Parkland Tourism Association | Manitoba, Canada
Heritage Sites
The heritage of the peoples of the Parkland is reflected in our historical sites, many of them having received national or provincial designation.
Asessippi Town Site (Inglis)
The remnants of the abandoned town can be found along the shores of the Shell River. The community sprang up in anticipation of the coming rail line, but then disappeared soon after the railway was diverted elsewhere.
Boulton Manor (Russell)
Major Charles Boulton, founder of the town of Russell, brought troops to Batoche during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. His former home is now a bed and breakfast.
CNR Station and Park (Dauphin)
This station, constructed in 1912, provided a vital link for settlers immigrating to the Parkland region. A local historical site, the station is undergoing restoration, and will eventually house the Rail Heritage Museum. The adjacent park path meanders around a variety of fruit trees.
Dauphin Court House Building (Dauphin)
Built in the Neo-classical style, the stately Dauphin Court House Building was designed in 1916 by local architect J.H. Bossons, and officially opened in 1917.
East Gate Registration Complex National Historic Site of Canada (Riding Mountain National Park)
The east gate to Riding Mountain National Park (), an overhanging log structure built in 1933, is the only structure of its kind remaining in Canada, and has been declared a national historic site. The drive through the park on PTH19 offers many scenic vistas along the Manitoba escarpment.
Gilbert Plains Beef Ring Building (Gilbert Plains)
The Gilbert Plains Beef Ring Building represents the innovation of prairie pioneers in coping with their environment. This building was a small slaughterhouse, where each week during the summer, a member of the Beef Ring supplied a steer that was kept overnight and processed the next day. Each member’s portion was placed in his sugar sack and hung on the row of nails along two walls. The Beef Ring operated from 1923 until 1951 when rural electrification made it unnecessary.
Inglis Elevators National Historic Site of Canada (Inglis)
In the 1930s there were over 6,000 grain elevators in western Canada; now there are fewer than 850. At Inglis, the last remaining row of five standard plan grain elevators has been carefully restored. Guided tours, interpretive centre and arts and crafts gift shop.
Life & Art Centre (Roblin)
Built in 1908 as the Knox United Church, this historic building is now home to the Life & Art Centre.
Lt. Col. Wm. (Billy) Barker VC Commemorative Plaque (Dauphin)
This plaque commemorates Barker's national recognition as one of the most celebrated war heroes of World War I. An ace pilot, this young man from Dauphin gained international prominence and recognition and was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Mary Maxim Company (Sifton)
The famous Mary Maxim Company, known for its unique sweater designs, had its beginnings in Sifton around 1935 when a young CNR station master name Willard McPhedraine founded the company. By 1955 Mary Maxim had grown immensely and the business moved to Dauphin. In 1959, the company expanded once again and moved to Paris, Ontario where it still exists today.
Medd House Museum (Winnipegosis)
The 1912 grand two story wooden home is fully furnished and was the home to Dr. Medd, Winnipegosis' first doctor. Check out these websites www.winnipegosis.org & www.discoverwinnipegosis.com & www.mhs.mb.ca.
Negrych Farmstead (Gilbert Plains)
The Negrych Farmstead is one of the most impressive folk sites in North America. At this national historic site, you'll find the oldest and most complete set of farm buildings on the continent built in the Ukrainian style of the Carpathian Mountain region.
Park Theatre (Wasagaming)
The Park Theatre was built in 1936-37 of saddle-notched logs to designs prepared by the National Parks’ Architectural Division. It was the only log cinema built in a national park, if not in all of Canada. The theatre auditorium features exposed log beams and rafters with decorative wrought ironwork.
Pioneer Cemetery (North) (Sandy Lake)
This location is believed to have been chosen by the Métis and French Canadians who settled in the area in the late 1800s. New iron markers have replaced many of the original wooden markers; rocks or original granite headstones mark some graves. The Russo-Greek Orthodox parish once had a small log chapel at the foot of the knoll on which the cemetery was built.
