MHS Resources: History in Portage la Prairie Street Names

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Street Name Changes | Sources

Some street names in the City of Portage la Prairie commemorate historical events and personalities. There are corresponding lists for Brandon, Selkirk, and Winnipeg.

Street name	Notes	Source(s)
Alexander Avenue	Named after a local pioneer character whose grave can be found at the Hillside Cemetery	Brian Barrett
Alfred Avenue	Unknown
Alison Avenue	Unknown
Angle Road	Named for its angled orientation; located on the old railroad bed that led to Minneapolis, Minnesota	Brian Barrett
Armstrong Street	Named for George Perry Armstrong, a local physician who once served at the Portage General Hospital	Collier, page 152
Astbury Bay	Named for Charles Astbury, owner of the Iron Works on Tupper Street North after 1935. He served on the Portage City Council during the 1940s
Berkley Avenue	Named for the fishing supply company built on the street
Bowes Road	Named for businessman Leslie Keith Bowes (1926-2018)	2
Brandon Avenue	Named for the City of Brandon	Brian Barrett
Bridge Road	This road ran through Koko Platz to the bridge over the Assiniboine River to CFB Southport.
Brookside Crescent	Named for its location next to Garrioch Creek
Brown Bay	Adam Brown brought the first cars to Portage la Prairie. C. Brown was a councillor at the end of the 1800s. James, Edward, and Adam Brown owned the Portage Stock Exchange, with a string of trotting horses, carriage sales, and large implement yard (S. Collier, page 84). Edward Brown was the first mayor of the city (1903-1908).	Collier, pages 88, 305
Burns Bay	Name for William Herbert Burns, Mayor of Portage la Prairie (1921-1930)	Collier, page 305
Cadham Bay	Named for John Orchard Cadham, who owned Cadham Hardware in the early 20th century	Collier, page 60
Caithness Street	Named for an early territorial possession	Brian Barrett
Caledonia Street	Named for an early territorial possession	Brian Barrett
Cambridge Street	Named after the city of Cambridge, UK	Brian Barrett
Campbell Place	Possibly named after Douglas Campbell, a former Portager with a long history in Manitoban politics, including time as Premier of Manitoba and as an MLA	Collier, pages 257 and 308
Cedar Bay	Named after the tree
Charlton Avenue	This street may be named for W. B. Charlton, an early land owner in this area. Alternatively, it may commemorate Joseph Thomas Charlton (1860-?), a member of the city council from 1902 to 1903, or his son Roy Seymour Charlton (1888-?), the youngest professional hockey player in western Canada.	Collier, page 216; Matt Heintz
Cochrane Street	Named after Archdeacon William Cockran, who essentially founded Portage la Prairie as a community. He first came to the area in 1851, aided by numerous other parishioners. His first task was to build a church named St. Mary’s. A school was also constructed, and the archdeacon was instrumental in ensuring the survival of early Portagers, especially through floods and disease. He died in 1865, aged 70.	Collier, pages 28 to 30
Cottonwood Drive	Named for the tree
Countess Avenue	Named in honour of the British Royal family
Crescent Road	Named after the nearby oxbow lake. The lake itself was part of the Assiniboine River in the past. Formerly known as River Avenue.
Crestview Place	A modern generic name
Dickens Avenue	Apparently named after British writer Charles Dickens, best known for such novels as Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities	Les Green
Dufferin Avenue	Named for Lord Dufferin, Governor General of Canada from 1872 to 1878. He has the distinction of being the first Governor General to visit the province. A statue of Dufferin exists outside the Legislature in Winnipeg
Duke Avenue	Named in honour of the British Royal Navy, chosen between 1890 and 1910	Brian Barrett
East Road (Peony Farm)	Named for its location during a land survey
Elm Avenue	Named for the tree
Estate Street	Named for the Mobile Home Park “Estate” in the area
Fisher Avenue	Possibly named after Lord Fisher, a well-known Admiral in the British Royal Navy. Previously known as Alice Avenue, a name of unknown origin.	Brian Barrett
Garrioch Park Drive	Named after parishioners William, John, and Gavin Garrioch. Along with Archdeacon Cockran, they are considered founders of the city.
George Hill Drive	Named after local business owner George K. Hill. Among the businesses owned by Hill were the Merchants Hotel and the Hill’s West Drug Store. He was a member of the local Lion’s Club.	Collier, pages 176, 271, 277
Gigot Avenue	Named after the owner of the local Hudson’s Bay Company shop. According to popular legend, Gigot got his surveyors drunk at a party. The result was that the road was built on an angle.	Les Green
Goodale Drive	Named after a dairy farmer who lived in the area
Hazel Bay	Named for the tree
Henderson Drive	Several possibilities exist for the basis of this name. One is that it commemorates former mayor and minister of First Presbyterian Church, Harold Lloyd Henderson. Another is that it is named for Peter Henderson, one of the city founders. Yet another possibility is that it is named after William Henderson, who founded J & W Henderson Hardware Store on Main Street.	Collier, pages 30, 60 305
Home Street	Named after the Mobile “Home” Park Estates, located in the area	Brian Barrett
Howie Avenue	Named after Matthew Howie, a pioneer in the Jackson district of rural Portage la Prairie	Collier, page 348; Brian Barrett
Ireland Crescent	Named for former Mayor Horace Ashley Ireland (1937-1943)	Collier, page 305
Jack Cavers Place	Named for John A. “Jack” Cavers, Mayor of Portage la Prairie (1943-1945). Prior to that, he served as a city alderman (1939 to 1943)	Collier, page 305
Keith Street	Named after Keith Bowes, owner of a trailer park located east of the city	Les Green
Kelly K Street	Named after a local boy who died from unknown causes. The boy’s father worked for the contractor at the time, and dedicated the street’s name to his late son.	Les Green
King Avenue	Named in honour of the British Royal family
