Arrival of the Selkirk Settlers National Historic Event

Winnipeg, Manitoba
View of HSMBC Plaque and cairn © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.
HSMBC Plaque and cairn
© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.
View of HSMBC Plaque and cairn © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.Canadian Stamp depicting arrival of Selkirk Settlers © Canada Post
Address : 180 Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1924-06-04

Other Name(s):
  • Arrival of the Selkirk Settlers  (Designation Name)
Research Report Number: 2007-CED-SDC-48

Importance: Establishement of the first British settlement west of the Great Lakes

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque:  180 Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Near here in 1812, an advance party of 18 men under Captain Miles Macdonnell established the first British settlement west of the Great Lakes. Sponsored by the Earl of Selkirk and the Hudson's Bay Company, they constructed buildings, prepared fields, and planted crops for the men, women, and children who would begin arriving a few years later. Although far from the nearest source of supplies, the settlers persevered in the face of harsh winters, spring floods, crop failures, and conflicts between rival groups of fur traders. The settlement overcame these and other obstacles to become a thriving and vibrant community.