Red Deer Lake Heritage Site (Barrows)
The former community of Barrows sprang up almost overnight as the site of the Red Deer Lumber Co., on the south shore of Red Deer Lake. It disappeared just as quickly when the company shut down the mill in 1926. One of the remaining stone structures from the former community bears a plaque designating this as a heritage site.
Satterthwaite Log Cabin (McCreary)
This pioneer log cabin was restored using hewn half-lap dovetail techniques to depict 1800s forest cover and building methods. Pioneer garden, memorial plaques, sheltered, grassed stopping area.
Selo Ukraina Ukrainian Heritage Village and Memorial Park (Dauphin)
An outdoor 10,000-seat amphitheatre, auditorium and multipurpose facilities offer a unique venue for festivals and entertainment such as Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, Dauphin's Countryfest and Jesus Manifest. Located on the northern escarpment of Riding Mountain, the site includes a pioneer village and Ukrainian artifact museum. A memorial site pays tribute to historic people and events. Call for tour information.
St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox Church and Romanian Folk House (Inglis)
This is the only church of its kind in North America, together with a traditional Romanian home. The church was built in 1908 and is a replica of Romanian Orthodox churches in Bukovyna, with a simple rectangular shape with a rounded end, interior sculptured rafters, processional crosses and icons. The house, built in 1906, is typically Romanian in construction, with the characteristic deep-sloping roof on all four sides with rounded, shingled corners.
St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, Dolyny (valleys) (Menzie)
Built by local farmers with a background in carpentry, this is an exceptional example of the distinct tradition of a cross-shaped plan topped with a dome. It is one of the first churches where the dome opened into the church, creating a light-filled space symbolic of heaven. This church is a provincially designated heritage site.
Tent Town (Minitonas)
A cairn near Minitonas marks the spot where, more than 100 years ago, a makeshift village was set up in anticipation of the coming railway line. Tent Town boasted a land titles office and two immigration halls (which also served as churches), along with a schoolroom where instruction cost 25˘ per week. When Minitonas and Swan River were chosen as the new town sites along the railway line, Tent Town quickly emptied.
The Smellie Block (Russell)
The Smellie Block, once the headquarters for the Smellie Family Creamery and Mercantile, and also the main store and distribution centre for a network of rural stores, is now an historic building on Russell’s main street and will become the cornerstone for the revitalization of Main Street Russell. It will house the historic Beth Naylor clothing collection and a Forks-style market with a variety of boutique shops.
The Spinning Wheel Cairn (Sifton)
The Spinning Wheel Cairn honours Sifton pioneer families and recognizes Willard McPhedrain, founder of the Mary Maxim Company.
Trembowla Cross of Freedom Historic Site and St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church (Trembowla)
A stone cross and commemorative plaque near Trembowla mark the site of the first Ukrainian Catholic mass to be held in Canada, in 1897. A nearby collection of historic buildings, including St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church (c.1898, the oldest remaining Ukrainian Catholic church in Canada), a pioneer home, and a school, houses artifacts from early Ukrainian settlers.
Ukrainian Pioneer Dwelling (Buddas) (Olha)
When Ukrainian settlers first arrived in the area west of Riding Mountain in 1899, their first homes were small, tent-shaped pole structures with roofs of hay, known as buddas. Michael Swistun was born in one of these structures in 1900, and constructed two buddas near the original settlement trail.
Ukrainian Settlement Monument (Olha)
A monument near Olha commemorates the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada, and marks the site where, over 100 years ago, 42 children and three adults succumbed to scarlet fever on their way to new homes and a better life in the Parkland region.
Watson Art Centre (Dauphin)
The original Dauphin Town Hall, built in 1905, has been restored and now features a small art gallery and an auditorium. Designated as a provincial heritage site.
Wigwam Restaurant (Wasagaming)
The building is an example of the rustic architectural style that shaped the character of Wasagaming during its formative years. The restaurant was constructed in 1928-29 by its owners, O.J. Gusdal and Ernst Gusdal, employing Swedish craftsmen. The structure is sheathed in horizontal split-log siding, and the interior walls and hipped ceiling are covered in golden-hued, horizontal log siding.
