Local history and urban thoughts from a West End Winnipegger
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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, I am working on a series of blog posts and radio shows that will look at some of the thousands of Manitobans who died serving their country. For more, follow this link . The duplex at 501-503 Sherbrook Street has burned down. The building was vacant and boarded up at the time. The 503 side has connections to a sad wartime…
© 2026 Christian Cassidy. June 2, 1944, Winnipeg Tribune There was a spike in youth crime in Winnipeg during the Second World War. It was blamed mainly on the fact that thousands of fathers were absent and many mothers had to juggle raising children and working outside of the home for the first time. Children had a lot of unsupervised time on their hands, and not all of them used it well. This…
What is now known as "Home Street Playground" at Sargent Avenue and Home Street has served the community for 79 years. It is currently undergoing major renovations that include a new lawn, playground equipment, and wading pool. The only items to stick around are some older trees and what is likely the original pool building. The completion date was to have been July 1, but due to the wet spring,…
I had a chance to visit Ecole River Heights School for the first time earlier this week. It's a nice looking school, but I was struck by its odd orientation. The "front" of the school faces a field and the side of the River Heights Community Centre. The main access points to the building are a side door on Grosvenor Avenue and off the back lane where there is a staff parking lot. I thought I would…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy Entrance to Happyland ( Martin Berman Postcard Collection ) On Saturday, I appeared in a CTV Winnipeg news story about the 120th anniversary of Happyland, which held its grand opening weekend May 24 - 26, 1906. Here is a deeper dive into the history of this "magnificent resort for fun and frolic" that struggled to survive financially for most of its existence. Part 1: The…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy Entrance to Happyland ( Martin Berman Postcard Collection ) On Saturday, I appeared in a CTV Winnipeg news story about the 120th anniversary of Happyland, which held its grand opening weekend May 24 - 26, 1906. Here is a deeper dive into the history of this "magnificent resort for fun and frolic" that struggled to survive financially for most of its existence. Part 1: The…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy Entrance to Happyland ( Martin Berman Postcard Collection ) On Saturday, I appeared in a CTV Winnipeg news story about the 120th anniversary of Happyland, which held its grand opening weekend May 24 - 26, 1906. Here is a deeper dive into the history of this "magnificent resort for fun and frolic" that struggled to survive financially for most of its existence. Part 1: The…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy Entrance to Happyland ( Martin Berman Postcard Collection ) On Saturday, I appeared in a CTV Winnipeg news story about the 120th anniversary of Happyland, which held its grand opening weekend May 24 - 26, 1906. Here is a deeper dive into the history of this "magnificent resort for fun and frolic" that struggled to survive for most of its existence. Part 1: The Glory Days…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy It appears that Daylight Saving Time (DST) may be a thing of the past for Winnipeggers in the near future. The city has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the time change going back 110 years. Here's a look at that history, which is an expansion of the research I did for this Winnipeg Free Press Review column . For a "Winnipeg DST history in brief" chart, see…
© 2026, Christian Cassidy Often I will see an old photo or advertisment and spend some time digging into its back story. Sometimes I find a great story, sometimes not. Either way, I learn a few things about the city's history. Here's my latest attempt. For more Behind the Photo posts. April 25, 1946, Winnipeg Tribune 1946 was a particularly bad year for pigeons in Winnipeg, and the health…
