Selkirk, Manitoba
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Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, located on the Red River about northeast of the provincial capital
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 749,6 ...
. It has a population of 10,504 as of the 2021 census. The mainstays of the local economy are
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
, a
steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...
, and a
psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
. A
vertical lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and sw ...
over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of
East Selkirk East Selkirk is a community of 675 (2016 Census) in the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Clements in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is directly across the Red River from Selkirk, Manitoba. The village of East Selkirk is connected to Win ...
. The city is connected to
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 749,6 ...
via Highway 9 and is served by the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
. The city was named in honour of Scotsman
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas t ...
, who obtained the grant to establish a
colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
in the Red River area in 1813.


History

The present-day city is near the centre of the area purchased by the Earl of Selkirk from the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
. The first settlers of the
Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...
arrived in 1813. Although the settlers negotiated a treaty with the
Saulteaux The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, A ...
Indians of the area, the commercial rivalry between the Hudson's Bay Company and the
North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...
gave rise to violent confrontations between the settlers and the trading companies. In recognition of the Earl's importance in bringing settlers to the region, the town was named Selkirk and incorporated in 1882.


Economy


Entertainment

Selkirk is advertised as the ''Catfish Capital of the World'' due to the large amounts of
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...
in the nearby Red River. This nickname was part of an advertising campaign to attract
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
anglers to fish for trophy-sized catfish. Selkirk is also home to Chuck the Channel Cat, a fiberglass statue of a catfish that measures long. The catfish was named after local sport fisherman Chuck Norquay, who drowned while doing what he loved most: fishing in the Red River. After Chuck was built in 1986, the town council decided to place Chuck in front of Smitty's Restaurant on Main Street. The
Marine Museum of Manitoba The Marine Museum of Manitoba, at Selkirk, Manitoba, was established in 1972 to gather ships, artifacts, and items relating to shipping, to tell the story of the development and the operation of transportation on Lake Winnipeg and the Red River ...
, a collection of historical marine artifacts of Lake Winnipeg and the Red River area, is located in Selkirk. Selkirk is also the site of a
Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues ...
base. The yearly Selkirk Fair and Rodeo is held to celebrate the area's agricultural history. It celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2008.


Employment

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre, the largest mental health facility in the province, is a major employer in the city. It is surrounded by a park-like campus on the outskirts of the city.
Gerdau Gerdau is the largest producer of long steel in the Americas, with steel mills in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela. Currently, Gerdau has an installed capacity of 26 mill ...
, owned by Gerdau S.A. of Porto Alegre, Brazil, operates a steel minimill in Selkirk. This steel mill (known locally as MRM or "The Manitoba Rolling Mills") is another major employer. Selkirk has three community newspapers: ''The Interlake Enterprise'', ''The Selkirk Record'', and ''The Selkirk Journal''. Amphibex excavator icebreakers were at work breaking up ice flows on the Red River in 2009.Ice Hammer
''
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
''. Accessed: 8 January 2011.
Ice breakers and backhoes were to be strategically placed along the
Red River Floodway The Red River Floodway (french: Canal de dérivation de la rivière Rouge) is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winn ...
, which might have needed to be opened before the ice was fully melted. Officials examined past ice jams and provided contingency plans if the Floodway jammed upstream of bridges or on tight corners.


Sports

Selkirk is home to the
Selkirk Steelers The Selkirk Steelers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada. History Junior "A" hockey in Selkirk ...
of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, who play in the
Selkirk Recreation Complex The Selkirk Recreation Complex is an indoor ice hockey, figure skating arena and community centre located in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. The city-owned facility, which opened in 1992, features a 2,751-seat arena and 500-person banquet hall. Its ...
. Selkirk is also home to the
Selkirk Fishermen The Selkirk Fishermen are a junior "B" ice hockey team based in Selkirk, Manitoba. They are members of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League (CRJHL). The franchise was founded in 1917. They are the longest running junior hockey team in Canada. ...
of the
Capital Region Junior Hockey League The Capital Region Junior Hockey League (CRJHL) is a junior B ice hockey league in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The league, sanctioned by Hockey Manitoba, began play for 2018–19 season. History The CRJHL was formed in 2018 when five team ...
. Selkirk has hosted major events in conjunction with 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 749,6 ...
, such as select games of the 2007 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships. In 2009, Selkirk was host to the
Telus Cup The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada. The current champions are the Monct ...
, Canada's national midget hockey championship, with the Winnipeg Thrashers as the host team. The Notre Dame Hounds defeated the Calgary Buffaloes 4–0 in the gold medal game, which was broadcast live from Selkirk on TSN. Selkirk is also the home of the Selkirk Curling Club which has hosted numerous curling events, including the Masters Grand Slam of Curling in 2014, Canadian Junior Curling Championships in 1997 and the Viterra/Safeway Select Manitoba Men's Provincial Curling Championships.


