St. Francois White Horse on its last legs

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This article was published 11/11/2011 (5381 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Municipal officials in St. Francois Xavier are hoping to prevent an iconic local landmark from being forced to ride off into the sunset.

The popular white horse statue, located near the juncture of Highway 1 and Highway 26, suffered extensive damaged several years ago presumably when it was struck by a passing vehicle.

Local officials say the future of the statue, a tribute to an old Cree legend known as the Legend of the White Horse Plain, could be threatened if repairs are not soon undertaken.

“It has certainly lost a lot of its original glory and we know the statue is damaged at the base,” said Reeve Roger Poitras.

The cost of repairs to the statue have been estimated at $19,000, according to Poitras. The RM is hoping to convince the province to pay for the repairs, he added.

“We have talked to Manitoba Conservation, (which) has been taking care of the park for some time now, about having them pay for the repairs,” he said.

A government spokesperson said that while the province is willing to discuss the project, the statue and surrounding park are not a provincial responsibility.

“The site itself is not a provincial park, but Manitoba Conservation has been working with the municipality to maintain the property,” she said.

The spokesperson added that Manitoba Conservation will work with the RM to determine if there are any grants that the municipality can apply for to assist with the repairs.

Poitras said the municipality is hopeful that the repairs can be undertaken in the near future and that the surrounding park will eventually be restored to its former glory.

“At one time it used to be quite a lovely place,” he said.

In the meantime, efforts by community members to research the history of the statue and park will continue, Poitras said.

“What we are trying to do is to get to the bottom of the whole thing,” he said.

“We know that through the co-operation of Manitoba Tourism and the White Horse Distilleries the statue was built in 1966, but we are trying to find out more about the park and the statue.”

Poitras added that the statue was sculpted by a famous Manitoban sculptor named George Barone.

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