Fort Rouge, Winnipeg

Corydon Avenue arch

Fort Rouge is a district of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located in the south-central part of the city, it is bounded on the north by the Assiniboine River, on the east and south by the Red River, and on the west by Stafford Street and Pembina Highway. Fort Rouge is not a discrete census district, so its population cannot be easily obtained through census records; the 2006 combined population of Fort Rouge and the neighbouring district of River Heights was 56,505.^[1]

History

The district was named after Fort Rouge, a fort built on the Assiniboine River in approximately 1738 by Sieur Louis Damours de Louvières, a lieutenant of the Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye.^[2] It is not known if the neighbourhood is built on the site of the fortification.

The area prior to 1880 consisted of a few small farms and woodlots. In 1880, a bridge was built across the Assiniboine River south from Main Street; the following year, another was constructed south along Pembina Road (later known as Osborne Street). Originally known as St. Boniface West, the area was annexed by the City of Winnipeg in 1882.

With the bridge in place to the city, a middle class residential area developed. Most houses in this area were quite modest in size and cost, although during the 1890s and 1900s mansions could be found on Roslyn Road, Wellington Crescent, and River Avenue. Due to its proximity to central Winnipeg and the presence of the Park Line streetcar, Fort Rouge was attractive to a variety of families of the middle and commercial classes as well as the more prosperous from the skilled trades. Most residents were of British Canadian backgrounds. This sense of community was reflected in the large churches that were constructed in the early 1900s along Nassau Street. Notable residents of the time include three victims of the RMS Titanic disaster: real estate developer Mark Fortune,^[3] his son Charles Fortune,^[3] and banker Thomson Beattie.^[4] Another Titanic victim, John Hugo Ross,^[5] gave his name to Hugo Street in Fort Rouge some years before his death, while a fifth victim, Eaton's employee George Graham, is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery (in St. Mary's Ontario).^[6] Immigration agent and legislator William Hespeler also resided in Fort Rouge.

The Canadian Northern Railway shops and yards were also located in Fort Rouge. Working class neighbourhoods developed around the yards. Many of the residents were able to walk the short distance to work. A few factories and warehouses appeared alongside the tracks and near the Red River as well. The yards are still in operation under the aegis of the Canadian National Railway and Via Rail, although some of the original yards were closed and the land ceded to the City of Winnipeg, which built a large bus garage on the lands.

From the 1950s to the 1980s dozens of high-rise apartment blocks, many over 25 storeys, were built in and around Osborne Village. This is currently Western Canada's second most densely populated neighbourhood. In the 1990s Corydon Avenue was redeveloped and is now one of Winnipeg's most important cultural and night-life areas.

Fort Rouge includes many neighbourhoods. These include Lord Roberts, Riverview, Ebby-Wentworth, Earl Grey, McMillan, and River-Osborne.

Sports

The Fort Rouge district shares the Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins hockey team with the district of Fort Garry. The team plays out of the Century Arena and are members of the MMJHL.

Team	Founded	League	Arena	Championships
Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins	1970	MMJHL	Century Arena	6

Education

Public schools in Fort Rouge are administered by the Winnipeg School Division.

Health care

The only major health care facility in Fort Rouge is the Riverview Health Centre, located in the Riverview neighbourhood.

St. Mary's Cemetery, a Catholic burial ground dating to the 19th century, is located on Osborne Street.

References

↑ Statistics Canada - River Heights Community Area Profile. Accessed October 21, 2009.
↑ Manitoba History: The French Presence. Manitoba Historical Society. Accessed October 21, 2009.
1 2 Mark Fortune at Encyclopedia Titanica. Accessed October 21, 2009.
↑ Thomson Beattie at Encyclopedia Titanica. Accessed October 21, 2009.
↑ John Hugo Ross at Encyclopedia Titanica. Accessed October 21, 2009.
↑ George Graham at Encyclopedia Titanica. Accessed October 21, 2009.

Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg

Agassi Airport Alpine Place Amber Trails Archwood Armstrong's Point Beaumont Betsworth Birchwood Booth Bridgwater Forest Broadway–Assiniboine Brockville Brooklands Bruce Park Buchanan Burrows–Keewatin Burrows Central Canterbury Park Centennial Central Park Central St Boniface Chalmers Charleswood Chinatown Cloutier Drive Colony Crescent Park Crescentwood Crestview Dakota Crossing Daniel McIntyre Deer Lodge Dufferin Dufresne Eaglemere Earl Grey East Elmwood East Kildonan Ebby–Wentworth Edgeland Elm Park Elmhurst Elmwood Eric Coy Exchange District Fort Richmond Fort Rouge Garden City Glendale Glenelm Glenwood Grant Park Grassie Heritage Park Holden Inkster–Faraday Inkster Gardens Island Lakes J.B. Mitchell Jameswood Jefferson Kensington Kern Park Kil-cona Park Kildare–Redonda Kildonan Drive King Edward Kingston Crescent Kirkfield Lavalee Leila–McPhillips Triangle Linden Woods Logan–CPR Lord Roberts Lord Selkirk Park Luxton Maginot Mandalay West Margaret Park Marlton Mathers Maybank McMillan Meadowood Meadows Melrose Minnetonka Minto Mission Gardens Montcalm Munroe East Munroe West Mynarski Niakwa Park Niakwa Place Norberry Normand Park North Point Douglas North St Boniface Norwood East Norwood West Old Tuxedo Osborne Village Parc La Salle Peguis Pembina Strip Point Road Portage–Ellice Pulberry Radisson Richmond Lakes Richmond West Ridgedale Ridgewood South River East River Heights River Park South River West Park Riverbend Rivergrove Riverview Robertson Roblin Park Rockwood Roslyn Rosser–Old Kildonan Rossmere–A Rossmere–B Royalwood Sargent Park Seven Oaks Shaughnessy Park Silver Heights Sir John Franklin South Point Douglas South Portage South Tuxedo Southboine Southdale Southland Park Spence Springfield North Springfield South St. George St. James-Assiniboia St. John's Park St. John's St. Matthews St. Norbert St. Vital Perimeter South Sturgeon Creek Talbot–Grey Templeton–Sinclair The Maples Tissot Transcona South Trappistes Tuxedo Tyndall Park University Valhalla Valley Gardens Varennes Varsity View Vialoux Victoria Crescent Victoria West Vista Waverley Heights Wellington Crescent West Alexander West Broadway West Wolseley Westdale Weston Westwood Whyte Ridge Wildwood Park Wilkes South William Whyte Victoria West Windsor Park Wolseley Woodhaven Worthington

North End West End

Coordinates: 49°52′00″N 97°09′00″W / 49.86667°N 97.15000°W / 49.86667; -97.15000

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