Geography

Selkirk is located in the
Interlake Region The Interlake Region is an informal geographic region of the Canadian province of Manitoba that lies roughly between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The region comprises 14 rural municipalities, one city (th ...
of Manitoba, about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital
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 749,6 ...
on the Red River. A vertical lift bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of
East Selkirk East Selkirk is a community of 675 (2016 Census) in the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Clements in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is directly across the Red River from Selkirk, Manitoba. The village of East Selkirk is connected to Win ...
. The city mostly borders the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, except to the east, where it borders the
Rural Municipality of St. Clements St. Clements is a List of rural municipalities in Manitoba, rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located to the north-east of Winnipeg, stretching from East St. Paul, Manitoba, East St. Paul and Birds Hill Provincial Park in the south to ...
across the Red River. The terrain is extremely flat with fields of wheat and canola surrounding the city.


Climate

Due to Selkirk's position on the edge of the
Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
, there is a moderate 510.4 mm (20.1 inches) of precipitation annually. Selkirk has a climate with four very distinct seasons. A general year will include warm (sometimes hot) summers, cold winters, and a comfortable spring and autumn. Selkirk has recorded a temperature as high as in June 1995 and a temperature as low as in February 1966. Selkirk has 21 days with snowfall per year, from about November (sometimes as early as September or October) to around April (sometimes as late as May). General seasons *Winter: November to March *Spring: April to May *Summer: June to August *Autumn: September to October


Water

The City of Selkirk gets its water from four carbonate aquifer wells in the City and two in the R.M. of St. Andrews. Water is then cleaned at the Selkirk Water Treatment Plant before being sent out to distribution lines. Five of the six wells are deep, while the Tower well is shallower. Because of this water from the Tower well needs more maintenance. McLean Well (drilled in 1959), Christie Well 1 (drilled in 1968. used only in emergencies), Rosser Well (drilled in 1987), Tower Well (1997), Christie Well 2 (drilled in 2015), Render Well North (drilled in 2017), Render Well South (drilled in 2017). The Selkirk Water Tower is a prominent feature of the area. It was constructed in 1961 as a replacement for a previous tank built in 1909. The current water tower has a maximum storage capacity of 946,000 litres. In March 2020, the City announced a local design competition that would see the repainting of the structure. In August 2016, the City of Selkirk partnered with the provincial and federal governments to cost share upgrades to its water treatment and distribution infrastructure. The Selkirk project was estimated to cost C$35.2 million and would include a new water treatment plant. The expanded system would be large enough to serve St. Andrews and the
Lower Fort Garry Lower Fort Garry was built in 1830 by the Hudson's Bay Company on the western bank of the Red River, north of the original Fort Garry (now in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Treaty 1 was signed there. A devastating flood destroyed Fort Garry in ...
Historic Park. Construction began in August 2018 to replace the aging wastewater facility built in 1976. The new one would cost C$35.9 million, the largest capital works project in the City's history, with construction expected to be completed by January 2020.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Selkirk had a population of 10,504 living in 4,417 of its 4,643 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 10,278. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The median household income in 2005 for Selkirk was $42,502, which is below the Manitoba provincial average of $47,875.


Places of interest

* Selkirk—Red River former federal electoral district * Selkirk Water Aerodrome * Selkirk Airport *
Red River Trails The Red River Trails were a network of ox cart routes connecting the Red River Colony (the "Selkirk Settlement") and Fort Garry in British North America with the head of navigation on the Mississippi River in the United States. These trade route ...
*
Fort Gibraltar Fort Gibraltar was founded in 1809 by Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield of the North West Company in present-day Manitoba, Canada. It was located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks i ...
fur-trading post destroyed by early Selkirk settlers *
Fort Maurepas (Canada) Fort Maurepas was the name of two forts, or one fort in two locations, built by the French in the Lake Winnipeg area in the 1730s. They were both named after Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas (from the city of Maurepas) who, as Minis ...
fur trading post built 1734 near the present town *
Selkirk Lift Bridge Selkirk Lift Bridge is a Vertical-Lift Bridge in Selkirk, Manitoba spanning the Red River. The Canadian government built the bridge as a work relief project during the Great Depression. History Necessity for the bridge Before 1934, the re ...


