St. Clements Historic Timeline 1750 – 1982

This timeline of events was gleaned from the commemorative history book made for our 100th Anniversary, The East Side of the Red: A Centennial Project of the Rural Municipality of St. Clements 1884 to 1984.

It gives a chronology of events and activities that helped shape our community that can be used by students and teachers to place the events of St. Clements in a larger context.

This timeline resulted from a project we started in 2012 called Our Essential Past: Pivotal Events which was generously funded by the Historic Resources Branch of Manitoba. Using this timeline as a base we plan to develop other timelines on specific historic themes.

[tabby title=”1750 – 1799″]

1776 Red River flood

[tabby title=”1800 – 1849″]

1817 Treaty signed with Saulteaux. Land granted became St. Peters Reserve
1826 The site of Winnipeg was completely flooded
1829 Parish of St. Andrews on the Red was formed
1835 The District of Assiniboia was divided into four judicial districts with one Justice of the Peace in each district
1843 William Cornelius Van Horne was born. He died in 1915.
1848 The Hudson Bay Company recruited 56 military pensioners to be ready to uphold the law

[tabby title=”1850 – 1899″]

Early 1850s: Gunn’s Creek Flour Mill was constructed
1850 The Pembina Post Office was set up 70 miles from Red River
1852 Red River Flood
1855 Ross House was organized as the first post office at Red River. William Ross was the first postmaster
1858 The all-Canadian mail route between the east, Fort William and the Red River area was functioning but it only lasted two years
1859 The Anson Northup steamboat began the era of steam navigation in Manitoba
1860 September: Laying of the cornerstone of the Dominion Parliament Buildings in Ottawa
1861 Red River flood

Parish of St. Clements was formed

Treaty Number 1 was signed at Lower Fort Garry

1861-62 Anson Northup steamboat sank in Cook’s Creek at its winter dock
1862 A post office was opened in St. Andrews
1864 Chief Peguis died
1867 Opening of the first Dominion Parliament of Canada
1869 November: Louis Riel set up the provisional government. The St. Clements representative was Thomas Bunn
1870 Claude Macfie formed a Brass Band that played on both sides of the river

Mr. Arthur Doidge built Doidge’s Pottery Work

Manitoba became a province then joined the confederation of Canada. Thomas Bunn represented St. Clements as a MLA in the first legislature of Manitoba.

A 20 man mounted police force was formed

1871 Dynevor Post Office in St. Clements was opened. It was called the St. Peters Post Office.

Mapleton Post Office was opened

July 20: British Columbia became a province

One of the first attempts at brick making was near Osmond’s Creek

July 3: Mapleton School District No. 5 was formed

A legislative act was passed to destroy the Canada Thistle

1873 Legislation was passed allowing local communities to form units on a township or parish basis
1874 Brokenhead Reserve was first surveyed by Mr. John Harris, D.L.S

The newly formed city of Winnipeg created a policing force

1875 Mapleton Post Office closed

The Winnipeg Police Force had 5 members

May 25: A team of engineers and assistants, led by Sanford Fleming, began their journey to Winnipeg. Their goal was to survey for the continental railway.

July 1: First telegraph was completed from Winnipeg to Selkirk on the East side

S.S. Colvile was built to trade in Lake Winnipeg

1875-77 The county system was introduced into Manitoba
1875-76 The government mapped out Selkirk as a townsite on the east side of the Red River
1876 The Intercolonial Railway from Montreal to the East Coast was completed

Brokenhead reserve was enlarged by Mr. Duncan Sinclair D.L.S

1878 The railway bridge was built across Cook’s Creek. A rail line was completed between St. Boniface and Selkirk on the East side of the Red River
1879 The railway roundhouse was completed
1880 Manitoba Department of Agriculture was organize

The East Selkirk Post Office was established

January: The Roundhouse was turned over to the government. It was used as a supply depot.

