Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance

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Persons | Events | Sites | Details

These plaques are erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, the body that advises the Minister of the Environment on sites, events and people of national historic significance. Since its creation in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has been a significant partner within the heritage community in Canada. Members of the HSMBC are appointed by the Governor-in-Council. There are representatives for each province and the three territories. As well, the National Archivist and an officer of the Museum of Civilization are members.

The following are the persons, events, and sites in Manitoba commemorated by the HSMBC to date:

Persons

Historic Person	Municipality	Location
William George Barker (1894-1930)	Dauphin	Municipal Airport
George Bryce (1844-1931)	Winnipeg	515 Portage Avenue
Thomas Button (c1601-1634)	Northern Manitoba	Gillam Island
Thomas Alexander Crerar (1876-1975)	Russell-Binscarth	Main Street, Russell
John Wesley Dafoe (1866-1944)	Winnipeg	1355 Mountain Avenue
Thomas Douglas (1771-1820)	Winnipeg	300 Memorial Boulevard
John Skirving Ewart (1849-1933)	Winnipeg	Robson Hall, University of Manitoba
Marie-Anne Gaboury (1782-1875)	Winnipeg	Whittier Park
Cyril Genik (1857-1925)	Winnipeg	25 Forks Market Road
Charles William Gordon [Ralph Conner] (1860-1937)	Winnipeg	54 West Gate
Cuthbert Grant (1796-1854)	St. Francois Xavier	St. Francois Xavier
Abraham Albert Heaps (1885-1954)	Winnipeg	City Hall
Samuel Hearne (1745-1792)	Churchill	Prince of Wales’ Fort
William Hespeler (1830-1921)	Niverville	Fourth Street South
Ella Cora Hind (1861-1942)	Winnipeg	300 Carlton Street
Sigtryggur Jónasson (1852-1942)	Bifrost-Riverton	53 Reggie Leach Road East, Riverton
Israel Isaac Kahanovitch (1872-1945)	Winnipeg	Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada
Henry Kelsey (c1667-1724)	The Pas	Saskatchewan Crescent
Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere (c1777-1855)	Winnipeg	Whittier Park
Jean Margaret Wemyss “Peggy” Laurence (1926-1987)	Neepawa	312 First Avenue
Pierre Gaultier de la Verendrye (1685-1749)	Winnipeg	The Forks
Matonabbee (c1737-1782)	Churchill	Prince of Wales’ Fort
Arthur Meighen (1874-1960)	Portage la Prairie	Island Park
Alexander Morris (1826-1889)	Main Street	Morris
Margaret Newton (1887-1971)	Winnipeg	University of Manitoba
John Norquay (1841-1889)	Winnipeg	Assiniboine Avenue
Harold Anthony ‘Doc’ Oaks (1896-1968)	Winnipeg	958 Ferry Road
Josef Oleskow (1860-1903)	Dauphin	100 Main Street South
Elizabeth Fulton Parker (1856-1944)	British Columbia	Yoho National Park
Peguis (1774-1864)	St. Clements	St. Peter Dynevor Anglican Church
Thomas George “Tommy” Prince (1915-1977)	Awaiting installation as of 2019
Louis Riel (1844-1885)	Winnipeg	330 River Road
Nöel-Joseph Ritchot (1825-1905)	Winnipeg	Assiniboine Avenue
Alexander Ross (1783-1856)	Winnipeg	140 Meade Street North
Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983)	Winnipeg	375 Deschambault Street
Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946)	Carberry	116 Main Street
Clifford Sifton (1861-1929)	Brandon	Ninth Street
Thomas Simpson (1808-1840)	Winnipeg	Anderson Avenue
Frank Leith Skinner (1882-1967)	Riding Mountain West
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879-1962)	Gimli	Arnes
Thanadelthur (1697-1717)	Churchill	La Verendrye Avenue
James Kenneth “Ken” Watson (1904-1986)	Winnipeg	Regal Avenue
James Shaver Woodsworth (1874-1942)	Winnipeg	470 Stella Avenue

