The place where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet was the birthplace of Winnipeg. Archeological evidence suggests that people first gathered there to trade over 6,000 years ago.

The Winnipeg region was inhabited by Assiniboine and Cree Indians before the arrival of whites. The first non-Indian settlement on the site of the present-day city was established in 1738 by the French-Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, who built Fort Rouge here.

The fortress was subsequently abandoned, but in 1803 a fur-trading post was constructed here, and in 1810 Fort Gibraltar was built.

In 1812 a group of Scots and Irish immigrants settled in the area. In 1822 the Hudson's Bay Co. constructed Fort Garry near the site of Fort Gibraltar.

The community developed slowly as a fur-trading and distribution point.The settlement, known as the Red River Colony, became a hub of the fur trade until the 1880s when grain production became more important in Western Canada.

In 1862 Mr. McKenny built his store where the corner of Portage and Main St. are today. In 1866 the name Winnipeg was first used for the area around Mr. McKenny's store. In 1870 the settlement was named Winnipeg and became the capital of the new province of Manitoba.

In 1870 there were 30 buildings in Winnipeg. By 1873 there were over 900 buildings in Winnipeg. Main St. was the most important street by 1873. Portage and Main were both very wide so the Red River carts could travel side by side and avoid the ruts.

The first people came by boat along the fur traders' routes from Churchill. People tried to build a wagon road from Fort William to Winnipeg but they only managed 40 km. in 11 years. The Dawson Road finally was opened in 1871.

The economic growth of the city was spurred by the opening in 1878 of a rail link with Saint Paul, Minn., and by the arrival in 1881 of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Winnipeg needed a large, growing population. The new city advertised in England and Europe with maps and pamphlets in 10 different languages and Exhibition vans travelled to many different countries.

In 1888, the city hired immigration agents to meet the trains and encourge people to stay and farm near Winnipeg. By 1896, thousands of immigrants were coming to the west.

From 1900 to 1910, Winnipeg's population increased from 52,000 to 170,000, mainly because of the influx of immigrants from Europe.

In 1914 there were twenty-five buildings used for banking and grain business on Main just north of Portage. And at one time, there were more than 60 hotels between the CPR and CNR stations.

Between 1900 and 1919 there was increasing labour unrest in the city. In 1906 there was a streetcar strike which ended in violence and reading of the riot act, backed up by a show of riflemen and machine guns. But it was on May 15th, 1919 that the relatively well known Winnipeg General Strike happened.

Demanding higher wages, employer recognition, and better working conditions the workers of the city brought the place to a halt. This culmination of labour unrest and discontent that had made strikes commonplace by 1918, was aggravated by the visit of the Minister of Justice later in May.

The police force were all fired for refusing to sign a pledge saying they would not strike, and 2000 special constables were signed up. When it finally became clear that the strikers would not just bow to the government, 8 of the 10 strike leaders were arrested.

In June a "silent parade" of protesting war veterans apparently became "unruly" and was broken up by policemen with baseball bats and rifles. Two men died and an unknown number were injured. The strike was over by June 26th.

In terms of it's immediate aims the strike was a failure, but the subsequent commission of inquiry concluded that the strike arose from discontent due to "genuine and legitimate grievances, long hours and low pay and bad housing". In the long run the strike has had a tremendous impact on the social and political history of Canada and established the power of labour as a force.

After 1940 the city's industrial base was widened substantially, and in the 1960s and '70s many large buildings were constructed. In 1972 the city annexed several adjacent communities, including Saint Boniface and Saint James-Assiniboia, thus becoming one of Canada's most populous cities.

The name of the city is derived from a Cree Indian term probably meaning "muddy water". Pop. (1986) 594,551; (1991) 616,790; (1996) 676,700

DID YOU KNOW......

...Winnipeg's motto is "One with the strength of many"?

...Winnipeg enjoys over 2,300 hours of sunshine per year, more than any other Canadian city?

...the Winnipeg International Airport (YWG) is Canada's only centrally located 24 hour airport? Only 4.5 miles (7km) from the city's downtown, YWG is Canada's longest serving international airport.

...you would have to travel 91 kilometres to circle Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway?

...the enclosed overhead skywalk system connecting you to most of downtown Winnipeg gives you direct access to Eaton's, Eaton Place, The Bay and Portage Place - home of the IMAX Theatre? The system extends almost 1.2 miles providing indoor access to over 934 businesses and offices. Explore over 8.1 million square feet of shopping downtown - all connected by indoor walkways.

...summer high temperatures generally range 78-80 F/26-27 C, though it can reach 90 F/32 C or more?

...Valour Road, formerly called Pine Street, in the west end of Winnipeg was named in honour of three young soldiers living on the street who each earned the Victoria Cross for bravery?

...Winnipeg is the SLURPEE capital of the world? On average, 4500 Slurpees are sold per 7-11 store each month in Canada, yet in the Peg, the average is 6800. Winnipeggers have been having a love affair with Slurpees since 1969.

...25,000 pounds of Winnipeg's award-winning golden caviar is sold annually worldwide?

...Winnipeg's golden caviar won two gold medals at the World Culinary Olympics?

...Morden's Chocolates, Winnipeg's only sweets manufacturer, produces 1 ton of Russian Mints every three days from October through to December?

...Winnipeg is the Christmas Capital of Canada? Elves in Winnipeg help Santa answer over 85,000 letters addressed to the North Pole! (The letters come from 23 different countries around the world and are answered in the language in which they are written.)