The Forks, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Downtown Winnipeg
Downtown Winnipeg is centred around Portage Avenue and Main Street, and is bounded by the Assiniboine River on the south, Colony and Balmoral Streets on the west, Notre Dame Avenue, Princess Street, and Logan Avenue on the north, and the Red River on the east. It includes the Exchange District,...
Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
located at the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
and Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
. For at least 6000 years, the Forks has been the meeting place for early Aboriginal peoples
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
, and since colonization has also been a meeting place for European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
fur traders, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
buffalo hunters, Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
settlers, riverboat workers, railway pioneers and tens of thousands of immigrants.
6,000 years ago
Nakoda (people)
The Nakoda are a First Nation group, indigenous to both Canada and, originally, the United States....
(Assiniboins), Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
(Ojibwa) and Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
(Dakota) visited the site.
During the small pox epidemics of 1781–1782, over half of the areas aboriginal population died. At this time over 1,000 Aboriginal men, women and children were buried in The Old Aboriginal Graveyard at The Forks.
1738–1880
EuropeanEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s arrived by canoe in 1738. La Vérendrye erected Fort Rouge
Fort Rouge (fortification)
Fort Rouge was a fort located on the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, Canada, on the site of what is now the city of Winnipeg. Its exact location is unknown. Its name in English means "red fort"....
, the first of a long line of forts and trading posts erected in the area. The Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
and the forts were all established near The Forks. The area remained the hub of the fur trade up until the 1880s. At that time, grain production became Western Canada’s principal industry and the main transportation for that industry was rail rather than waterways.
The Forks Market today
The Forks Market's first floor contains mostly food shops, where specialty items can be found as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. The second floor is home to many unique to winnipeg shops like pylon pop culture, as well as a ballet conservatory and a large craft store among other things. Across the large courtyard is Johnson Terminal, home of Finn's Pub, an Old Spaghetti Factory, more shops and a large cooperative antique store in the basement. There are often buskers in and around the Forks, who must audition for a buskers license to perform there. Flooding is a perennial problem, with the Forks river walkway often underwater in the spring.Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Manitoba Theatre for Young People is a theatre for children and young adults in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was originally founded in 1965 as Actors' Showcase and incorporated in 1977. In 1982, it became a professional theatre devoted to young people...
is a theatre for children and young adults in located adjacent to the Forks Market. It was founded in 1965 as Actors' Showcase and incorporated in 1977. In 1982, it became a professional theatre devoted to young people. For many years, the theatre operated out of the Gas Station Theatre in the Osborne Village
Osborne Village
Osborne Village is a neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It derives its name from Osborne Street , which runs through the centre of the village area.-History:...
area of the city but in 1999 the theatre move to its new location in the CanWest Global Performing Arts Centre, a 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) facility for MTYP and its school.
Winnipeg International Children's Festival
The Winnipeg International Children's FestivalWinnipeg International Children's Festival
The Winnipeg International Children's Festival is a children's festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was founded by Bill Merritt, Mitch Podolak, Colin Jackson and Gord Osland in 1983 and was held at Kildonan Park for many years before moving to The Forks. It is held every June...
is a children's festival held annually at The Forks. It was founded in 1983 and was held at Assiniboine Park
Assiniboine Park
Assiniboine Park is a park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was established in 1904 and is located north of the Assiniboine Forest. Today, it covers , of these are designed in the English landscape style....
for many years before moving to its present location. It is held every June. The festival is made up of 30 acts, held over four days, for a total of approximately 120 performances.
Skatepark
In 2005, it was announced that a new skatepark would be built on the grounds near The Forks. "The Plaza" as it is now known, was built with money donated from the J.W. Burns Family Foundation. It is one of the largest skateparks in Canada and is renowned not only for its size, but also its pleasant style and diversity. In 2006, the park was visited by professional skateboarder Tony HawkTony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
to shoot scenes for his movie release Secret Skatepark Tour 3.
The skatepark includes a 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) skate plaza, and an 8500 square feet (789.7 m²) 'bowl complex'.
The design features 'skateable' artwork, and is built to tolerate the regular use and enjoyment of skateboarders and cyclists. The park was also designed to integrate into the urban architecture of the city. It was designed by New Line Skateparks.
While at The Plaza, skateboarders, BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
ers, mountain bikers and inline skaters are encouraged by staff members (whose work includes teaching skaters/bikers the ethics of the park) to share the park harmoniously with one another.
In winter, this area features a small snowboarding facility. While it is very small when compared to a proper ski operation, it attracts some of the same skateboarders, dressed for a day of winter fun.
Esplanade Riel
The Paired Bridges design includes two separate bridges—one designed primarily for vehicles and commuter cyclists and the other designed exclusively for pedestrians, cyclists, and recreational users. The slender-profile vehicular bridge includes two through lanes in each direction, divided by a centre median, and features a short right turn lane for traffic turning onto Ave Tache southbound. The pedestrian bridge is a modern cable-stayed structure, light and elegant, featuring a large plaza for commercial activities—a meeting place that will connect Provencher Boulevard to The Forks physically, economically and culturally. The support structure at the median of the pedestrian bridge was built to accommodate a multi-million dollar restaurant facility which is now owned and operated by Salisbury House
Salisbury House (restaurant)
Salisbury House is a restaurant chain based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Known locally as "Sals," the chain is considered a Winnipeg institution....
. This restaurant was chosen for its symbolic nature of Winnipeg culture.
The Paired Bridges are expected to strengthen the connection between The Forks and the St. Boniface French Quarter, becoming a symbolic gateway between two of Winnipeg's most historically significant communities and promoting commerce and tourism.
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Forks will be the location of the Canadian Museum for Human RightsCanadian Museum for Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a national museum currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet...
(the first national museum outside of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
) once it has completed construction in 2012.
World's longest skating rink
In January 2008, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized The Forks as the home of the longest skating rink in the world. The 8.54-kilometre-long Assiniboine Credit Union River Trail on the Assiniboine RiverAssiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
and the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
is almost 1 kilometer longer than the previous record-holding rink. The 7.8-kilometre long rink on the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
has lost its World Record title which it had held since 1971. Then in 2008 the rivers beat their own record which made the longest rink go to about 9.3-kilometres. The Rideau Canal, however, still holds the world record for the world's largest outdoor rink (as measured by total area).
The length of the skating trail at The Forks changes each year, depending on river and ice conditions, although a concerted effort is made to make it as long as possible. In the winter of 2010/2011, conditions on The Assiniboine River made it impossible to safely create skating westward, so the path extended instead south on the Red River. Essentially, the water level and the weather at the time of freeze-up will impact the way the ice forms (see frazil ice
Frazil ice
Frazil ice is a collection of loose, randomly oriented needle-shaped ice crystals in water. It resembles slush and has the appearance of being slightly oily when seen on the surface of water...
, for example), how stable it will be, and how smoothly it can be made for skating. Much of the local river ice in Winnipeg in the winter of 2010/2011 was very rough, certainly too rough to form a skating surface. There is also a skating trail made overland which is not impacted by river conditions. There are also walking and ski trails running parallel to the skating trail.