North Point Douglas is a small neighbourhood located in the city of
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
, Canada.
North Point Douglas comprises the northern portion of a peninsula of the
Red River. Its boundaries are Main Street (west), Redwood Avenue (north), the Red River (east), and the
Canadian Pacific Railway mainline (south), which bisects the peninsula. The southern portion of the peninsula is the neighbourhood of
South Point Douglas (which is also considered part of
Downtown Winnipeg.) Together, these two neighbourhoods are known simply known as "Point Douglas". In 2001, North Point Douglas had a population of 2,260.
North Point Douglas is one of the Winnipeg's oldest neighbourhoods. Today, North Point Douglas boasts two of Winnipeg's oldest houses - Barber House and Ross House Museum. It is also considered part of Winnipeg's
North End.
History
The eastern point of the neighbourhood was a traditional gathering place for Aboriginal tribes for ceremonial rites (while
The Forks nearby was traditionally used for trading purposes). This is believed to have occurred prior to European contact, and continued until urbanization in the 1870s.
In 1812, this first group of
Selkirk Settlers arrived in Point Douglas and began raising wheat crops on the point and along the
Red River, becoming the first agrarian colony west of the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
.
As the Red River Colony (as the Winnipeg region was known) grew, a small cluster of commercial establishments developed on the Fort Garry road at Point Douglas by 1862, notably those of
William Fonseca and
Edmond Barber. After the incorporation of the
City of Winnipeg in 1873, Point Douglas developed as a neighbourhood. Several notable citizens resided there, including merchant
James Ashdown
James Henry Ashdown (31 March 1844 – 5 April 1924), the "Merchant Prince of Winnipeg", arrived in Winnipeg in 1868 and began his business as a tinsmith. In 1870, he purchased two lots on the corner of Main Street and Bannatyne Avenue, the loca ...
and Manitoba premier
John Norquay
John Norquay (May 8, 1841 – July 5, 1889) was the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region.
...
. Among the houses of these men, there developed more modest cottages, industry such as
Brown and Rutherford, a lumber company established in Point Douglas in 1872.
In 1881, Point Douglas was selected as the location that the
Canadian Pacific Railway would cross the
Red River. This move solidified Point Douglas as a choice location for industrial firms, who could take advantage of proximity to the railway. With the railroad completed by 1885, Winnipeg experienced an intense period of growth, and by 1914, Point Douglas had become a densely populated working-class neighbourhood, with many immigrants from Eastern Europe.
Today
North Point Douglas continues to be primarily a residential neighbourhood but is also home to commercial and light industrial uses, with industry located mainly on the south side of the neighbourhood along the CPR tracks and commercial establishments on the western side, along Main Street, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares.
North Point Douglas is immediately north of
Downtown Winnipeg and is considered part of Winnipeg's
inner city
The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...
. It has faced many of the same challenges that have characterized the North American city in the
postwar
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period ...
decades: population and economic decline, crime, drug abuse, and a lack of investment. In recent years, the neighbourhood has begun to stabilize by efforts by community groups like the Point Douglas Residents Committee and North End Community Renewal Corporation and through new and long-time residents renovating properties.
Ross House
Ross House had its beginnings in 1852 when construction commenced on William Ross's log home. The museum was moved to its current location at 140 Meade Street (Joe Zuken Heritage Park, Point Douglas) in 1984. The construction of Ross House is a prime example of a Red River frame building.
Crime
North Point Douglas has very high crime rates. In 2012, there were 38 robberies (1707.9 per 100,000 residents),
[Crime in Winnipeg by Neighbourhoods (2012)](_blank)
info gathered fro
CrimeStat
Retrieved December 3rd, 2013 33 auto thefts (1483.1), 76 break-ins (3415.7) and 2 shootings (89.9). The robbery rate is 22 times higher than the national rate (79 per 100,000 residents).
Retrieved December 3rd, 2013
Demographics
The population of North Point Douglas in 2006 was 2,225 people.
[2006 Census (North Point Douglas)](_blank)
Retrieved December 3rd, 2013 The average household income is $31,029, which is about half the average income of Winnipeg as a city. The racial make up of North Point Douglas was:
References
External links
collection of photos of the neighbourhood
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Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg
Historic districts in Canada