Notable people


Sports

* Terry Ball - hockey player * Rich Chernomaz - hockey player *
Kerri Einarson Kerri Einarson (; born October 3, 1987 as Kerri Flett) is a Canadian Métis curler from Camp Morton, Manitoba, in the Rural Municipality of Gimli. Einarson is the three-time reigning women's national champion in curling, skipping her team to vic ...
- curler *
Paul Goodman Paul Goodman (1911–1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the arts, civil rights, decen ...
- hockey player *
Alfie Michaud Alfred Michaud (born November 6, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. An Ojibwe, Michaud played junior seasons in the SJHL, and then began a three-year tenure with the Maine Black Bears, winning an NCAA Men's Ice Hockey ...
- hockey player (goaltender) * Andrew Murray - hockey player *
Harry Oliver Harry Oliver (April 4, 1888 – July 4, 1973) was an American humorist, artist, and Academy Award nominated art director of films from the 1920s and 1930s. Besides his outstanding work in Hollywood, he is now best remembered for his humorous w ...
- hockey player *
Bullet Joe Simpson Harold Edward Joseph "Bullet Joe" Simpson (August 13, 1893 – December 26, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Edmonton Eskimos and New York Americans between 1920 and 1931. He later served as coach of the ...
- soldier, hockey player and coach who was flag bearer for Canada at 1932 Olympics *
Jimmy Skinner James Donald Skinner (January 12, 1917 – July 11, 2007) was the head coach, chief scout and farm director, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, assistant general manager, and general manager for the Detroit Red Wings ...
- hockey coach * Neil Wilkinson - hockey player


Politicians

*
David Bjornson David Bjornson (born 7 July 1947 in Selkirk, Manitoba) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993, serving in the 34th Canadian Parliament for the Progressive Conservative party in the Selkirk riding. By career, he is ...
- Member of Parliament 1988–1993 * Greg Dewar - Manitoba provincial politician * Ron Fewchuk - Member of Parliament 1993–1997 * Ed Helwer - member of the Manitoba legislature 1988–2003 *
Hugh McFadyen Hugh Daniel McFadyen (born 31 May 1967) is a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. From 2006 to 2012, he was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, and Leader of the Opposition in the Manitoba legislature. Followin ...
- Manitoba politician, MLA *
Howard Pawley Howard Russell Pawley (November 21, 1934 – December 30, 2015) was a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. Prior to his premiership, Pawley served in various ministerial positions after his ...
- MLA Selkirk 1969–1988; Premier of Manitoba 1981–1988 *
Sam Uskiw Samuel Uskiw (October 18, 1933 in East Selkirk, Manitoba – March 19, 2011) was a politician and political fundraiser in Manitoba, Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1966 to 1986, and served ...
- Manitoba politician, born in East Selkirk


Other

*
Trevor Boris Trevor Boris (born September 10, 1980) is a Canadian comedian, writer and television producer. Television work Boris is one of the stars of MuchMusic's '' Video on Trial'', and is also a star of '' Stars Gone Wild''. He has also appeared on ma ...
- comedian * Paul Boyd - currently broadcasting journalistic reporter for
WSOC-TV WSOC-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with ABC and Telemundo. It is owned by Cox Media Group alongside Kannapolis-licensed independent station WAXN-TV (channel 64). Both stations s ...
*
Robert Atkinson Davis Robert Atkinson Davis (March 9, 1841 – January 7, 1903) was a businessman and Manitoba politician who served as the fourth premier of Manitoba. Davis was born in Dudswell, in the eastern townships of Lower Canada (now Quebec). As a young man ...
- businessman and politician, supported running the railway through Winnipeg instead of Selkirk * The Farrell Bros. -
rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
(music) group *
Goody Grace Goody Grace (born Branson Gudmundson; June 19, 1997) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and producer from Selkirk, Manitoba. He has released one full length album and two EPs, as well as having co-written songs for musicians such as Machine ...
- singer and musician * Kevin Patterson - doctor, writer, grew up in Selkirk * William Prince - musician *
Ellen Reid Ellen Lorraine Reid (born 14 July 1966) is a Canadian musician. She provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies. Early life and education Reid was born and grew up in Selkirk, Manito ...
- keyboard player for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies *
Michael Rowe Michael Rowe (born 1960) is an American television writer, producer and comedian. He has written for ''Becker'', ''The Nanny'', '' Futurama'', '' Paranormal Action Squad'' and '' Family Guy'', as well as writing the episode of ''The PJs ''Th ...
- Canadian author and journalist, attended St. John's Cathedral Boys' School in Selkirk 1977-1981 *
Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, also referred to as Niigaan James Sinclair or Niigaan Sinclair, is an Anishinaabe writer, editor, and activist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Originally from Selkirk, Manitoba, Selkirk, Manitoba Sinclair received his B ...
, scholar * Sherisse Stevens - singer and entertainer * John Tanner - explorer, guide, worked for the Selkirk colony *
Paul Thorlakson Paul Henrik Thorbjorn Thorlakson, (October 5, 1895 – October 19, 1989) was a Canadian physician and Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. Paul Thorlaksonwas born in Park River, North Dakota and grew up in Selkirk, Manitoba. He was th ...
- soldier, surgeon,
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
, co-founder of the Winnipeg Clinic


References


External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Manitoba Winnipeg Metro Region Populated places in Interlake Region, Manitoba