On August 26, 1899, Karl wrote a letter to sister Mattie:
Dear Mattie; You said in one of the letters I read on my arrival here that I owed you a letter, well here goes. I got a lot of “daily and weekly news” yesterday and I more than devoured them. I can’t write letters today worth a cent. This is Saturday, I wish Monday would hustle around here, I want to get West….
Karl was keen to travel further west, and after a day in Winnipeg, I too was eager to leave this city. But to ensure I wasn’t missing any tourist attractions, I thought I’d stop at the visitor centre in Saint Boniface, located in Winnipeg’s francophone neighbourhood.
Tourisme Riel is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to Francophone tourism developments in Saint-Boniface. At the office I met Barbara. I shared my plans in following Karl around the world and that it seemed I had already explored the best parts of Winnipeg. Barbara thought I should reconsider, suggesting that exploring Saint-Boniface would provide a better glimpse of life in Winnipeg as experienced by Karl in 1899.
Barbara told me the history of Saint Boniface, a town founded in 1818 as the Catholic and Francophone capital of the Red River settlement. Instrumental to Saint Boniface is Louis Riel, the leader of the Métis during the Red River Rebellion, who fought to protect the rights of the Métis and preserve the French language.
Barbara pulled out a map and marked out a specific route to explore Saint Boniface. She set out a walking path from the Tourisme Riel to the important historical sites, punctuated with stops in between for ice cream, local craft beer, and shopping.
I started at the St. Boniface Museum, the largest oak log building in North America and the oldest building in Manitoba. Built-in 1846 as a convent, it became a hospital, orphanage, school, and museum. The exhibits include the fur trade, the history of the convent, and a lot of information about Louis Riel, including a bronze bust outside the museum. It seemed most appropriate that from there, I visited Louis Riel’s gravesite at the St. Boniface Cathedral. Although the original basilica was destroyed by fire in 1968, the current cathedral preserved the facade from 1894. It’s a beautiful design incorporating the old with the new, saving future generations' history. Also not to be missed is the Université de Saint-Boniface, the first French educational institution in Western Canada, founded in 1818. But that’s best seen after a scoop of pistachio ice cream or a flight of beer.
I have to thank Barbara, who I think should be the ambassador of Winnipeg! I had focussed my sightseeing on the obvious, the city centre, the Human Rights Museum, but moving further afield offered a much richer experience. For anyone travelling through Winnipeg, I’ll leave you with what Barbara wrote in my autograph book to supplement your travel plans with some “heart”:
“Ah! Manitoba! That hidden gem at the heart of the country! When you are here, don’t let its industrial sights trick you into missing out on its treasures. For a heart filled with history, visit Saint-Boniface and Saint Norbert and for some nature and magic, take a walk through Le Bois-des Espirits in Saint-Vital. Enjoy your journey!” Barbara, Tourisme Riel.
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