North St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

St. Boniface / Saint-Boniface

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

1. St. Boniface / Saint-Boniface Marker

(English inscription on right/east side of walkway)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] In 1817 Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere and his wife Marie-Anne Gaboury settled on Seine River lots granted them by Lord Selkirk. They arrived in 1806, the first white couple to settle in the northwest. They became the grandparents of Louis Riel. Near them the same year settled the Des Meurons troops Selkirk had brought from Montreal to oppose the North West Company forces. In 1818-19 Father Provencher and Dumoulin established here the first permanent school and mission in the west. Such were the beginnings of St. Boniface, soon to become the centre of French-Canadian life in Western Canada.

[Français] En 1817, Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière et sa femme, Marie-Anne Gaboury, s'établirent sur des lots de la rivière Seine que Lord Selkirk leur avait concédés. Arrivés ici en 1806, le premier couple de race blanche à habiter en permanence dans le nord-ouest, ils devinrent les grands-parents de Louis Riel. La même année, les Meurons, ces soldats que Lord Selkirk avait fait venir de Montréal pour s'opposer aux forces de la Compagne du Nord-Ouest, s'établirent auprès d'eux. En 1818-19, les abbés Provencher et

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Dumoulin fondèrent ici la première école permanente et la première mission de l'Ouest. Tels furent les débuts de Saint-Boniface, qui devait bientôt devenir le centre de la vie canadienne-française dans l'Ouest canadien.

Erected by Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.

Location. 49° 53.566′ N, 97° 7.234′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in North St. Boniface. Marker is at the intersection of Provencher Boulevard (Manitoba Route 57) and Rue Aulneau, on the right when traveling west on Provencher Boulevard. Marker is located near the walkway, directly in front of the historic Saint-Boniface City Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 219 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg MB R2H 0G4, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Joseph Royal (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chief One Arrow (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Jean Baptiste La Vérendrye and Jean-Pierre Aulneau (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Five Saint Boniface Cathedrals (approx. half a kilometer away); Les Soeurs Nolin / Nolin Sisters (approx. 0.6 kilometers

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

2. St. Boniface / Saint-Boniface Marker

(French inscription on left/west side of walkway)

away); Sister Marguerite d’Youville / Sœur Marguerite d’Youville (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Le Couvent des Soeurs Grises / Grey Nuns' Convent (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Forks of the Red and Assiniboine (approx. 0.7 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winnipeg.

More about this marker. There are two markers, one on each side of the walkway, with English inscription on the right/east and French inscription on the left/west.

Also see . . .
1. Saint Boniface, Winnipeg.

Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years before European exploration. It is an area of historic Ojibwe occupation. Fur traders and European mercenaries hired by Thomas Douglas, Lord Selkirk, to protect his fledgling Red River Colony were among the area's first European settlers. With the founding of a Roman Catholic mission in 1818, St. Boniface began its role in Canadian religious, political and cultural history and as the mother parish for many French settlements in Western Canada.

(Submitted on March 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. St. Boniface, Manitoba

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

3. St. Boniface / Saint-Boniface Marker

(English inscription • looking northeast • historic City Hall in background)

St. Boniface is located on the banks of the Red and Seine rivers in eastern Winnipeg. As one of the larger French communities outside Quebec, it has often been at the centre of struggles to preserve French language and identity within Manitoba.

(Submitted on March 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Saint-Boniface — the Foundation of French in the West.

The former city of Saint-Boniface is the capital of French Manitoba – the historical centre of the French-Canadian and Métis communities in Western Canada. Today, it is part of the city of Winnipeg, located on the banks of the Red and Seine rivers. Saint-Boniface was founded in 1818 as a Roman Catholic mission by a group of French missionaries led by Bishop Joseph Norbert Provencher – it was the first permanent Roman Catholic post west of the Great Lakes. He was given tracts of land and soon constructed the first church in Western Canada, which served as a chapel, residence and school.

(Submitted on March 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

4. St. Boniface / Saint-Boniface Marker

(French inscription • looking northwest • historic City Hall in background)

Saint-Boniface Historic City Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

5. Saint-Boniface Historic City Hall

(markers are located on either side of front walkway)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.