After establishing colonies of the disposed peasantry of Ireland and his native Scotland in Prince Edward Island and Upper Canada, Thomas Douglas, the Fifth Lord Selkirk, secured from the Hudson’s Bay Company a grant of land in southern Rupert’s Land. Here between 1811 and 1815 he brought colonists to found an agricultural settlement in the heart of the fur country, thus launching the final stage of the bitter conflict between the Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company. He spent his fortune and energies on this struggle until his death paved the way for the union of the companies, which resolved the conflict and saved the colony.
A Tyndall stone monument is located in the small triangular park, on land donated by the Hudson's Bay Company, at the intersection of Colony Street and Memorial Boulevard north of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Designed by architect Roy Sellors, it was unveiled on 12 November 1955 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Manitoba Historical Society. The ceremony was attended by numerous people, including Anne Matheson Gordon Henderson, Antoine d’Éschambault, Henri Lagimodiere, Thomas Alexander Crerar, Arnold Munroe Campbell, William Gordon Maclean, Stanley Howard Knowles, Ross Blanchard, and Ronald David “Ron” Turner.
Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk commemorative plaque (May 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk commemorative plaque (December 2021)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89024, W97.15071
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Roy Sellors (1913-2005)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
“Selkirk memorial to be built here,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 April 1952, page 21.
“Monument site okayed,” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 August 1953, page 15.
“At last Lord Selkirk to get a memorial,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 August 1955, page 1.
“Lord Selkirk is alive to Henry,” Winnipeg Tribune, 22 September 1955, page 35.
“A new monument to Lord Selkirk unveiled Saturday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 November 1955, page 8.
“School, street, island, town and now memorial after Selkirk,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 November 1955, page 21.
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
We thank George Penner and Glen Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 January 2026
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