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Formerly rural agricultural land within the Rural Municipality of Kildonan (then East Kildonan, later North Kildonan), the land of SE19-11-4 West (and surrounding area to the west, north, and east) was part of the Beaman community and served by the North Transcona School / Beaman School and Beaman Post Office (1914-1941), the latter of which located at 17-11-4 East.
Following the suburban Unicity amalgamation into the expanded City of Winnipeg, by the 1970s the site was one of three municipal landfills maintained by the Works and Operations Division [later Department] of the City of Winnipeg. This site, within District No. 4 of said department, was known as the Springfield Road Landfill and opened on 15 March 1978. Its operational lifespan was anticipated to last around 10 years, with the other two large active garbage dumps at that time being Brady Road Landfill (of District No. 6) and Summit Road Landfill (of District No. 2), with incineration as a means of disposal (such as at the Maude Street Incinerator) having been discontinued due to pollution and environmental concerns. A weight station and operations building addressed at 1229 Springfield Road, which serviced the landfill was later designated as the East Maintenance Yard and converted to use by the Parks Department, still remains at the site.
The received refuse built up the local elevation as dumping continued until its closure on 31 December 1987 [with other sources citing January 1990 as the date for the last officially-received load, in contrast to subsequent illegal dumping in the general vicinity].
In lieu of the landfills anticipated operational lifespan, plans to convert the premises to a large park were initiated during the 1970s, with the landscape architectural firm of Lombard North Group overseeing design work starting in 1977. Given the scope, site redevelopment was envisioned to take place in five phases. A contigous water feature was added to the site in the form of retention ponds and their connected drainage corridors as part of the sites make-over and extensive landscaping work was done thoughout the grounds. It was officially named Kil-cona Park (and shortened to Kilcona Park), though sources vary as to the commemoration, be it the two former municipalities of Kildonan and Transcona (though the Rural Municipality of Springfield is in greater geographic proximity than the latter), or for the two municipal electoral wards (both East Kildonan and Transcona) as they were at the time. A commemorative plaque was unveiled here on 31 August 1982, and is dedicated to the East Kildonan - Transcona Community Committee members (and City Councillors) A. Joroski, D. Mitchelson, J. Ragsdill, P. A. Rizzuto, and A. J. Skowron.
The park also contains the Kil-cona Park Bridges and the Harbour View Golf Course / Harbour View Recreation Complex which, in conjunction with the Harbour View name being in common usage, leads some to refer to this site as Harbour View Park.
Commemorative monument in Kil-cona Park (August 2017)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Kil-cona Park and Kil-cona Park Bridges (June 2021)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93164, W97.02352
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kil-cona Park Bridges (Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harbour View Golf Course / Harbour View Recreation Complex (1867 Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: East Kildonan Horticultural Society Plaque (Kil-cona Park, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: North Transcona School / Beaman School (Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
“Garbage considered as source of energy,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 1984, page 4.
“A new park rises from the garbage,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 May 1984, page 31.
“Homeowners pleased as city puts trash dump in order,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 January 1986, page 3.
“City to build on landfill site labelled hazardous,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 May 1987, page 4.
“Notice regarding permanent closure of District No. 4 Springfield Road Landfill,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 December 1987, page 2.
“Landfill closed in new year,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 December 1987, Weekly Northeast edition page 1.
“Dump site closed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 December 1987, Weekly Northeast edition page 4.
“Temporary dump idea quashed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1988, Weekly Northeast edition, page 1.
“Trash riles councillor,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1988, Weekly Northeast edition, page 4.
“Decision appealed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1988, Weekly Northeast edition, page 4.
“New garbage site sacked,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 March 1989, Weekly North Edition page 2.
“New cop shop may be delayed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 March 1990, Weekly Northeast edition, page 4.
“Cutback will delay park's development,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 August 1990, Weekly Northeast edition page 2.
“A City at Leisure: An Illustrated History of Parks and Recreation Services in Winnipeg, 1893-1993” by Catherine Macdonald, 1995. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Winnipeg Parks&Rec C.3]
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 6 May 2024
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