Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Bloody Saturday
2019 - Bernie Miller & Noam Gonick
| — | Steel, Glass, Light / Acier, Verre, Éclairage | — |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
1. Bloody Saturday Marker
So much that defines Winnipeg, its achievements and its rebellious core, was forged on Bloody Saturday.
The streetcar overturned in Winnipeg on June 21, 1919, symbolizes one of the most dramatic events in Canadian history. That day became known as Bloody Saturday.
Six weeks into the Winnipeg General Strike, thousands of people gathered on Main Street near City Hall in solidarity with returned World War I soldiers protesting the arrest of strike organizers. Inspired by labour struggles across North America, and on the heels of the Russian Revolution, 35,000 workers had been striking for the right to collective bargaining and decent wages. Theirs was a peaceful protest.
But on this day, a strikebreaker drove a streetcar down Main Street, provoking the crowd to push it off its tracks and set it on fire. The North-West Mounted Police charged and shot dead one worker, Mike Sokolowski, and wounded another, Mike Schezerbanowicz, who died later. Special constables hired to replace the pro-strike police force attacked workers in Hell’s Alley, hospitalizing 27.
Bloody Saturday captures the peril and the possibilities of that moment, emblematic of the continuing struggle for justice.
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Created through the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Public Art Program
Collection of the City of Winnipeg
Supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage
Made by Ironworkers Local 728 with additional support from Centreventure, the Winnipeg Foundation, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, I.A.T.S.E. Local 856, private donors, and the Manitoba Federation of Labour and Manitoba’s Unions.
Tant de choses qui définissent Winnipeg, ses réalisations et son âme rebelle ont été forgées en ce samedi sanglant.
Le tramway renversé à Winnipeg le 21 juin 1919 symbolise l’un des événements les plus dramatiques de l’histoire canadienne. Cette journée est connue sous le nom de samedi sanglant.
Six semaines après le début de la Grève générale de Winnipeg, des milliers de personnes sont rassemblées sur la rue Main, e près de l’hótel de ville, en solidarité avec les anciens combattants de la Première Guerre mondiale afin de protester contre l'arrestation des organisateurs de la grève. Inspirés par les luttes ouvrières menées en Amérique du Nord, et dans la foulée de la Révolution russe, 35 000 travailleurs et travailleuses font la grève pour le droit â la négociation collective et des salaires décents. Ils prennent part â une manifestation pacifique.
Toutefois, lors de cette journée, un briseur de grève conduit un tramway sur la rue Main. Piquée au vif, la foule se met â pousser le véhicule pour le faire dérailler, puis y met le feu. La Police â cheval du Nord-Ouest charge les manifestants et abat un travailleur, Mike Sokolowski, et en blesse un deuxième, Mike Schezerbanowicz, que décède par la suite. Des constables spéciaux engagés pour remplacer les policiers progrève attaquent des travailleurs dans la ruelle Hell’s Alley; 27 personnes sont hospitalisés.
L’œuvre Bloody Saturday capture les périls et les possibilités du moment et se veut une représentation emblématique de la lutte continue pour la justice.
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Créée dans le cadre du Programme d’art Public du Conseil des Arts de Winnipeg
Collection de la Ville de Winnipeg
Appuyé par le Ministère du Patrimoine Canadien
Fabriquée par des Monteurs de Charpentes Métalliques, section locale 728 avec l’appui supplémentaire de Centreventure, la Winnipeg Foundation, du Syndicat Uni de Transport, section locale 1505, de L’alliance Internationale des Employés de la scène et des Projectionnistes des États-Unis et du Canada, section locale 856, de donatrices et de donateurs privés, de la Fédération du Travail du Manitoba et de Syndicats du Manitoba.
Erected 2019
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Labor Unions • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is June 21, 1919.
Location. 49° 53.945′ N, 97° 8.302′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in the Exchange District. It is at the intersection of Main Street (Manitoba Route 52) and Market Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Marker and streetcar memorial occupy the southeast corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Winnipeg MB R3B 1B9, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Manitoba’s Historic Winnipeg. It is also in the Prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pantages Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); The Confederation Building / L'édifice de la Confédération
Courtesy L. B. Foote
2. Marker detail: Bloody Saturday Photo
Also see . . .
1. Winnipeg General Strike.
The Winnipeg general strike of 1919 was one of the most famous and influential strikes in Canadian history. For six weeks, May 15 to June 26, more than 30,000 strikers brought economic activity to a standstill in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which at the time was Canada's third largest city. In the short term, the strike ended in arrests, bloodshed, and defeat, but in the long run it contributed to the development of a stronger labour movement and the tradition of social democratic politics in Canada.(Submitted on February 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Bloody Saturday: 1919 Strike Turns Deadly.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
3. Bloody Saturday Streetcar and Marker
By June 21, the strike by tens of thousands of workers, which brought Winnipeg to a standstill and got the attention of labour, employers and politicians across the country, had been going on for six weeks. The nighttime raids and arrests of labour leaders on June 16 and 17 were an aggressive move by the government to try to stamp out the strike by attacking it at the top. It dealt a major blow to the labour movement, but also churned and agitated the deep rancour already flowing through the strike’s impassioned defenders...(Submitted on February 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Bloody Saturday: The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.
CBC video describes one of the pivotal events in Canadian labour history, the Winnipeg General strike of 1919.(Submitted on February 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
4. Bloody Saturday Streetcar and Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
5. Bloody Saturday Streetcar Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 561 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
