‘Meeting’ the matriarchs where they lived

West Kildonan

Getting to know the history of your neighbourhood is always a good thing. And what better way to do it than joining more than 80 other like-minded individuals on a free, community-building, walking tour?

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I joined a group led by the Seven Oaks Historical Society’s Kenneth Ingram to learn a little more about my West Kildonan neighbourhood.

‘The Matriarchs of Matheson and McAdam’ was the title of this year’s North Winnipeg version of Jane’s Walk, named for Jane Jacobs, the famed American urbanist and activist who championed a community-based approach to city planning.

These free, citizen-led, walking events are held worldwide annually on the first weekend of May and are run locally through the Winnipeg Arts Council. This was the third year the council has partnered with the Seven Oaks Historical Society, of which Ingram is the founder and current president. Previous walks highlighted ‘Bannerman Avenue and the Ladies of Luxton’, followed by last year’s ‘Ladies of Leila’.

Each of Ingram’s walks have connected notable women of the neighbourhoods, their contributions to the community, greater society and beyond, to where they lived during formative years. The Matriarchs of Matheson and McAdam featured eight prominent women who lived at various times on those streets, including provincial court judges, doctors, architects, nurses who became officers in the U.S. Army, and leaders in higher education and the community – all at a time when women in these roles were few and far between. Their impact was far-reaching, yet relatively unknown. To see the houses of these accomplished women brought home how important it is to highlight the contributions of individuals who were once part of a community, as well.

Ingram, who spends countless hours doing research, combing through archives, newspapers, directories, and voting lists to create a more fully formed version of the women featured, admitted that, in addition to all the background preparation, he is always delighted to learn something new from people living in the neighbourhoods where the walks take place.

“Getting to hear some of the first-hand accounts from people who grew up next to these women and their take on it, contextualizes and personalizes it for me,” he said.

That fits well with Jacobs’ philosophy of encouraging walking together to engage in community-building experiences with shared reflection, questioning, and re-imagining – something I plan on doing a lot more of this summer after this experience.

You can next see Kenneth Ingram during Doors Open Winnipeg for his ‘Facades and Faith: Sacred Spaces of the North End’ tour on May 30 and 31. For more information, visit: doorsopenwinnipeg.ca/building/sohs/