The Capital City -- The Forks

The Capital City of Manitoba - Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada with more than half of Manitoba's population. It's about seven hundred thousand people live in Winnipeg, and it is more than half of a province's population. It's really a little people compare to China. You can barely find a city that is less this number in China. Most of people Winnipeg speak English, but there are also a lot of French-Canadians, Metis, and first nation live in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg is at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Because of its shape is like a fork, some people also call Winnipeg -- The Forks   Y(is a fork). Before the English people come, the Forks has been the meeting place for early Aboriginal peoples -- Metis and Natives, and since colonization has also been a meeting place for fur traders, Métis, English settlers, riverboat workers, railway pioneers and tens of thousands of immigrants.Yeah, I learn this from social studies. Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a low-lying flood plain with an flat topography.There are no hills in the city. Winnipeg is on the eastern of the Canadian Prairies, so it has many large Canadian Shield lakes and parks. According to the Census geographic units of Canada, the city has a total area of 464 km square and an elevation of 240 m.Winnipeg has four major rivers: the Red River, the Assiniboine River, the La Salle River, and the Seine River. The Red River is a Canadian heritage river.

49° 53′ 58″ N, 97° 8′ 21″ W (From GeoHack)

 Winnipeg is located at the bottom of Manitoba.

Winnipeg has a farm-based(if this is a word) economy, with sectors in finance, manufacturing, food and beverage production, culture, retail and tourism. Winnipeg is an important  transportation point, served by Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, and it is only 96 km to the USA border.

Winnipeg experiences continental climate with great seasonal temperature differences.It is in the middle of Canada which has no sea near by, and plus the whole province is a flat land, not a lot of rain can reach here. Winnipeg is ranked as Canada's second sunniest city year-round, second for clearest skies year-round, and second for sunniest city in Canada in spring and winter (From Environment Canada). But in winter, Winnipeg is cold ~.~|||. Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world with a population of over 600,000 based on the average night-time temperature during winter (From Environment Canada).It has very big seasonal temperature change. From my picture that shown, in July average temperature is about 20°C, and December is about -20°C; It is 40°C change in temperature.

6:45 a.m

Good morning, Winnipeg. I woke up at 6:30 this morning, brushed my teeth, and get ready to go visit the city of Winnipeg. It is my second day in Manitoba. I feel exciting about what will I see today. I am leaving the hotel about 7:30 to visit Winnipeg, and I will eat breakfast at the hotel first.

9:30 p.m

I am very tired today after playing around the great Winnipeg, but it is worth. Today is a nice sunny day, and I drove around Winnipeg and visit a lot of place such as Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park and

Canada Museum for Human Rights. I left the hotel at 7:37, and got on my small Honda and drove along the Red River. I was planning to go to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights first, but I made a mistake. Museum haven't opened at 7 in the morning, so I decided to just drive along the river first.

 

Red River is a river that goes through both the US and Canada.  The Red River forms at Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, Minnesota, passes through Fargo, North Dakota, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota, Minnesota, continues on to the province of Manitoba, and finally goes into Lake Winnipeg.  The Red River is about 900 km long, of which about 600 km are in the United States and about 200 km are in Canada.

The Red River was part of Rupert's Land, the Hudson's Bay Company. It was an fort-Fort Garry for Hudson's Bay Company which a lot of Metis were settled there - along the river. Metis are mix for European and First Nation because it was easy for them to trade with each other. It is a place that the Red River Rebellion took place at. The Hudson's Bay Company sold the Rupert's Land to the Canadian government, and the Canadian government treated them poorly, so the Metis rebelled lead by Louis Riel.

I drove back toward the Assiniboine Park, which is located very close to the airport, at about 8:00. Assiniboine Park is a park that was established in 1904 and is located north of the Assiniboine Forest.

The Park includes  Assiniboine Forest, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Assiniboine Park Conservatory, Assiniboine Park Pavilion, formal and informal gardens, a sculpture garden, a miniature railway, and an outdoor bandshell theatre for performing art. It's huge. It is one of the largest Canadian urban nature park.  There were thousands of annual and perennial flowers, also there were a lot of the province flower Prairie Crocus could be find in the garden, and there was a huge rose garden. I felt like I was in the ocean of flowers when I was there.

Then, I went to the Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park which was really close to the  Assiniboine Park. I only took me 3 minutes to drive there. It's located right beside the airport; I got there at 10:30. Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park is the largest air park in Canada. It was free to get in.

The Heritage Park consists of 17 aircraft on permanent year round display. I guess it is the air force for Manitoba. For Canadian Air Force personnel, all roads will lead to 17 Wing Winnipeg. The Wing comprised of squadrons, training school and command elements, turn out what are considered some vest multi-skilled personnel in the world.(From Canadian Air Force website) I don't know a lot about the air force, but the park present the 17 Wing Winnipeg and Canadian Air Force.

 

Then I drove toward back to downtown of Winnipeg, and it was about 12:30. It was almost lunch; there was enough time for me to visit Canadian Museum for Human Rights, but I decided just drive to the Manitoba Legislative Building and take of a few picture on the way there.

 

I could see a lot of tall building in Winnipeg, which I couldn't see in a lot of Canadian city. In the second picture, the Exchange District is it. The Exchange District National Historic Site is one of North America’s most colorful and cosmopolitan neighborhoods.  It is home to the city’s unrivaled arts community, but I can't see there is anything special of it. I got to the the Manitoba Legislative Building at about 1:15.

The Manitoba Legislative Building is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, in central Winnipeg. It was originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, not Legislative. The building was completed in 1920 and stands seventy-seven meters tall. I could see the flag of Manitoba on the plaza in front of the legislative building; there was a buffalo on the flag, and there was a golden boy on top of the building. It worth a lot if I sell it at a store.

It was 2:45 when I had lunch after visit the Manitoba's Legislative Building, and headed to the next stop which I think will be the last stop of my day - The Forks National Historic Site. I got there at there at 3:10. It is located at the edge of the Red River. The Esplanade Riel bridge, which I went last night, is also located at the Forks too.


The Forks is a historic site and meeting place in Downtown Winnipeg. I think in the textbook, it is where the Red River Settlement took place. The Metis and Natives arrived at The Forks site around 6,000 years ago. The digs conducted between 1989 and 1994 discovered several Aboriginal camps. Artifacts related to the bison hunt and fishing were unearthed. It is the place where the Red River Settlement happened.

I got back to the hotel at about 7 o'clock, had my dinner, went back to my room, and lied down on my bed.  I just had a shower, today is a very busy day, and I feel so tired. I don't have enough time to visit more site that I would wish to like I didn't go check out the Museum for Humans Rights, but I will come back on the last day of my trip. Tomorrow, I will go visit Selkirk tomorrow. Now, goodnight.