La Verendrye Crescent	Named after 17th century explorer, cartographer, and fur trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de la Verendrye. He constructed several forts in the area of what is now Portage la Prairie, most notably Fort de la Reine. The fort was either dismantled or abandoned at some point, and a second one was constructed in 1739. In a certain way, la Verendrye could be considered the founder of Portage la Prairie. Because of this contribution to the city, a school is now named after him.	Collier, page 26
Lincoln Avenue (Peony Farm)	Possibly named after US President Abraham Lincoln	Brian Barrett
Lorne Avenue	Named for the Marquis of Lorne (also known as the Duke of Argyle and John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell). He served as Canada’s Governor General from 1878 to 1883. The royal couple visited Manitoba in 1881 and were also the basis for the names of Winnipeg streets Argyle, Louise, Lorne, and Princess, and the Louise Bridge. Originally known as First Avenue, Arthur Avenue, and Assiniboine Avenue.
Macdonald Street	Quite possibly named after Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime minister of Canada
Maplewood Crescent	Named for the tree. A contemporary generic name.
Massey Crescent	Named after the Massey Company, which manufactured farm equipment. It later merged with A. Harris, Son and Company.
McCain Avenue	Named after McCain Foods, Inc., which owns a potato processing plant on the street
McKay Street	Possibly named after J. D. McKay, owner of the Hudson’s Bay Company store at the “Old Fort” located in what is now Portage la Prairie. McKay was, at one point, attacked and bound up by members of the Red River Resistance, who later looted his store. However, the Resistance members were only interested in taking provisions, and they later untied him.	Collier, page 24
Meighen Avenue	Named after Arthur Meighen, Prime Minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921, and for a few months in 1926. Meighen lived in Portage la Prairie between 1902 and 1908, where he studied law. A middle school in Portage is named after him.	Collier, page 243
Melville Avenue	Apparently named for Herman Melville, best known as the author of Moby Dick
Midland Street	Given this name as the centre of the North End area
Oak Bay	Named for the tree
Old Bridge Road	Named for a bridge that was once located next to the street
Oxford Drive	Possibly named after the city of Oxford, UK
Park Drive	Named for its close proximity to a park
Pelechaty Street	Named after John “Jack” Pelechaty, a butcher in Portage la Prairie
Peony Bay (Peony Farm)	Formerly the location of a peony farm owned by the Wilson family. In addition to peonies, the Wilsons also grew gladiolas. The flowers were shipped to Winnipeg and other cities by rail.
Peters Street (Peony Farm)	Named after a landowner in the area
Philips Street	Named after Philips Cable, a business formerly located on the street
Phoebe Street	Named after Phoebe Christianson, the wife of Conrad Christianson, one of the founders of Koko Platz Development Ltd. The area that Christianson and his brothers developed is now called Koko Platz, a name of unknown origin.
Pine Crescent	Named for the tree
Poplar Bay	Named for the tree
Portage Avenue	Named for the city, which in turn is taken from a French word that refers to carrying one’s canoe over long distances
Prince Avenue	Named in honour of the British aristocracy
Princess Avenue	Named in honour of the British aristocracy
Prout Drive	Named after John W. Prout, a farmer who owned a seed shop on Saskatchewan Avenue. Prout and his family grew their seeds on their farm property and sold them locally at the shop.	George Ferguson, Linda Christianson
Queen Avenue	Named in honour of the British aristocracy. Formerly known as Mary Avenue.
Radisson Avenue	Named after explorer and fur trader Pierre-Espirit Radisson
River Road	Named for its proximity to the Assiniboine River
Roe Street	Named after Tommy Roe, who once owned the area now known as Koko Platz. He obtained the property in a tax sale. Afterwards, he turned a small part of the area into, basically, a salvage centre.	Collier, page 295
Royal Road	Named in honour of the British aristocracy. Originally known as Campbell Street, it was renamed in 1939 when King George V and Queen Elizabeth visited the city.
Saskatchewan Avenue	Most likely named after the Saskatchewan Trail, but the actual origin of the name is unknown.
Scanlan Avenue	Unknown
Scott Avenue	Named for Thomas Scott, who was executed by members of the Red River Resistance.
Seneca Street	Either named for a First Nation or the plant.
Sissons Drive	Named after farmer Thomas Sissons, who first moved to Portage la Prairie in 1871. The land that he settled has been farmed by his descendants ever since.	Collier, page 317
Spruce Bay	Named for the tree
Stanley Avenue	Named after explorer Henry Morton Stanley, best known for locating David Livingstone, who was living in Africa at the time
Stephens Avenue	Named after Henry Stephens, who owned several important properties, including the Portage Hotel. He later declared bankruptcy and, soon after, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.	Les Green
Strathcona Road	Likely named for Lord Strathcona (Donald Alexander Smith), a major figure in Manitoba politics
Sunset Drive	Named for its westward location
Thackery Avenue	Named after British writer William M. Thackeray, best known for his satirical novels, most notably Vanity Fair	Brian Barrett
Trenton Avenue	Also known as Trent Avenue. The basis of the name is unknown.
Tupper Street	Named after Sir Charles Tupper, Prime Minister of Canada for two months in 1896. His term is considered the shortest of any Prime Minister.
Victoria Avenue	Named for Queen Victoria
Webster Avenue	Named for local magistrate Roy Wesley Webster	Collier, page 233
Westco Drive	Named for Westco Industries, a firm located on the site that manufactured farming equipment
Wilkinson Crescent	Named after George Wilkinson, the owner of a farm in what is now the Koko Platz region of the city	Shirley Christianson
Willow Bay	Named for the tree
Wilson Street (Peony Farm)	Named for the family that owned the peony farm located on the street	George Ferguson

