Marker Name: Portage Trail
Agency: City of Winnipeg
Languages: English
Location:
On the bridge
Westbound Portage Avenue
60 metres west of Booth Drive
Marker Text:
In 1974, and again in 1979, the inundation of Portage Avenue by the flood waters of Sturgeon Creek made necessary the temporary closure of the roadway at this location. As a result of these flood events, the Portage Avenue / Sturgeon Creek Bridge crossing was constructed to provide enlarged creek flow capacity and substantially lessen the frequency of flooding at this site.
From the earliest period of colonization and pioneer travel to the plains of this region and to the open prairies of the west, this site was used as a crossing for the trail taken by explorers, hunters, traders, and settlers in ox-drawn carts. This was the route taken to Fort la Reine and from it branched the trail to Fort Carlton, Fort Edmonton, the Athabasca country, and the trail south to the Mandan Country, site of the buffalo hunt.
This major link in the transportation system of the City of Winnipeg was officially opened by his Worship May William Norris in the presence of the Honourable Pearl McGonigal, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, December 8, 1981.
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca or mhs.mb.ca: [Web Link]
Website: Not listed
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