Historic Sites of Manitoba: Log Cabin Tourist Centre / Nellie McClung Heritage Site (Main Street, Manitou, Municipality of Pembina)

This 1884 log cabin is rare because it has two storeys. After its use by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it became a private family dwelling located behind the Manitou Post Office and, throughout the years, it was covered with a variety of sidings. A few years ago, it was to be demolished when the owner noticed that, under the layers of siding, it was completely made of logs.

In 2002, the log cabin was moved to this site on Main Street in Manitou and, the next year, was declared a municipal heritage building. It has been restored by volunteers, supported financially by the Thomas Sill Foundation; Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism; Agassiz Credit Union; Heartland Community Futures, and local businesses and citizens. It is used as a Tourism Centre for the Municipality of Pembina and is furnished with period pieces. It is opened seasonally and further information may be obtained at 204-242-2765.

Also on the site are two heritage homes known as the Nellie McClung Heritage Site that opened in 2017. The 1½-storey yellow home with a clapboard exterior was built in 1878. McClung boarded there for her first school teaching job. The two-storey, mansard-roofed house was where newlyweds Nellie and Wesley lived from 1899 to 1911, and where she wrote her first novel Sowing Seeds in Danny (1908).

Log Cabin Tourist Centre at Manitou

Log Cabin Tourist Centre at Manitou (April 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Log Cabin Tourist Centre at Manitou

Log Cabin Tourist Centre at Manitou (May 2024)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Hazel Cottage at Manitou

Hazel Cottage at Manitou (August 2018)
Source: George Penner

Hazel Cottage at Manitou

Hazel Cottage at Manitou (August 2018)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Interior of Hazel Cottage at Manitou

Interior of Hazel Cottage at Manitou (August 2018)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

McClung newlywed house at Manitou

McClung newlywed house at Manitou (August 2018)
Source: George Penner

McClung newlywed house at Manitou

McClung newlywed house at Manitou (May 2024)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Interior of McClung newlywed house at Manitou

Interior of McClung newlywed house at Manitou (May 2024)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.23703, W98.54175
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Memorable Manitobans: Letitia Ellen Mooney “Nellie” McClung (1873-1951)

Memorable Manitobans: William Robert “Bill” Wallcraft (1900-1992)

Sources:

We thank Bette Mueller for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Ed Grassick, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 12 May 2024

Historic Sites of Manitoba

This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.

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