Events

Historic Event	Municipality	Location
Arrival of the Selkirk Settlers	Winnipeg	Higgins Avenue
Assiniboine Park and Zoo	Awaiting installation as of 2019
Brandon Experimental Farm	Brandon	Grand Valley Road
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan	Brandon	300 Commonwealth Way
Canadian Federation of University Women (designated 2011, plaque to be installed at Ralph Connor House)	Winnipeg
Creation of Manitoba	Winnipeg	The Forks
Dawson Road	Ste. Anne	Centrale Avenue
Dominion Lands Survey System	St. Francois Xavier
Ducks Unlimited Canada (awaiting installation as of 2019)	?	?
Early Science in Canada’s North and the Hudson’s Bay Company (awaiting installation as of 2022)	Churchill	Prince of Wales Fort
First Legislature of Manitoba (plaque removed when building was demolished)	Winnipeg	433 Main Street
First Railway in Western Canada	Emerson-Franklin	Dominion City
Fort Garry – Fort Edmonton Trail	Winnipeg	130 Main Street
Founding of Fort Maurepas	Sagkeeng First Nation	Fort Alexander
Hudson Bay Railway (awaiting installation as of 2019)	The Pas
Indian Treaty No. 1	St. Andrews	Lower Fort Garry
La Verendrye’s Journey to the Mandans	Pembina
New Iceland	Gimli	Gimli
North American Boundary Commission	Emerson-Franklin
Red River Expedition of 1870 (awaiting installation as of 2019)	?	?
Residential Schools	?	?
Roseau Route	Montcalm	Letellier
Founding of The Royal Canadian Legion	Winnipeg	331 Smith Street
Royal Winnipeg Ballet	Winnipeg	380 Graham Avenue
Winning the Vote	Winnipeg	364 Smith Street
Winnipeg Falcons	Winnipeg	580 Victor Street (First Lutheran Church)
Winnipeg General Strike	Winnipeg	William Avenue

Sites

Historic Site	Municipality	Location
Battle of Seven Oaks	Winnipeg	Main Street
Beautiful Plains County Court Building	Neepawa	282 Hamilton Street
Brockinton Indigenous Sites	Two Borders
Camp Hughes	North Cypress-Langford
Canadian Pacific Railway Station	Winnipeg	181 Higgins Avenue
Churchill Rocket Research Range (awaiting installation as of 2019)	Churchill
Confederation Building	Winnipeg	457 Main Street
Dalnavert	Winnipeg	61 Carlton Street
Dominion Exhibition Display Building II	Brandon	Fairgrounds
Early Skyscrapers in Winnipeg	Winnipeg	456 Main Street
Elaschuk House (no plaque installed)	Roblin	Keystone Pioneers Museum
Empire Hotel / Cauchon Block (demolished 1982)	Winnipeg	171 Main Street
Exchange District	Winnipeg	King Street
First Homestead in Western Canada	Portage la Prairie
Fort Churchill	Churchill
Fort Dauphin	Mossey River	Winnipegosis
Fort Dufferin	Emerson-Franklin
Fort Garry Hotel	Winnipeg	222 Broadway
Fort La Reine	Portage la Prairie
Forts Rouge, Garry and Gibraltar	Winnipeg	Upper Fort Garry (N49.88819 W97.13544)
Maison Gabrielle Roy House	Winnipeg	375 Deschambault Street
Grey Nuns’ Convent	Winnipeg	494 Tache Avenue
Hangar No. 1	Brandon	Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum
Holy Trinity Anglican Church	Winnipeg	256 Smith Street
Inglis Grain Elevators	Riding Mountain West	Inglis
Linear Mounds (no plaque)	Two Borders
Lower Fort Garry	St. Andrews
Metropolitan Theatre (awaiting installation as of 2019)	Winnipeg	281 Donald Street
Miami Northern Pacific and Manitoba Railway Station	Thompson	Miami
Neubergthal Street Village	Rhineland	Neubergthal
Norway House	Northern Manitoba	Norway House
Pantages Playhouse Theatre	Winnipeg	180 Market Avenue
Portage la Prairie Indian Residential School	Portage la Prairie	Crescent Road West
Portage la Prairie Public Building	Portage la Prairie	55 Saskatchewan Avenue West
Prince of Wales Fort	Churchill
Ralph Connor House	Winnipeg	54 West Gate
Red River Floodway (awaiting installation as of 2019)	Winnipeg
East Gate Entrance Complex	Riding Mountain National Park
Riel House	Winnipeg	330 River Road
Roslyn Court Apartments	Winnipeg	40 Osborne Street
Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre	Winnipeg	174 Market Avenue
Sea Horse Gully Remains (no plaque)	Churchill
Souris-Assiniboine Posts	Oakland-Wawanesa	Wawanesa
St. Andrews Camere Curtain Dam	St. Andrews	Lockport
St. Andrew’s Church	St. Andrews
St. Andrew’s Rectory	St. Andrews
St. Boniface City Hall	Winnipeg	219 Provencher Boulevard
St. Boniface Hospital School of Nursing	Winnipeg	431 Avenue Taché
St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church	Stuartburn
The Forks	Winnipeg	The Forks
Twin Oaks / Miss Davis’ School Residence	St. Andrews
Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception	Springfield	Cooks Creek
Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection	Dauphin	1106 First Street NW
Ukrainian Labour Temple	Winnipeg	591 Pritchard Avenue
Union Bank Building	Winnipeg	504 Main Street
Union Station	Winnipeg	123 Main Street
Walker Theatre	Winnipeg	364 Smith Street
Wasyl Negrych Pioneer Homestead	Gilbert Plains
Winnipeg Law Courts	Winnipeg	391 Broadway
York Factory	Northern Manitoba	Hayes River

