Splash Dash Tours - Winnipeg's #1 River Boat Cruise

While it is a major Canadian city, Winnipeg is not exactly the most “touristy” place.  However, with Kooks’ Sister living there for the past several years, this was reason enough for us to visit the Gateway to the West.  Without any concrete plans as to what we wanted to see or do in Winnipeg, Dawn decided to take us down to the Historic Forks area where the Assiniboine River and Red River meet.  The Forks is considered the downtown hub of Winnipeg, and is about as close as you will get to seeing a tourist district within the city.  It is also here where you can do a river cruise around Winnipeg.

Downtown Winnipeg

Splash Dash Tours offers a scenic guided half hour tour along the Assiniboine and Red Rivers.  Located at the Forks Dock, tours from 10am CST – Sunset every day from May 15 through October 15 (weather permitting).  At a cost of $11 CDN, this seemed like an ideal way to learn more about the Gateway City to Western Canada.  Without further ado, here are the main highlights of this tour.

Manitoba Legislative Building

The tour starts off by exploring parts of the Assiniboine River.  Along this section of the tour, we passed by the Manitoba Legislative Building.  Directly in front of the building is a statue of Louis Riel, one of the founders of the province of Manitoba and controversial political figure of Canada.  I will write more about him in a bit as we passed some other significant sites relating to Riel.

Manitoba Legislative Building

Golden Boy/Eternal Youth Statue 

Sitting atop of Manitoba’s Provincial Government resides the Golden Boy – Winnipeg’s iconic symbol.  Officially known as “Eternal Youth,” the Golden Boy was created by French sculptor Georges Gardet, Golden Boy is modelled after a 16th-century sculpture of the Roman god Mercury, weights 1,650 kilograms, and stands at 5.25 metres tall.

Golden Boy/Eternal Youth Statue

Commissioned in 1918, Golden Boy did not arrive until November 21, 1919 after the ship that was carrying it from France was commandeered for service in the last few months of World War 1.  The statue was first gilded with twenty-four carat gold in 1951, and was placed to face north on the assumption that Manitoba’s future lay in the undeveloped northern regions in the early 20th Century.

The Fork

After about the first 10 minutes cruising around the Assiniboine River, our tour guide took us to the confluence where the Assiniboine meets the Red River – or the Fork – and we begin to learn about Winnipeg’s history starting with the discovery of artefacts that were identified as being part of the Seminole Tribes of Florida.

The confluence of the Red & Assiniboine Rivers

Archaeological surveys confirm that Winnipeg was the central meeting point for all Native peoples in the Western Hemisphere over 6,000 years ago.  It was theorized that these Native tribes arrived here in Winnipeg using the Mississippi River as a major transit route from the South and the Red River from what are now the modern day Prairie Provinces, Northwest Territories, and Eastern Canada.

St. Boniface Cathedral

Further down the Red River, we passed along St. Boniface Cathedral – the resting place of Louis Riel.  Riel is by far the most discussed political figure of Canadian history.  A member of the Métis tribe (a mixture of Native and Francophone ancestry), Riel is infamous for leading rebellions in the late 19th century against the Canadian advancement into the Northwest Territories.

St. Bonafice Cathedral

Reviled by the Protestants of Ontario and seen as a traitor, Riel became a folk hero to the Francophones, Métis, and Roman Catholics for defending their rights and territory from the appropriation of the Canadian government, which was led by Sir. John A. McDonald.  Executed for treason, Riel’s legacy continues to show in the present day in the deep divide between Conservative and Liberal politics, and Western Canada and Quebec’s general stance that the Canadian government does not care for anyone other than Ontario.

Esplanade Riel

This pedestrian bridge – twinned with the vehicular Provencher Bridge – connects downtown Winnipeg with the predominately Francophone neighbourhood of St. Boniface.  It is has an oddly shaped observation deck that looks like a flying saucer, but is in fact a restaurant – the only bridge of its kind within North America that has a restaurant.  Unfortunately, Kooks and I did not get a chance to eat at this restaurant on this particular trip.  But, it is something I will consider checking out in the future.

Esplanade Riel

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Located next to Esplanade Riel is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights – the first National Museum to be created since 1967 and the first one to be located out of the Capital Region of Canada.  At the time of this cruise (September 2013), the CMHR had still not been completed yet and the official opening was not slated for at least another year.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Five Roses Flour Mill

This factory along the Red River represents the Golden Era of Winnipeg’s manufacturing industry in the 19th Century.  With flour mills being created along the Red River, this allowed for Prairie wheat farmers to have a feasible way to sell and ship their products across North America.  In fact, there was so much traffic along this part of the river over 150 years ago that some ships had to wait in line for a few days before a dock opened up for them to receive the next shipment of flour.

Five Roses Flour Mill

Ultimately, the shipping industry was killed once the Canadian Pacific Railway was opened in the early 20th Century.  This meant that Winnipeg was no longer a major centre of commerce for the Prairie Provinces now that wheat farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta had quicker and easier ways to distribute their products.  Winnipeg hasn't really recovered from this economic collapse since.

Winnipeg’s Oldest House

Winnipeg’s oldest house sits less than a few blocks away from the Red River at 99 Euclid Avenue.  Although we couldn't actually see this house from the boat, it pre-dates the founding of Winnipeg and was built in 1862 by E.L. Barber.  It was continuously occupied up until the late 20th century.

One of many historic houses along the Red River

Barber was responsible for laying the foundations for the Point Douglas community, and his house was once used as a hideout for his partner, Dr. John Schultz.  Schultz led a rebellion against Louis Riel’s provisional Government in the Red River settlement.  After escaping imprisonment, Schultz hid in Barber’s house before heading to Ontario in exile.

Downtown Winnipeg as seen from the Red River

After this part of the tour, we turned around and slowly headed back toward the Forks.  This tour is a must for anyone visiting Winnipeg as it is far more interesting than it appears at first glance.  Not only is Winnipeg the epicentre of Native American history, but as we learned through the life of Louis Riel, it is the epicentre of the East-West divide that still exits today within Canadian politics.