The early settlement of Elmwood
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This article was published 08/03/2021 (813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Many people may think Elmwood was the first area settled in northeast Winnipeg but in fact it was last; there were farms in East Kildonan and North Kildonan before there were any in Elmwood.
The reason for this was the early parish lot houses were located near the Red River and, of the three areas, Elmwood was the lowest in elevation in relation to the river, much of the area was swampy and flooded frequently, making it undesirable for farming.
In the years before the Selkirk Settlers arrived in 1812, the Seine River which now flows into the Red River in north St. Boniface flowed into the Red further north, in what is now Elmwood. The evidence for this can be seen along Brazier Street and Johnson Avenue, where the roadway dips, and near Chalmers Avenue and Henderson Highway, where the former river channel can be seen.
Much of what is now Glenelm, the area west of Henderson Highway, was a low-lying, swampy area prior to the 1890s. As late as the 1880s it was considered an ideal location for duck hunting in the fall.
What really began the settlement of Elmwood was the building of the original Louise Bridge in 1880 and the first area to be settled intensely was the area close to the bridge along Nairn Avenue. This was the first area to develop businesses in the district.
The southern part of Elmwood was actually part of the town of St. Boniface until 1896, when the small English-speaking population voted to separate from largely French-speaking St. Boniface and join the English-speaking Municipality of Kildonan, which then consisted of present-day East Kildonan, North Kildonan, West Kildonan and Old Kildonan as well as part of the North End.
By 1905, as Elmwood grew, the local residents of Harbison Avenue and the area to the south wanted more city services, which the municipality was unwilling to provide so a vote was taken and Elmwood joined the City of Winnipeg in 1906.
It would take another 66 years before the area to the north became part of Winnipeg. With the opening of the Redwood Bridge in 1908-09, the centre of the community, along with the main business district, shifted to the Henderson Highway part of Elmwood.
Jim Smith is a community correspondent for Elmwood, East Kildonan and North Kildonan. Email him at jimsmith@mts.net
Jim Smith
Jim Smith is a community correspondent for Elmwood, East Kildonan and North Kildonan. Email him at jimsmith@mts.net