A two mile spur line was completed from east of the townsite to east of the slough where the Hudson Bay Company was building a floating depot, warehouse and on land store at Colville Landing

July 8: The East Selkirk School District No. 99 was formed

The Manitoba Government forced municipal formations. St. Clements and St. Andrews became the municipality of St. Andrews

1881 The government transferred all of its railway lines to the newly created, private CPR
1882 The town of Selkirk was incorporated
1883 The HBC floating warehouse was all but abandoned

East Selkirk was incorporated

The railway branch line from Selkirk to Winnipeg was completed

December 22: The municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements were officially legislated

1884 January: The newly incorporated St. Clements Municipal held its first election

The town of East Selkirk hired Charles Madden as the first Chief of the Police Force

1885 Gonor Post Office opened

September 9: The School District of Ashfield was opene

November 8: The last spike of the CPR was driven at Craigellachie, B.C

November 17: Louis Riel was hanged in Regina

1886 Brokenhead Post Office was started

The CPR Transcontinental Railway was completed

1887 Balsam Bay Post Office was opened

The spur line track leading to Colville Landing was removed

1888 October 18: The Ladywood School District was formed

August 1: Poplar Point School District No. 545 was formed

1889 Mr. Arthur Doidge and Mr. Richard Kingdon joined to create Doidge and Kingdon of East Selkirk
1891 The town of Selkirk had some electricity
1894 Copies of the Manitoba Noxious Weeds Act were distributed to municipalities

The St. Andrews North Post Office was officially opened

1895-96 Mr. Deeks formed the Selkirk Brass Band
1895 May 7: The Balsam Bay School District No. 859 was formed
1898 About 2000 acres of land in East Selkirk had been purchased by William Van Horne for his farm

The Roundhouse was converted to an immigration shed

1899 February 22: The first group of 1700 Doukhobors arrived at the Roundhouse, immigration shed

April 22: 600 settlers (Galacians) arrived from the east and were placed in the Roundhouse immigration shed

July: 2000 Doukhobors and Galacians were housed in the Roundhouse

[tabby title=”1900 – 1949″]

1900 The first sod was turned for St. Andrews Locks

November 6: Donald School District No. 1094 was created after splitting from Mapleton School District No. 5

May 12: The School District of Kitchener No. 1076 was created after splitting from Mapleton School District No. 5

May 15: The Gonor School District No.1070 was was created after splitting from Mapleton School District No. 5

1902 The Greenwald School District was formed

Resolutions were passed to convert the service bridge over the dam into a traffic bridge

1903 March 28: The Libau School District No. 1231 was formed. At the time it was known as Walkleyburg

The Libau Post Office was opened under the name of Kreiger

1904 The incorporated town of East Selkirk was absorbed by the Municipality of St. Clements

May 6: Lilydale S.D. No. 1285 was formed

1905 Scanterbury Post Office opened
1906 September 30: The Immigration Shed was closed
1907 A Treaty was conducted by which St. Peters Band of Indians surrendered their rights to the St. Peters reserve and were allotted a new reserve on Lake Winnipeg

Thalberg Post Office opened

1908-10 The Roundhouse – Immigration Shed was used by various groups
1908 The Garson Quarry Post Office opened

April 7: Happy Thought School District No.1452 was formed

September 1: The Mayfield School District No. 1473 was formed

1910 The Lockport Locks were officially opened by Sir Wilfred Laurier

The East Selkirk School District was reorganized and close

1911 The School District of Brookside N0. 1546 was created

The Kirkness Post Office opened

1912 The town of Selkirk installed electric street lights

The Narol Post Office opened

The Walkleyburg Post Office opened

July 2: Patapun School District was formed

April 12: The School District of Arnnhold No. 1618 was formed

June 1: Highland School District No. 1628 was formed from lands obtained in part from Ashfield, Mayfield and Prosperity School districts

1914 May 2: Mars School District No. 1774 was formed

December 10: The Canadian Northern Railway opened extended a line from Grand Marais to Victoria Beach

