For the 100th anniversary of the Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach in 2019, sixteen interpretive panels were placed at historic sites in the area with one set of panels located in the village green at the townsite. The RM held its first election on 6 August 1919 and is the smallest in the province at 20.2 square kilometers. The area was inhabited and settled by a variety of cultures, including the Cree and Anishinaabe, Metis, Lebanese, French, Scandinavian and British. This diverse community has a resident population of about 400 persons, and in the summer that number increases to over 8,000.
During Canada's centennial year in 1967, Doreen Benningen—the first female councillor in the municipality—suggested this site of the former Canadian National Railway depot and track area be turned into an English-style village green, complete with benches and gardens. For a millennium project in 2000, a large mechanical roller used by the CNR which operated here from 1916 to 1962 was placed on the grounds with a time capsule buried underneath it. In the capsule, which is to be opened in 2025, are nostalgic photographs, memories, and items of historic interest placed there by many people with ties to Victoria Beach. A nearby plaque lists their names.
Also at the site is a commemorative monument for Arthur James “Art” Vincent who had a summer residence at Victoria Beach from 1953 until his death in 1998. The original shareholders of the Victoria Beach Company had purchased land at Victoria Beach in 1912 and created a “restricted area” that included streets, cottage lots, commercial area, tennis courts, and a golf course. About fifty years after the founding of the company, Vincent realized that the original shareholders had passed away. He worried that current owners might compromise the layout by choosing to develop housing around the golf course on some area of the village green, or on any available municipal property. He located every shareholder of the Victoria Beach Company to purchase personally all of the shares, becoming the sole owner. To protect the area beyond his lifetime, Vincent approached the municipal council in 1968 and suggested they take ownership of the Victoria Beach Company. The council agreed and, as a result, residents of the restricted area are assured that no changes will take place without their approval.
Village Green interpretive panels (May 2020)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Railway roller with time capsule buried beneath it (May 2020)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Village Green structure (September 2023)
Source: Glen Toews
Commemorative plaque for Art Vincent (September 2023)
Source: Glen ToewsSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.70023, W96.55811
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Gladys Doreen Benningen (1919-2001)
Memorable Manitobans: Arthur James “Art” Vincent (1913-1998)
Manitoba Communities: Victoria Beach (Rural Municipality)
“History Hunt 100: Clues to 100 Years of History throughout Victoria Beach,” Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach, 2019.
We thank Glen Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 4 October 2023
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