Details

National historic sites are places of profound importance to Canada. They bear witness to our nation’s defining moments and illustrate its human creativity and cultural traditions. Each national historic site tells its own unique story, part of the greater story of Canada, contributing to a sense of time, identity, and place to our understanding of Canada as a whole.

National historic sites, located in all provinces and territories, can be found in almost any setting – from urban to rural locales, to wilderness environments. They may be sacred places, battlefields, archaeological sites, buildings or streetscapes. They can range in size from a single structure to linear canals spanning great distances. Many national historic sites are still used today for work and worship, commerce and industry, habitation and leisure.

In addition to sites, Canada also commemorates persons and events for their national historic significance. So far 2,000 places, persons and events have been commemorated by the Government of Canada. And the list keeps growing as Canada’s history unfolds.

The National Historic Sites Plan

Together, all of these commemorations make up what is known as the system of National Historic Sites of Canada. In each generation the system has evolved with the nation’s changing view of itself. Today there is a greater interest in social history reflecting the achievements and experiences of everyday Canadians.

Parks Canada monitors the system through a system plan and is now making special efforts to encourage participation and increase the representation of Aboriginal, women and enthnocultural communities’ history.

The National Historic Sites System Plan covers the entire range of Canadian human history under five broad themes:

• Peopling the Land
• Governing Canada
• Developing Economies
• Building Social and Community Life
• Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life

Parks Canada supports the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), the body that advises the Minister of the Environment on national historic significance. Since its creation in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has been a significant partner within the heritage community in Canada. Members of the HSMBC are appointed by the Governor in Council. There is one representative for each of the provinces and three territories. As well, the National Archivist and an officer of the Museum of Civilization are members.

Because of the great deal of work involved in carrying out its mandate, the Board has struck a number of committees with specific areas of responsibility. Overall control is exercised by: the Executive Committee made up of the Chairperson of the Board and the Chairpersons of the other committees.

The Criteria Committee determines criteria and guidelines for evaluating the national historic importance of places, people and events.

The Cultural Communities Committee brings to the Board recommendations for commemoration of the contributions of Canada’s diverse cultural groups and Aboriginal Peoples.

The Inscriptions Committee is responsible for ensuring the appropriateness and accuracy of all plaque texts.

The Thematic Studies and System Plan Committee is responsible for reviewing the National Historic Sites System Plan and for bringing before the Board themes in Canadian history which it considers nationally significant.

The Built Environment Committee is charged with assessing the national significance of buildings, including historic districts and streetscapes, and it may recommend the selection, preservation, and interpretation of in situ resources.

The Status of Designations Committee is responsible for clarifying names, the features and boundaries of national historic sites and the intent of existing designations.

The Director General, National Historic Sites Directorate, Parks Canada Agency, acts as the Secretary of the Board. Under the Secretary’s guidance, Parks Canada conducts historical and archaeological research in support of the Board, provides a secretariat which handles administrative matters, and implements the Minister’s decisions upon the advice of the Board.

Designation Process / Overview

The HSMBC’s agenda is in large part driven by public concerns as it responds to requests that places, people or events be declared of national historic significance. Consideration of designations of national historic significance are made on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the Board’s evaluation criteria and guidelines within the context of the wide spectrum of Canada’s human history.

