6000 Years in 60 Minutes Winnipeg Tour
This article is 6000 Years in 60 Minutes Winnipeg Tour. The 6000 Years in 60 Minutes Winnipeg Tour covers the epic stories behind the Forks as a meeting place.
The 6000 Years in 60 Minutes Winnipeg Tour is part of my Winnipeg Spring Experience Trip.
Background
Parks Canada hosted me for this tour during my media trip in conjunction with Travel Manitoba and Tourism Winnipeg.
Although the tour was provided complimentary, the views expressed are my own.
You can learn a bit more about the National Historic Site – Forks on TripAdvisor.
Arrival
We arrived at the Forks where we met a friendly tour guide who welcomed us to Winnipeg and provided background information on the tour.
The tour was scheduled for a about an hour and it would include the history of Winnipeg over the past 6000 years.
Overview
The tour began with information on how the city was originally founded along the water as a place to trade furs.
The Hudson Trading Company was established to facilitate the trades and it was near the water where buyers would purchase or trade furs from local individuals.
The fur was then worn as clothing or converted into hats and other items in London and beyond.
The tour guide reviewed historic artifacts from the time period that have been found in the Forks including teeth and other items.
Later another trading company was established, which did more hand to hand trading in going out into the country to obtain the trades rather than having people come to them.
Eventually, the two groups clashed, and a fight broke out.
The Hudson Trading Company later emerged in combining both into one company that continued.
The city became more established and it was setup in sections near the river.
Later those sections were further divided, which caused trouble for the locals who were originally given a larger area.
Once the fur trade was reduced, the area converted into an agricultural area and land was assigned to the different settlers for the purpose of farming.
Memorial and Children’s Area
During the history stories, we visited areas within the Forks including memorials and parks and children’s areas.
One of the areas includes constellation themed designs that surround an open area in a circle.
Each of the constellations had artwork on the base which depicted history from the area.
The center focused on an open space where you could sit on the lawn and relax.
Trails followed the river where you could bike or skateboard or Rollerblade for many miles.
Railroad Town and Walking Trails
The town became a large railroad city and there are tracks everywhere.
Some of the tracks have been converted into trails.
The trails go along the water offering some excellent views.
Great artwork was found throughout the area including a large mural on one of the former train tracks.
Conclusion
The tour concluded at a unique area that was focused on community and coming together.
A memorial was established which had symbols of the progress that man has made between simple tools of the past to modern things such as computers, telephones and other items.
The memorial had a beautiful display and the area was excellent for gathering.
The tour guide answered our questions about the area and provided a rich amount of information regarding Winnipeg.
Overall
I really enjoyed the tour of the Forks. The Parks representative was very knowledgeable about the area and she was happy to answer our questions. I enjoyed learning about the history of the trading companies and how Winnipeg took shape. The artwork around the park was excellent and the grounds were manicured well.