|
|
|
|
WINNIPEG
- THE CITY |
|
|
|
The traditional center of Winnipeg
is the intersection of Portage
Avenue and Main Street just
north of The Forks , close to
the Red River at the start of what
was once the main Métis cart track
(the Portage Trail) west across the
prairies to the Hudson's Bay Company
posts, and the principal trail north
to Lake Winnipeg linking the
riverside farm lots and Lower and
Upper Fort Garry. Main Street was,
in fact, called the Garry Road until
the mid-1870s. Despite its historic
associations, in 1979 the city
council closed most of the junction
to pedestrians in return for the
construction of an underground
shopping concourse, Winnipeg Square.
While you're here, have a look at
the grand Neoclassical Bank of
Montreal on the southeast side
of the intersection, its fussily
carved capitals in stark contrast to
the sharp, clean lines of its
skyscraper neighbors. The
intersection is also known as the
windiest of any city or town in
Canada.
|
