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Fort Rouge was Winnipeg’s first true suburb. Development in the area was sparse prior to 1880, consisting of a few small farms and woodlots. In that year, a bridge was built south from Main Street, and the following year, another was constructed south along Pembina Road (later known as Osborne Street).
With these links to the city, a middle class neighbourhood took root. The houses in this area were of modest proportion and cost. They were attractive to a variety of families of the middle and commercial classes and the more prosperous from the skilled trades. Most residents were of British Canadian extraction, and ther sense of community was reflected in the large churches that were constructed in the early 1900s along Nassau Street.
Fort Rouge was also the site of the Canadian Northern shops and yards. Small working class neighbourhoods grew up around the yards within easy walking distance to work for the residents, and a few factories and warehouses appeared alongside the tracks and near the River.
Page revised: 18 June 2010