Street Name Changes

Some street names in Portage were changed by Bylaw 619. Most of these streets were named after the families (F) that owned the land. Others are named after businesses (B), institutions (I) or cities (C), royalty (R), and the rest are of generic (G) or unknown (U) origin.

Former Name	Type	Current Name
Portage Street	C	15th Street NW
Brydges Street	F	14th Street NW
Drummond Street	F	13th Street NW
Edward Street	U	12th Street NW
Ross Street	F	11th Street NW
Curtis Street	F	10th Street NW
Syndicate Street	B	9th Street NW
Ottawa Street	C	8th Street NW
Toronto Street	C	7th Street NW
McGill Street	I	6th Street NW
Haggerty Street	F	5th Street NW
Depot Street	B	4th Street NW
McLenaghan Street	F	3rd Street NW
Anne Street	F	2nd Street NW
Elizabeth Street	F	1st Street NW
Campbell Street	F	1st Street NE
Gaddy Street	F	2nd Street NE
Main Street	G	3rd Street NE
Garland Street	F	4th Street NE
Broadway Street	G	5th Street NE
Lyon Street	F	6th Street NE
Pratt Street	F	7th Street NE
Manning Street	U	8th Street NE
Butler Street	F	9th Street NE
Rosser Street	U	10th Street NE
Norquay Street	I	11th Street NE
Percival Street	F	12th Street NE
Forbes Street	F	13th Street NE
Lee Street	F	14th Street NE
Baker Street	U
Jeff Street	U
Francis Street	U
Albert Street	U

Sources:

1. History of Portage la Prairie by Anne M. Collier, Portage la Prairie, 1970.

2. Obituary [Keith Bowes], The Herald Leader, 12 July 2018, page 28.

We thank Les Green and Matt Heintz for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Luke Reichelt and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 September 2023