This Winnipeg site, first owned by a Metis family in 1874, changed hands several times before being purchased by Abraham Leonard “Lieb” Henteleff in 1923. Over the next decade, the St. Vital property was cleared of brush for development of an extensive farm operation. Inherited by his son Nathan Henteleff in 1933, the land was developed into a market garden. In 1967, the City of Winnipeg expropriated all but five acres of the property for the implementation of a river-side “green belt.” That initial vision was later abandoned and the land was turned into a tree nursery. In 1991, the nursery was renamed as the Henteleff Tree Nursery by Mayor Bill Norrie. When the property was rezoned for commercial and residential purposes in 1996, the local Friends of Henteleff Park group worked to halt the process. In 2002, their efforts succeeded at having the remaining 30 acres, less a small portion already sold for residential development, to be dedicated as a park.
Nathan Henteleff (1900-1984) was born in Russia on 15 January 1900, son of Abraham Leonard “Lieb” Henteleff (1868-1933) and Yocheved Eva “Yofa” Yaffee (1867-?). The family fled persecution in Russia; Abraham left first in 1907 and the rest of the family followed in 1911. They resided at the family farm in the Parish of Ste. Anne until moving to St. Vital in 1921. Henteleff married Rose Roseman (1900-1996) at Winnipeg on 7 June 1925 and had two children, one of whom is Order of Canada recipient Jehuda “Yude” M. Henteleff. In 1933, he acquired the family’s riverside farm, where he operated a robust year-round market garden. In addition to the common seasonal crops grown, he was also known for successful cultivation of more unique products including watermelon, egg plants, and pickles. Following the city’s 1967 expropriation, he retired from farming. He was a founding member of the Winnipeg Growers Co-operative. He died on 15 November 1984 and was buried in the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery.
An outdoor interpretive centre explains the significance of the park through four themes: its natural roots, Metis roots, garden market roots, and the Henteleff family roots.
Henteleff Park (September 2014)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Henteleff Park (May 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Henteleff Park interpretive panels (August 2021)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.81016, W97.11410
denoted by symbol on the map above
1916 Canada Census, Library and Archives Canada.
Marriage and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Nursery named in honour of Henteleff,” Winnipeg Free Press Weekly South Edition, 8 September 1991, page 4.
“Lawyer to fight bailout scheme,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 September 1996, page A4.
Obituary [Rose Henteleff], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 October 1996, page 35.
“Condo foes sue; say city acted in bad faith,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 December 1999, page A5.
“Volunteer effort a dream that became reality,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 December 2006, page B2.
Mererson family tree, Ancestry.
JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry, Ancestry.
The Interpretive Centre, Henteleff Park.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 27 August 2021
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