery (Macdonald)

The cemetery was formed in the late 1880s, and was originally associated with a church, but quickly came to be operated by the local community. The cemetery contains about 30 graves, many of them marked with beautiful granite headstones and monuments.

Original Gaol (Saint-Claude)

The original Gaol (or prison) was built in 1913, and was restored in 2006. The Gaol houses two cells, one complete with prisoner’s bunk and “biffy”. Displays explain the history of the gaol and indicate some of the incidents that happened and characters who ’inhabited’ the building. The building also houses a tourist office.

Poplar Point Memorial Rink (Poplar Point)

Shortly after the end of World War II, local citizens decided that a building devoted to the health of the young would be a more fitting tribute to the fallen than a statue. And when the building went up in 1949, and its glory is inside; where laminated 1"x8" boards soar to a height of 17 metres (50 feet), creating an open and airy space.

Portage Land Titles Building (Portage la Prairie)

The former Portage Land Titles Building, constructed in 1889, and is a fine example of this building type. The original design was ultimately considered too plain in its façade design, and was refronted in 1906. Although modest in size the building has Neo-Classical distinction with a pedimented entrance, a deep cornice supported by brick pilasters and urns on the parapet.

St. Ambroise Dakota Entrenchment (St. Ambroise)

Although there is no clear evidence that the St. Ambroise Entrenchment was ever used defensively, it may have been. Historical documentation indicates that a group of Dakota, led by a man called “The Leaf,” moved onto Lake Manitoba in February of 1864 to fish. Early one morning during the last week of April or the first week of May, their camp was attacked by a group of Chippewa (Anishinabe) bounty hunters from Minnesota. Six Dakota were killed outright and several succumbed to serious wounds shortly thereafter. The May 10, 1864 issue of The Nor’Wester reported this raid and noted that the Dakota were “busily engaged in fortifying their present encampment by digging rude earthworks and rifle pits.” Although it is not known if the St. Ambroise fortification was built in the spring of 1864, it did exist in 1873, when a “stonemound of Indians” was recorded at this location by William Wagner during his land survey of the shoreline of Lake Manitoba. The St. Ambroise Entrenchment is a continuous circle, 114 metres in diameter, containing several interior pits and an earthen embankment around its outer edge. Two circular pits are located outside the entrenchment-a larger one, 64 metres to the northwest, and a smaller one 20 metres to the east. The purpose of these pits is unclear; some have suggested that they were wells or, perhaps, observation posts.

St. Anne's Anglican Church (Poplar Point)

The oldest log church west of the Great Lakes on the Prairies, St. Anne’s was built in 1859. It is a rare example of Red River frame log construction, popular throughout the west from 1820 to 1870. The church contains many original elements and fixtures including hand-made pews, a vestry screen decorated with jack-knife cut crosses and a font carved from a single large oak log.

St. Mary's la Prairie Anglican Church (Portage la Prairie)

St. Mary’s la Prairie Anglican Church was constructed in 1898, the third church built for the Parish of Portage la Prairie, which was founded by Archdeacon WilliamCockran in 1853. Archdeacon Cockran was an important missionary whose work at the Red River Settlement helped establish the Anglican Church in the West. The present church, designed by noted Winnipeg architect H.S. Griffith, is one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Manitoba. Mr. Griffith used the standard vocabulary of the style: rough stone walls, a steep roof and the pointed arch for window and door openings. But Griffith gave the building more power and delight with a unique assemblage of forms at the main entrance, where the church’s bell is also housed. The church is just as impressive inside, with stained glass memorial windows, fine woodwork in the pews, pulpit, and altar, and dark-coloured ceiling with the impressive open wood trusses.

St. Paul's Anglican Church (St. Eustache)

St. Paul’s Anglican Church was constructed during the spring and summer months of 1910. This woodframe church was an ambitious undertaking for the congregation, with six years of bazaars, teas, box socials, concerts and collection drives needed to raise sufficient funds. Many items are original to this 85-year old Gothic-inspired church including the Bible, chalice and plate, linens, baptismal bowl and book rest. Pointed arched windows with delicate window tracery enhance the exterior. An open bell tower topped with a short spire and wooden cross was restored in 1993. Further restorations to the building have since been made.

Tenby School (Tenby)

Former Tenby School, Municipal Heritage Site. The novel design and the unusual building materials are reminders of the local pride brought to the construction of many one-room schools. At a time when other one-room schools were basically unadorned boxes, the builders of Tenby, in 1896, undertook a more ambitious project. The floor plan was larger-almost a square-and the building was topped with a pyramidal roof. Moreover, they were built not with wood, but with concrete block. This material, which was popular for construction between 1890 and 1905, was usually the work of itinerant crews with portable block-makingmoulds. At Tenby School, the block-makers used a floral mould to create beautiful corner detail blocks, a feature not seen on many buildings, and certainly not on buildings of this modest size. Tenby School was closed in 1967, but local citizens have recently undertaken to preserve this remarkable little building.

Tiger Hills Arts Association Gallery (Holland)

The former Union Bank was built in 1903, and operated until 1933 or 1934. The two story building’s walls and foundation are brick, and it features a floating cement floor in the basement. It is of unique stature and distinction with bird’s eye maple hardwood floors, ornamental tin ceilings and beautiful large windows. It now houses the Tiger Hills Arts Association Gallery.

Annual Programs: Talent search, Cultural fiesta, Canada day, Christmas gala, concerts, Summer art camps, Independent Film Screenings, Art exhibits.

Classes: Visual, literary and performing arts. 

United Church and Manse (Sidney)

Built in 1891 to serve a Methodist congregation, this church and adjacent manse are a charming couple. Built of red brick, the buildings are obviously a pair. The church is naturally more distinctive, with an angled tower and tall pyramidal roof. But the decorative Gothic trim at the roof line is picked up in the house, with its even more elaborate trim treatment. The result is a fine testament to builder John McCartney.

Warkentin Blacksmith Shop (St. François Xavier)

Warkentin Blacksmith Shop, Municipal Heritage Site. 2172 Highway #26. This blacksmith shop was constructed and operated by Henry Warkentin from 1931 to 1963, and is a simple, utilitarian structure. Painted red, the one-storey wood-frame building is covered with a gable roof, while small windows punctuate the sides. The façade incorporates large sliding doors which, when moved aside, expose a large work area.

Young House, Municipal Heritage Site (Cypress River)

William Edwin Young was one of the five original pioneers to homestead in the Cypress River area. In 1900 he built a Victorian style house of granite stones, hauled from the Assiniboine River on a horse drawn bobsled. Stone construction was used from basement to peak, and even included a round cistern in the basement. A bay window, two dormers, elaborate gingerbread, and a front verandah add to the appeal of the exterior. The interior remains much of its original finish, including tin ceiling panels, wainscoting, and decorative mouldings and wood work.