Rockin’ the house at Fort Rouge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/03/2020 (2330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Fort Rouge Curling Club has been rocking the house in celebration of its 100th anniversary season.

The actual anniversary was Dec. 11, 2019, 100 years to the day when the first rock was thrown in the original curling club on Osborne Street South, where the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre is now located, past-president Don MacDonell said.

“We’ve held a social, a 100th anniversary bonspiel,” he said. “We’ve also printed a book which documents our history.”

The book, Fort Rouge Curling Club 1919 – 2019: 100 Years of Friendly Curling, came about partially for the anniversary and partially because the club — now located at 10 Daly St. North — suffered a basement flood in 2005. 

“We don’t know how much historical material was lost in the flood. We felt there was a need to protect what was remaining of the minutes, old photographs and documents from the early days of the club,” he said.

The book follows the club minutes and relates the efforts and events that were the foundation of the curling club. 

“We’re known as the friendly curling club,” MacDonell said. “Back in the 1930s, the president of the Manitoba Curling Association noted our sociable nature and we’ve been that way ever since.”

The original Fort Rouge club was built between 1918 and 1919, at a time when curling was expanding with returning veterans from the First World War. 

“People like Sydney Campbell, who was the principal of Lord Roberts School, were instrumental in getting the club going,” MacDonell said. “The original club cost $14,000 to build and was located on Winnipeg Electric Railway land. It became a focal point for a lot of people’s social lives.”

The club was men only until 1921, when eight women met to form the ladies’ section By 1924, the women had joined with seven other clubs to form the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association.

In the mid-1950s, Loblaws bought the property, requiring the curling club to move.

“Bill Walsh and Spence Shiah spearheaded that,”MacDonell said. “They sold debentures in order to raise $90,000 to build a new building. After obtaining land at Daly and Morley Avenue, the new club was completed in the fall of 1959 for a total cost of $145,000.”

Today, Fort Rouge offers men’s, women’s and mixed-league curling during the day, evenings and on weekends. Juniors curl on Saturdays, and various other leagues such as the Winnipeg Parks and Wrecks, Manitoba Hydro and the Attorney Generals also call the club home, MacDonell said. The club hosted its biggest event in 2018, when the Canadian mixed curling championships were held on Fort Rouge ice, with the Manitoba team emerging victorious. 

“Curling has really taken a hit over the last few decades and a lot of clubs have closed,”  MacDonell said. “Fortunately, Fort Rouge has been able to maintain its membership during this time and we have invested money back into our building which has allowed us weather the storm. 

“I’ve curled here for over 40 years. The club is volunteer-run, and they’re what makes this club tick. The success of the club is a testament to those who have come before.”

The club intended to hold a gala dinner on March 28, but the event has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about the club or the book, see curlfortrouge.ca or call (204) 475-0888.