Timeline of Winnipeg Historical Events 1670-2012
1670 - 1875 | 1875 - 1886 | 1886 - 1911 | 1911 - 1921 | 1921 - 1950 |
1950 - 1965 | 1965 - 1977 | 1977 - 1989 | 1989 - 1993 | 1993 - 1996 |
1996 - 1999 | 1999 - 2007 | 2007 - 2012 | 2012 - Present |
1875 - 1886 | |
1875 | City Limits extended to Aberdeen Avenue between Main Street and McPhillips Street. |
1875 | Cornerstone laying ceremony for the first City Hall |
1876 | First City Hall and Theatre erected. |
1876 | October 12 - First shipment of wheat exported from the Province of Manitoba (857 1/6 bushels at 85 cents per bushel). Exported by Higgins & Young, Winnipeg; consigned to Steele Bros., Toronto. |
1877 | University of Manitoba founded. |
1877 | Arrival in Winnipeg of C. P. R. Engine No. 1, Countess of Dufferrin. |
1878 | First Railway service to Winnipeg from St. Paul, Minnesota. |
1878 | First telephone brought to Winnipeg by Mr. H. McDougall. |
1880 | R. M. of St. Boniface annexed part of St. Vital. |
1880 | R. M. of Assiniboia incorporated. |
1882 | Ward One, being the district known as Fort Rouge, taken into the City. Wards increased to six in number. |
1882 | City limits extended north to Kitchener Avenue and lane north of Luxton Avenue; south of Wilkes Avenue, Waverley Street, lane south of Parker Avenue to Red River and west to Keewatin Street, St. James Street and west boundary of Parish of St. Boniface (86 feet west of Kenaston Boulevard). |
1882 | First water supply in Winnipeg from Assiniboine River. |
1882 | First street railway system inaugurated (horse drawn cars). |
1883 | Town of St. Boniface incorporated out of R. M. of St. Boniface. |
1884 | Council reduced to two Alderman for each Ward. |
1884 | July 19 - Corner stone of second City Hall laid by Mayor Alexander Logan. |
1884 | December 8 - Inauguration of ballot system of voting at Municipal Elections in Winnipeg. |
1885 | November 16 - Dominion of Canada charges Louis Riel with treason and he is hanged in Regina. |
1886 - 1911 | |
1886 | July 1 - First Railway train over the Canadian Pacific Railway from Montreal to Vancouver. |
1886 | Second City Hall completed. |
1887 | View North down Main Street from Graham Avenue. |
1892 | First electric street cars inaugurated. |
1893 | R. M. of Rosser organized. |
1893 | First meeting of the Winnipeg Public Parks Board |
1897 | Fort Garry Gateway presented to City by Hudson's Bay Company. |
1899 | City of Winnipeg purchased Water Works Company and, from 1900 - 1911, supplied water from wells. |
1902 | Brookside Cemetery included in City limits. |
1902 | Province of Manitoba grants the City a second Special Charter of Incorporation after repealing the first in 1886. |
1903 | R. M. of St. Boniface changed to R. M. of St. Vital. |
1905 | Assiniboine Park included in City Limits. |
1906 | Part Municipality of Kildonan (Elmwood), taken into the City and wards increased to seven in number, Elmwood being designated Ward Seven. |
1906 | Lots 3 and 4, Parish of Kildonan, lying west of McGregor Street, taken into the city. |
1907 | Lot 3, Parish of Kildonan, lying west of McGregor Street, taken into the City. |
1907 | Board of Control System inaugurated and was later abolished in 1918 |
1908 | Redwood Bridge built. |
1908 | High Pressure Pumping Station and piping system constructed. |
1950 - 1965 | |
1950 | April - June - Red River Valley Flood with damage running into millions of dollars. River level (30.3 feet above City Datum) highest in 89 years. Other major floods by the Red River:
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1951 | October 16 - Official visit of Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. |
1952 | Completion of construction of system of permanent dykes along Red River and part of Assiniboine River within the Greater Winnipeg area to give flood protection to a level of 26.5 feet in most areas and 30.3 feet in the downtown and Riverview areas. |
1954 | City limits extended west to centre line of Edgeland Blvd. |
1955 | September 19 - Last street car line - Portage Avenue and Main Street - discontinued and street cars replaced with diesel buses. |
1956 | Winnipeg Charter revised and consolidated. |
1956 | December 28 - Fluoridation of water supply completed. |
1956 | City of St. James incorporated. |
1957 | July 1 - City of East Kildonan incorporated. |
1958 | November 3 - Council approved the sale of property located on Grant Avenue and Nathanial Street to the Winnipeg School Division, forcing the displacement of the Métis community known as Rooster Town. |
1959 | July 24 and 25 - Visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. |
1960 | March 26 - The metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg incorporated. |
