Fort Garry Hotel celebrating 100th anniversary with trivia hunt

So which room in the Fort Garry Hotel is haunted, anyway?

And what Winnipeg merchant was imprisoned in the landmark Winnipeg hotel in the winter of 1869?

Well, it’s time for the Winnipeg 1913 Trivia Hunt, which was only a century in the making, as part of the Fort Garry Hotel’s 100 anniversary festivities.

"The Fort Garry Hotel is really an icon for all of Winnipeg," said hotel spokesperson Laura Wiebe. "There’s mystery around it. It’s had hard struggles. There’s stories of it being haunted."

Over 1,000 participants have already registered for the contest, which begins on Feb. 11th. Registration is free (www.winnipeg1913.com).

"This is our community event," said Ida Albo, managing partner at the hotel. "Hopefully, people can have fun and learn something. The more the merrier. There’s no downside. It doesn’t cost anything, you can learn something....and there’s prizes."

The questions are being put together by historian Jim Blanchard, University of Manitoba, the author of Winnipeg 1912 and Winnipeg’s Great War. The trivia hunt will consist of 10 multiple choice questions emailed to participants once a month. Top finishers will be entered into a monthly draw for prizes that include Taylor Swift tickets, seats to the 2014 Juno Awards in Winnipeg and spa packages. The Grand Finale celebration event will be held at the Fort Garry in December where the grand prize of a Ten Spa service each week for a year will be awarded.

"It was our way of letting everybody help us celebrate," Albo said.