free lands in all directions by Canadian settlers, all tended to build up the hamlet of Winnipeg into a considerable town.
The following figures of population show the remarkable increase of Winnipeg: (1870) 215; (1874)[1] 1869; (1885) 19,574; (1898) 39,384; (1901) 42,340; (1905) 79,975; (1906) 90,153; (1907) 100,000 (estimated). The rapid growth of the city, the character of the soil, and the high prices of material for street construction have led to a large and expensive civic organization. The city is governed by a mayor, four controllers, and twelve aldermen. The city possesses the public utility of water, but the city street car system, gas, and private electric lighting are in the hands of a private company. The city has decided to introduce electric power from Winnipeg river, at a point some 50 m. distant. The streets are in some cases macadamized and in other cases block paved, and in still others asphalted. The Parks Board is a board appointed by the city council, and has the complete administration of a fixed percentage of the city taxes. The streets are boulevarded, trees planted on them, and both of these kept by the Parks Board. A number of well-kept small parks are found throughout the city, and a large park—the Assiniboine—is being prepared and beautified. The greatest business street is Main Street, on which (north) the Great Canadian Pacific railway station and Royal Alexandra Hotel are situated, and (south) the Union station of the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific railways are found. On or near this street (132 ft. wide) are placed the great financial institutions of the city, including eighteen chartered banks, many of which are ornaments to the city, and many loan, insurance, and real estate buildings and offices. The departmental stores and offices of the Hudson's Bay Company and its Fort Garry court, which stand on Main Street South, are worthy of that ancient company. The city hall, with park and volunteers monument, are on the same street, while the lofty Union Bank, McIntyre, and Bon Accord blocks are here wildernesses of offices of every description. The second great street, Portage Avenue, of the same width as Main Street, runs at right angles to Main Street, and is the mercantile street of the city. On this are the post office, Free Press office, Y.M.C.A. building, Aikins Block, T. Eaton & Co.'s enormous departmental shop, and the Ideal Building, which are worthy of note. The wholesale business street of the city is Princess, running parallel to Main Street; and the two most beautiful residential streets are Broadway and Assiniboine Avenues. All parts of the city are reached by the Winnipeg electric street railway, which runs north for 25 m. on the continuation of Main Street to the town of Selkirk, west along Portage Avenue for 12 m. to St James, Silver Heights, St Charles and Headingly, and south through Fort Rouge to River Park. At the north of the city are St John's episcopal buildings, including St John's College and boys' school. In the central part of the city are the parliament building, governor's residence, barracks, law courts, university, Manitoba College and Wesley College buildings. More than eighty churches, many of them of architectural value, are found scattered over the city, while the General Hospital, Women's Home, Children's Home, Children's Aid Shelter and Deaf and Dumb Institute speak of the benevolence of the citizens. One of the most striking features of Winnipeg is seen in the elaborate system of public schools. The buildings are not exceeded for beauty of design or for completeness of finish by any Canadian city and by few American cities.
The geographical position of Winnipeg is unique for the purposes of trade. Like Chicago it stands on the eastern border of the prairies. All western trade in Canada of the vast provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, must pass through the narrow belt of 100 m., lying between the international boundary line and Lake Winnipeg. Midway in this belt stands Winnipeg. The trade from the wide extent of three-quarters of a million of square miles of prairie and woodland, becoming more populous every year, must flow as through a narrow spout at Winnipeg; every railway must pass through Winnipeg. In consequence Winnipeg is already a considerable manufacturing centre. Its lumber and flour mills are its largest industries, but the following are found: aerated waters and breweries, tent makers, baking-powder manufactories, box manufacturers, brick makers, broom, brushes and carriage makers, cement blocks, manufacturing chemists, chocolate and cigar manufacturers, confectionery, copper plate, cornice makers, engine builders, gas fitters, ink manufacturers, jewelry makers, lime makers, milliners, opticians, paint makers, paper-box makers, photographers, pickle makers, planing mills, pork packers, publishers, pump makers, rubber-stamp makers, sash, door and blind factories, upholsterers, ventilating manufactory, vinegar factories, foundries, wire and fence manufactories. The area of the city is 12,700 acres.
WINNIPEG, a lake and river of Canada. The lake is in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Keewatin, and is situated between 50° 20′ and 53° 50′ N. and 96° 20′ and 99° 15′ W. It covers an area of 8555 sq. m., is at an altitude of 710 ft. above the sea, is 260 m. long, 25 to 60 m. wide, and contains several large islands, including Reindeer (70 sq. m.) and Big Island (60 sq. m.). It is shallow, being nowhere more than 70 ft. in depth, and in consequence extremely stormy and dangerous. It abounds in fish, its white fish being especially celebrated. Its shores are low and on the south extremely marshy. The principal affluent rivers are: Red river, from the south; Winnipeg, Bloodvein, Berens and Poplar from the east; and the Dauphin and Saskatchewan from the west. It receives the surplus waters of lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis, and discharges by the river Nelson into Hudson Bay. The river Winnipeg rises near Savanne station in 48° 47′ N. and 89° 57′ W., and flows in a westerly direction under the names of Savanne, Seine, and Rainy rivers to the Lake of the Woods; issuing thence as the Winnipeg, it flows N.W. with an exceedingly tortuous and turbulent course to the lake of the same name. It is navigable from the foot of the Lake of the Woods to the head of Rainy lake—with a short portage at Fort Frances falls—a distance of 208 m. Its principal tributary is English river.
WINNIPEGOSIS, a lake of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, between 51° 34′ and 53° 11′ N. and 99° 37′ and 101° 06′ W. Its greatest length is 122 m., greatest width 17 m.; shoreline 570 m., and area, exclusive of islands, 2000 sq. m. Its greatest ascertained depth is 38 ft., and mean altitude 828 ft. above the sea. Mossy river from the south, draining Lake Dauphin, Swan, and Red Deer rivers are the only considerable streams that fall into it. It drains by the Waterhen river through Waterhen lake into Lake Manitoba, and thence by the Little Saskatchewan into Lake Winnipeg. It was discovered by the chevalier de la Verendrye in 1739.
WINONA, a city and the county-seat of Winona county, Minnesota, U.S.A., about 95 m. S.E. of St Paul, on the W. bank of the Mississippi river, here crossed by three steel bridges. Pop. (1880) 10,208; (1890) 18,208; (1900) 19,714, of whom 5000 were foreign-born and 30 negroes; (1910 census) 18,583. There are large German and Polish elements in the population; and German and Polish journals, besides two dailies in English, are published here. Winona is served by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago Great Western, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul, the Green Bay & Western, and the Chicago & North-Western railways, and by river steamboat lines. It is picturesquely situated on a broad, level terrace, slightly elevated above the river, and surmounted by steep bluffs rising to 400–500 ft. At Winona are the Winona General Hospital (1894), to which is attached a Nurses' Training School; the first State Normal School (opened in 1860), and Winona Seminary (1894) for girls, conducted by the Sisters of Saint Francis. The city has a public library (about 30,000 vols.), with a mural decoration by Kenyon Cox; a Federal building; a Masonic Temple; and several parks; and it owns its own water supply (operated by the Holly system). In 1905 the total value of the factory product was $7,850,236 (30.5% more than in 1900). The site of the city was frequently used as a landing place in the old fur-trading days, but was not permanently settled until about 1853. Winona was first chartered as a city in 1857. A large part of it was destroyed
- ↑ Incorporated in this year as a city.