Each year, the Board receives well over 200 requests, of which 50 to 70 will generate research papers from the Historical Services Branch or the Archaeological Services Branch of the National Historic Sites Directorate of the Parks Canada Agency. The reports assist the Board in its deliberations. Alternatively, the applicant may elect to prepare the research paper with the assistance of the Agency.

The Board convenes biannually, usually in June and November. Depending on prior commitments and the complexity of the subject under review, up to two years may elapse between the time of application and the Board’s consideration of the subject.

Types of Designations

Any aspect of Canada’s human history may be considered for Ministerial designation of national historic significance. To be considered for designation, a place, a person or an event will have had a nationally significant impact on Canadian history, or will illustrate a nationally important aspect of Canadian human history.

Subjects that qualify for national historic significance will meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. A place may be designated of national historic significance by virtue of a direct association with a nationally significant aspect of Canadian history. An archaeological site, structure, building, group of buildings, district, or cultural landscape of potential national historic significance will:

a) illustrate an exceptional creative achievement in concept and design, technology and/or planning, or a significant stage in the development of Canada; or

b) illustrate or symbolize in whole or in part a cultural tradition, a way of life, or ideas important in the development of Canada; or

c) be most explicitly and meaningfully associated or identified with persons who are deemed of national historic importance; or

d) be most explicitly and meaningfully associated or identified with events that are deemed of national historic importance.

2. A person (or persons) may be designated of national historic significance if that person individually or as the representative of a group made an outstanding and lasting contribution to Canadian history.

3. An event may be designated of national historic significance if it represents a defining action, episode, movement, or experience in Canadian history.

General Guidelines

Considerations for designation of national historic significance are made on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the above criteria and in the context of the wide spectrum of Canada’s human history.

An exceptional achievement or outstanding contribution clearly stands above other achievements or contributions in terms of importance and/or excellence of quality. A representative example may warrant a designation of national historic significance because it eminently typifies a nationally important aspect of Canadian history.

An explicit and meaningful association is direct and understandable, and is relevant to the reasons associated with the national significance of the associated person or event.

Uniqueness or rarity are not, in themselves, evidence of national historic significance, but may be considered in connection with the above criteria for national historic significance.

Firsts, per se, are not considered for national historic significance.

In general, only one commemoration will be made for each place, person, or event of national historic significance.

PLACES

Buildings, ensembles of buildings, and sites completed by 1975 may be considered for designation of national historic significance.

A place must be in a condition that respects the integrity of its design, materials, workmanship, function and/or setting to be considered for designation of national historic significance, insofar as any of these elements are essential to understand its significance.

The boundaries of a place must be clearly defined for it to be considered for designation as a national historic site.

Large-scale movable heritage properties that would not normally be considered suitable for museum display may be considered for designation of national historic significance.

PERSONS

Persons deceased for at least twenty-five years may be considered for designation of national historic significance, with the exception of Prime Ministers, who are eligible for commemoration immediately upon death.

EVENTS (2002)

Events that occurred at least 40 years ago may be considered for designation of national historic significance. Historic events that continue into the more recent past will be evaluated on the basis of what occurred at least 40 years ago.

When the Board has considered a submission, it makes a recommendation for commemoration to the Minister. The usual form of commemoration is the erection of a bronze plaque.

Parks Canada owns and operates 150 national historic sites. The majority of Canada’s national historic sites are not owned by the federal government but by other levels of government, organizations and individuals. These sites, known as The Family of National Historic Sites are provided with support from Parks Canada. This includes:

Basic Support

• Consultation and expert research (submission report to HSMBC) prepared prior to designation
• A plaque and consultation on its text
• Listing in the Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance and access to related information.
• Listing in the Canadian Register of Historic Places and access to related information.
• Information on Parks Canada’s best practices such as Standards and Guidelines; Guiding Principles and Operating Policies; Guide to the Preparation of Commemorative Integrity Statements; Guide to Management Planning; Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada; Information on the Requirements of the National Historic Sites of Canada Cost-Sharing Program
• Eligibility for financial incentives as available

Enhanced Support

• Parks Canada may provide owners with additional access to professional and technical support when resources are available.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Provincially Designated Historic Sites

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Memorable Manitobans: Manitoba Representatives on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

Sources:

We thank Sandra Hollender (Parks Canada Agency) and Rick Wishart for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 April 2022

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. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Inclusion 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. Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ Help us keep history alive!