This small park beside a bridge across the Assiniboine River, in the Rural Municipality of Headingley, commemorates the history of the Headingley area, and the importance of the river. From earliest times the river was used as a transportation route, first by Aboriginal peoples who used it to follow the bison along the banks, and later by European explorere and fur traders. In the 1850s, the river became central to settlers who began to farm river lots.
In summer, canoes were the usual form of transportation and, in 1877, steam barges and large paddlewheel boats began to travel the river with passengers and supplies. Overnight stopping places, such as the historic “Hermitage” at Hall Road, provided popular accommodation or a night of dancing. In winter, horse-drawn sleighs were practical transportation and ice blocks were cut from the frozen river and stored in ice houses to keep food cool during the following summer. The river was a social centre for swimming and picnics, or winter sports such as skating, hockey, and sledding.
In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through the area, changing Headingley’s focus from the river to businesses along the Portage Trail. In the last half of the1800s, southern Manitoba farmers crossed the Assiniboine at this point bringing grain by wagon over the ferry to Winnipeg mills, often camping here on the river banks and returning the next day with supplies. Stage coaches used the river road from Winnipeg and crossed here to southern Manitoba with the mail.
Year
Event
1869
First rope-style ferry built at this spot
1880
Second replacement ferry built
1882
Train bridge built with turntable in the centre to accommodate passage of steam boats. The original remains with some superstructure changes.
1905
Third replacement ferry built
1915
First wooden road bridge built to replace ferry
1920
Road bridge destroyed by spring ice; replacement bridge was built
1936
New road bridge built over the winter of 1935-36, a steel and wood structure with stone and concrete piers
1997
Taylor Bridge, the world’s first “smart bridge”, is built to replace the aging road bridge
The Chateau Dixie Hotel, also known as the Riverview Hotel, stood at this site from around 1911 to 1948, when it was destroyed in an early-morning fire.
Riverview Park commemorative sign (August 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Riverview Park (May 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.86825, W97.40537
denoted by symbol on the map above
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 28 March 2020
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.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