1915 December 6: The Victoria Beach School District No. 1811 was formed

William Cornelius Van Horne died

1916 The Grand Beach Post Office opened

The Canadian Northern Railway built train depots at Grand Beach and Victoria Beach

A new school, Happy Thought School, was built from the Roundhouse bricks

April 3: Grand Marais School District No. 1825 was formed

Victoria Beach Post Office opened

1917 The School District of Brodie No. 1854 was formed

July: Woodrow School District No. 1897 was formed

1918 The Canadian Northern was part of the Canadian National Railway

A meeting was held to discuss building the Poplar Park Hall

1919 St. Clements Council held its first meeting in the new building on Lot 41 on the east bank of Cook’s Creek in East Selkirk

The town of Selkirk hired its traffic (motorcycle) cop

Winnipeg General Strike

The Sheffield School District No. 176 was formed

May 1: The Hillside Beach School District. No. 1980 was formed

1920 February 5: Bright Star School District No. 2024 was formed

May 14: The Ukrainian Home and Reading Society of East Selkirk was formed and members started to build a hall

1921 Beaconia Post Office opened

The Stony Point School District No. 2077 was formed

1923 The Canadian government took over the Canadian Northern and the National Transcontinental and placed them under the Canadian National System or CNR

Grand Marais Post Office opene

The first “Special Constable” was hired in East Selkirk

1924-25 The Red River Motor Coach Bus Lines ran from Winnipeg to Lockport and East Selkirk
1926 June 16: The Dunlop School District was formed

Stead Post Office opened

1927 January 19: Beaconia School District was formed through arbitration

October 4: The Hoey School District was formed

1928-49 The Ukrainian Benevolent Society of East Selkirk operated
1928 The Star Hotel in East Selkirk was built

John Homenick started the Northern Bus Lines

1934 April: The C.I.L. authorized the news release announcing the explosives plant called Brainerd Works at East Selkirk, Manitoba
1935 The Pals girls’ club was formed
1936 June 19: Gull Lake School District No. 2269 and Thalberg North School No. 2270 were formed

The Searle Family bought Van Horne Farm from the C.P.R.

The Ukrainian Catholic Youth Club of East Selkirk was formed

1937 May 3: The Selkirk Bridge was officially opened
1938 Electric lights went on in the municipality of St. Clements
1939 March 1: The Glenmoore School District NO. 2293 was formed
1942-43 The Selkirk Wildlife Association was formed
1942 Augustus L. Searle started a “home weaving” program, complete with a course of instruction, in every community that had a Searle Grain Elevato

St. Clements Council decided to buy the first road building equipment

1944 The education portion of the Searle Home Weaving Program was terminated
1945 Farm electrification was administered to a pilot number of farms

August 29: CIL Plant exploded

The Bait House was moved to the east side of the Red Rive

The Gonor School 4-H Club was formed by Mrs. C. Hollinger

1947 Many lands situated in the St. Peters Indian Reserve were offered for sal

Farm electrification was in full swing

1949 The Parkview Hotel opened in Grand Beach

[tabby title=”1950 – 1982″]

1950 St.Clements had its first line for farm electrification from East Selkirk to Libau

Red River flood

Live bait was banned

The East Selkirk Busy Fingers 4-H Sewing Club was formed

1952 The Dreamers Orchestra was formed
1953 The Helen S. was purchased by the owners of the Bait House and used to catch and freeze bait
1955 September: Poplar Post Office closed
1956 March 2: The East Selkirk 4-H Potato Club was formed
1957 December 15: The Grand Beach Curling Club was officially opened
1959 Balsam Bay Post Office closed
1960-74 The Brightstar 4-H Club was formed
1960 Poplar Park Hall burned down

Walter Whyte Collegiate was opened in Grand Marais

January 1: Happy Thought School District No. 1452, Hoey No. 2173 and Patapun No.1636 were consolidated into Happy Thought Consolidated School District

