10 Factoids | Volume 7
J
O
I
E
D
E
V
I
V
R
E
Festival du Voyageur is
the largest winter festival in
Western Canada. Giant snow
sculptures, ice climbing, French
cuisine, music, dance and revelry
take place at Voyageur Park
surrounding Fort Gibraltar every
February. *
In 1862, the bells of the old St. Boniface Cathedral
were shipped across the ocean to England for
reconditioning. Coming home, a storm blew the
ship off course and the bells ended up in St. Paul,
Minnesota. It would have been too expensive to bring
the bells back to Winnipeg via Red River Cart, so they
were transported by ship back to England and returned
to Winnipeg through Hudson Bay.
Métis leader Louis Riel was hanged in 1885 for treason after leading
the North-West Resistance. Today, that opinion has changed and many
consider this man to be the "Father of Manitoba."
"Riel"ly
zesty!
"Riel"ly
zesty!
*
The St. Boniface
Museum—
originally built for
the Grey Nuns—is
the oldest building
in Winnipeg and
the largest oak log
structure in North
America.