1960 | Town of Brooklands incorporated. |
1961 | October 16 - 50th Anniversary of Hydro Electric System |
1962 | City of Winnipeg limits extended westerly to west limits of No. 6 and No. 7 Provincial Trunk Highways to include area of approximately 3500 acres effective January 1, 1963. |
1963 | Opening of Red River Community College. |
1964 | October 5 - Official opening of new "Civic Centre". |
1965 - 1977 | |
1965 | December 14 - Official opening of new St. Vital Bridge. |
1966 | March 4 - Winter Blizzard - Length 20 hours Temperature (Max/Min) - 7.8°C/-13.3°C, 18°F/8°F Amount of snowfall 35.6 cm, 14 inches Wind Speed 80 km, 50 mph |
1966 | May 18 - Official opening of New Public Safety Building. |
1967 | Celebration of 100th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation. |
1967 | Fifth Pan American Games held in Winnipeg. |
1968 | St. Boniface Basilica destroyed by fire. |
1968 | Opening of Red River Floodway. |
1969 | City of St. James-Assiniboia incorporated. |
1970 | Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Province of Manitoba. |
1971 | October 6 - Election of first council of new unified City of Winnipeg. |
1971 | Royal assent given to Bill 36 known as "The City of Winnipeg Act creating Unicity". |
1972 | January 4 - Inaugural meeting of first council of new unified City of Winnipeg. |
1972 | Deacon Reservoir completed. |
1973 | June - Federally funded and operated by the Grey Nuns and Oblate Fathers, Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Indian Residential School was part of the federal government’s educational system under the Indian Act which operated from 1958 until its closure in June 1973. |
1973 | November 8 - 100th Anniversary of Incorporation of City of Winnipeg. |
1974 | May 10 - Official visit of Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. |
1974 | September 16 - South Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Plant went into operation. |
1975 | January 11 - Winter Blizzard - length 23 hours Temperature (Max/Min) -14.4°C/-24.4°C, 6°F/-12°F Amount of Snowfall 12.2 cm, 4.8 in. Wind Speed 66 km, 41 mph. |
1975 | January 14 - Official opening of the new Convention Centre. |
1976 | April 30 - Official opening of the new Royal Canadian Mint. |
1996 - 1999 | |
1996 | January 1st - "Access to Information By-Law" No. 6420/94 enacted. |
1996 | January - Winnipeg experienced some of the coldest January temperatures on record: Average High -18.1°C, Normal High -13.2°C Average Low -27.4°C, Normal Low -22.6°C Warmest day of the month: January 12, 2.8°C Coldest day of the month: January 19, -39.4°C |
1996 | February - For the 3rd year in a row, the City of Winnipeg was awarded the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting (CAnFR) by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA), for its 1994 Annual Report. |
1996 | February 9 - 13 - Winnipeg hosted the 7th International Winter Cities Conference. |
1996 | November 17 - Heaviest recorded snowfall in a single day in 30 years. |
1997 | February - Official opening of the Sir William Stephenson Library. |
1997 | March - Council adopted "Reshaping our Civic Government", Executive Policy Committee's Strategic Direction of City Government. |
1997 | April 5-6 - Worst recorded blizzard in Winnipeg this century. Total accumulated snowfall: 48 cm (Friday to Tuesday). Previous record: 1966 - 38.1 cm snowfall. Duration of storm: 24 hours, Average wind speed: 60km/h, gusting as high as 85 km/h. |
1997 | April-May - Severe flooding in the Red River Basin, which became known as the "Flood of the Century". The City of Grand Forks, North Dakota was devastated and many rural communities sustained severe damage, but the City of Winnipeg was protected by the Red River Floodway and the Portage Diversion. |
1997 | September 20 - During a ceremony to reaffirm and permit the Fort Garry Horse Regiment to exercise their traditional right of the "Freedom of the City", the City Zoo's 18 month old black bear Winnie was named as the regiment's mascot. The first Winnie the Bear, later to become famous as Winnie the Pooh, was the regiment's original mascot during World War I. |
1997 | October 29 - City of Winnipeg Act amended, replacing the Board of Commissioners with a Chief Administrative Officer Model. Also provided for a four-term of office for Mayor and Councillors. |
1998 | October 21 - The Assiniboine Park Pavilion re-opened after a $4.5 million renovation and building addition. The Pavilion, originally built in 1927 is designated a heritage building. The Pavilion now houses an upscale restaurant and three art galleries, which comprise the works of Manitoba artists Ivan Eyre, Walter J. Phillips and Clarence Tillenius. |
Last update:
May 20, 2021