1961 April 29: Passenger train service between Grand Beach and Victoria Beach was terminated

The Selkirk Generating Station went into commercial service

1962 The second Poplar Park Hall was officially opened

The Walkleyburg Post Office closed

1963 The Selkirk Weed Control District was formed
1964 January 1: Poplar Post Office was opened

The first natural gas transmission lines were installed in East Selkirk

1965 The first 4-H Club in Narol met

The Northern Fisheries bought the Helen S. and took it to Pine Dock

Searle Grain and Federal Grain amalgamated

1966-67 The School District of Arnhold was dissolved
1966 The School Districts of Lilydale No. 1285, Highland School District No. 1628, Kitchener School District No.1966, Mayfield School District No.1473, Ashfield No. 428, Brookside and Gonor were dissolved and their lands were transferred to the Consolidated School District of Happy Thought No. 1452

Greenwald School District and Brokenhead District consolidated and became Brokenhead School District No. 2436 as part of the Agassiz School Division No. 236

1967 April 1: Donald School District No. 1094 was dissolved and all lands were transferred to the River East School Division No. 9

The Lord Selkirk School Division No. 11 was created

Walter Whyte Collegiate was changed to Walter Whyte School

January 1: Mars School DistrictNo. 1774 was dissolved and its lands were transferred to the Consolidated School District of Brokenhead No. 2436

April 1: Hillside Beach School District No. 1980, Libau School District No. 1231, Mapleton School District No.5 and Poplar Point were dissolved and included in the Lord Selkirk School Division No. 1

1968 Bright Star School District 2024 consolidated with the Agassiz School Division No. 13

January 1: The Glenmoore School District No. 2293, Ladywood School District No. 555, Thalberg School DistrictNo. 1411 and Gull Lake School District were dissolved and students were transferred to the Agassiz School Division No. 13

The Red River Floodway was completed

The current Municipal office was opened at the corner of Colville and Quarry Roads

The St. Clements Volunteer Fire Department was formed

1969 The Bait House was moved to the west side of the Red River
1970-71 Red River Brick and Tile plant was built
1970 Grand Marais, Balsam Bay, Beaconial, Dunlop, Stony Point, Victoria Beach, Belaire, and Hillside schools students were absorbed by Walter Whyte School

September 11: The Brainerd explosives plant ceased manufacturing of high explosives and became a storage warehouse

The Kirkness Post Office closed

The Narol Post Office closed

Thalberg Post Office closed

Brokenhead Post Office was closed

1971 Students from Brokenhead were integrated and enrolled from Grade 4 into Happy Thought School within the provincial schools
1972 November 1: The first meeting of the East Selkirk Recreation Association was held at Happy Thought School
1973 Right Angle Farms was incorporated to acquire and operate Searle Farms property
1974 The owners of the Bait House built the Lily-Ann to catch minnows for bait

November 25: The 1st St. Clements Brownies and Guides received their Certificate of Registration

November 12: The new chapter of the Knights of Columbus held its first admission degree ceremony

1976 St. Clements Municipality divided the St. Clements Volunteer Fire Department into the two Departments of Grand Marais and East Selkirk

Gonor Post Office was phased out as Gonor became a RR of Winnipeg

1977 The Narol Golden Age Club held its first meeting
1978 The last Police Chief of East Selkirk resigned

Ken Cybulsky started the Stawberry Patch along the east side of the Red River

1981 The East Selkirk Community Club Building (Rec Centre) was finished
1982 The official opening of the East Selkirk Community Club (Rec Centre)was held

Brokenhead Mission School burned down and the K-Grade 3 students were sent to Walter Whyte School

C.I.L. removed all of the buildings from the Brainerd explosives plant site

September 2: The first meeting of the East Selkirk Recreation Centre was held

1983 February 13: The official opening of the E.S.R.A. skating rink was held

[tabbyending]

Posted in Timelines.