The origins of Fraser’s Grove Park
Advertisement
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2021 (598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The modern history of the area in which Fraser’s Grove Park is located stretches back to the 1830s. The physical boundaries of the current park, between the Red River and Kildonan Drive, were determined when the Municipality of Kildonan began the process of obtaining the land for Kildonan Drive in 1912 and 1913. It was originally called East Kildonan Drive, and the Municipality of East Kildonan, which was created in the division of Kildonan in 1914, continued this work.
The park was named for William Fraser, who owned one of the original parish lot farms which stretched back two miles from the Red River. There were also three parish lots owned by others that make up what is now Fraser’s Grove Park. Fraser himself moved to this area from West Kildonan around 1880.
After Fraser’s death in 1909, his land was sold off, along with the other properties to a speculator for a proposed subdivision called Rossmere Grove and a portion was sold to the municipality. In 1910, 50 acres of this property was offered to the University Manitoba free of charge and another 150 to 300 acres offered at low prices to the University of Manitoba to establish its campus in the area. In 1912 ,the university chose instead its present location in Fort Garry.
The Rossmere Grove subdivision was not a success, as little property was sold and, by the 1920s, the municipality became the owner of most of it due to the non-payment of the property taxes.
In the 1930s and 1940s the land of Rossmere Grove between the Red River and Henderson Highway was used as a picnic ground and for camping groups of adults and youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides from all over Greater Winnipeg area. The municipality charged a small fee for camping but no municipal services were provided; it was strictly a wilderness experience.
A small number of summer cottages were constructed on nearby Kildonan Drive as summer getaways from the urban community.
The sale of property to home builders began in the early 1950s in the southern end of Rossmere Grove and continued into the early 1960s at the northern end.
The City of East Kildonan retained the property along the riverbank for park space, but little work had been done until the park was taken over by Metro Winnipeg in 1961, which led to the development of the park in its present space. In the mid-1960s Metro closed a portion of Kildonan Drive to create an undivided park space. While the original amenities, such as playground equipment and benches, have been replaced little has changed in the park except for riverbank erosion.
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