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In The Red River Valley

one .org. Make Poverty History

For 51 days, Manitobans fight to hold back the rising waters of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Norwood, East Kildonan, Fort Garry – one by one the dikes fail, until almost a quarter of Winnipeg is underwater. One hundred thousand people flee the flooded area, in the largest mass evacuation in Canadian history. These CBC radio news reports describe the evacuations of St. Vital on May 10, 1950, and Winnipeg itself the day after.

flooded1950.jpg

Almost 40,000 people flee Winnipeg on May 11. The river crests three days later at 12.2 feet above channel capacity. By this time, about 5,000 Canadian army, navy, and air force personnel are engaged in the biggest peacetime operation in Canadian history. They man pumps, build and patrol dikes, and evacuate the residents. HMCS Chippawa, Winnipeg’s Naval Reserve, becomes a vital flood-fighting command post. It coordinates the efforts of over 150 ships, including large naval whalers and cutters.Over one million pounds of equipment and 1,200,000 sandbags are airlifted into Winnipeg from as far away as San Francisco. The Red River, usually about 150 metres wide, becomes a lake 65 kilometres wide and 100 kilometres long. The flood damages 10,500 homes in Winnipeg alone. Water damages total $50 million

2flooded1950.jpg

In the early hours of May 6, Manitoba suffered the only fatality of the 1950 flood. The main Fort Garry dike was breached at approximately the same time that the basement pump at 357 Kingston Crescent stopped working. Lawson Ogg went down to fix the pump and drowned when the flood waters rushed through the door of the house, filling the basement.

At the peak of the flood of 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Martel of Flin Flon, Man. returned from a trip to the United States to find that the Winnipeg suburb of St. Norbert, where they’d left their children with a relative, was submerged. A CBC producer took the near-hysterical parents to the Winnipeg radio studios to prepare a plea for help. Within fifteen minutes of the broadcast, the studio telephone rang with news. Their children were safely housed at an evacuation centre.

Quick Facts:

  • late spring + rain = 108,000 cubic feet of water per second
  • 1/8 of greater Winnipeg was flooded
  • 100,000 people evacuated
  • 10,500 homes flooded
  • links

    - with files and reports from the CBC Archives
     

    CBCtelevision

    The Métis Resistance
    .

     
     
     
     
     

    Taking The West. episode 10

    1873-1896

    Shortly after Confederation, Canada turns its eyes to its western frontier. Faced with a vast territory and a weak pocketbook, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald tries to settle the Prairie without bloodshed. For a while, peace, order prevail and Plains Indians watch their way of life change forever. But frustration grows on the land. Métis leader Louis Riel returns from exile and sparks a bloody chapter in Canadian history: The North West Rebellion.

    Souris Suspension Footbridge [click for larger]

    join the folks at CKY
    each week from 6:30 to 7:00 pm
    on Sundays (or catch the repeat 
    the following Saturday
     @ 5:00 p.m.) to watch
    "Manitoba Moments" half-hour
    news specials highlighting
    events, special reports, features,
     mini-documentaries that
     offer local and regional reflection and
    which highlight the cultural
    diversity found within our community.

    this website is dedicated to
    and is about Shannon Hancock's
    family, where they came from, who
    they are. explore and enjoy
    This site is a work in progress
    and will be continually updated
    Shannon sincerely hopes you enjoy
    your time navigating around this
    site...who knows, you might just
    catch the genealogy bug yourself! 

     The Winnipeg Police Commission
    meeting on December 22nd, 1916
    passed the following resolution:
    “moved by Mayor Waugh and
    resolved that two women be
    appointed as constables on the
    police department and that
    particulars as to their salaries,
    hours of work and other details
     be arranged by the Chairman of
     the Board and the Chief Constable.”

    Researched & written by

    Staff Sergeant Jack Templeman

     (retired)

    Winnipeg Police Services

    the official website. provides
    town history, local attractions
    and upcoming events.
    the site is currently undergoing
    renovations, so keep checking back.
    Souris  is one of the most
    attractive towns in the west,
     located on the high banks of
    the Souris River, in
    Western Manitoba, at the mouth
    of Plum Creek. It was founded
    by William H. (Squire) Sowden
     in the1880s. It was Squire Sowden
    who built the earliest river spans,
    erected the Swinging Bridge
    (582 feet long), foresaw the value
    and benefits of Victoria Park, and
    gave the town the sophistication
     through its opera house.
     

    On January 16th, 1975 at
    approximately 7:50 pm,
    Henri Jendrich Kraus, the man
    from nowhere, died. The only
    thing that makes his death
    noteworthy is the spree of
    violence that lead up to his
    death and the fact he died in
    a gun battle with police. Most
    of the information in regards to
    Kraus' background is based on
    third hand information and
    interviews with friends of
    this enigmatic person.

    Researched & written by

    Patrol Sergeant Mark Hodgson

    of  Winnipeg Police Services

    On September 1, 1947, the
    Minaki Camper’s Special
    carried 326 passengers. The train
    had picked up passengers in
    the Falkland Lake recreation
    areas of Northern Manitoba
    and was returning to Winnipeg.
    Now read  this report from the
    DHQ website, based in
    Regina, Saskatchewan

    a website devoted to the
    murals and outdoor art of
    of Winnipeg and the artists
    who render them.
    a fascinating look at one
    of Winnipeg's little known
    treasures, this despite the
    fact that the website is nearing
    its second  anniversary
    on the internet

    CBC went visiting with Biology
    Prof. Antonia Monteiro of the
    University at Buffalo to find
    answers to this question and
    to look at the eyespots in
     Bicyclus anynana butterflies
    dated Wed, 29 Jun 2005

    Winnipeg Humane Society
    Unleash the potential

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