Assiniboine Park (formerly known as City Park) is a park in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada, located along the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River ( ; ) is a long river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked ...

. The Winnipeg Public Parks Board was formed in 1893, and purchased the initial land for the park in 1904. Although in use before then, the park officially opened in 1909. It is named for the

Assiniboine people The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nak ...

. The park covers , of which are designed in the English landscape style. The park includes the Assiniboine Forest,

Assiniboine Park Zoo Assiniboine Park Zoo is a List of zoos in Canada, zoo facility located in the west end of Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Established in 1904, Assiniboine Park Zoo is managed by the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. It holds accredita ...

, Assiniboine Park Conservatory, the historic Assiniboine Park Pavilion, formal and informal gardens, a sculpture garden, a miniature railway, an outdoor theatre for performing arts, and numerous other attractions.

Prominent attractions

CN U-1-d Mountain numbered 6043 is on display

Conservatory and gardens

There is evidence that

Henry Sandham Griffith Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

designed a landscape layout for the park in April 1894. One of the earliest park features and a major indoor attraction, The Conservatory is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

housing more than 8,000 flowers, plants and trees that are non-native to Manitoba, but which grow profusely under the ideal conditions created in the Palm House and Display Garden. The original Palm House was erected in 1914, and in 1968 a fully modern structure was built over and around the Palm House, enclosing it. It was announced in early 2018 that the Assiniboine Park Conservatory would close permanently in April 2018 due to ongoing renovation costs and it reaching the end of its "useful life". The building has since been demolished, and usage of the existing space has not been determined. In 2018 a group of citizens spoke out about the future Diversity Gardens, that visitors will have to pay an admission fee like at the Zoo, and that this will cause lower income citizens to be unable to afford to visit the new displays. Known throughout

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

for its luxuriant display of thousands of annual and perennial flowers, the English Garden (established between 1926 and 1927) contains nearly 3 acres of flowers,

shrubs A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

and trees arranged in the traditional English style. From the outset, the English Garden was designed to serve as a popular park attraction where local residents and tourists could obtain information about specialized floriculture in Manitoba. New plant varieties have been introduced annually. A large rose garden (with more than 400 bushes (there are only a few remnants of roses in this area.) of Floribunda, Grandiflora and

Rugosa The Rugosa or rugose corals are an extinct Class (biology), class of solitary and Colony (biology), colonial corals that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late Permian seas. Solitary rugosans (e.g., ''Caninia (genus), Caninia'', ''Lopho ...

varieties), broken into four sections, surrounds a central, fish-filled lily pond. (No roses exist in this area, the central pond has a large fountain in it, no fish or lilies exist.) The English Garden is open free of charge to the public every day of the year. The Formal Garden, located at the southeast park entrance, was designed in 1907 by

Frederick Todd Frederick Gage Todd (March 11, 1876 – February 15, 1948) was the first resident landscape architect in Canada. For the majority of his life he was one of a small group committed to the art and practice of structuring urban growth in the first ...

as part of the original park. It features flower beds in sharply defined geometric shapes that stand out from the grassy areas. Each of the beds, as well as the overall design, is symmetrical. The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden displays more than three hundred works by Dr.

Leo Mol Leonid Molodozhanyn (January 15, 1915 – July 4, 2009), known as Leo Mol, was a Ukrainian Canadian stained glass artist, painter and sculptor. History Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), Mol learned the art ...

, including bronze and ceramic sculptures, paintings and drawings. Opened in 1992, the sculpture garden has been expanded twice since.

Pavilion and theatre

The park's signature feature, the Assiniboine Park Pavilion became a focus of early Winnipeg's social life. Originally designed by John D. Atchison and built in 1908, it included a dance hall, a banquet hall, lunch and catering. The tower contained the pump and water tower for the park's water system. It was destroyed by fire in May 1929. The current larger pavilion was designed by architects Northwood and Chivers, and was opened in May 1930. It is today one of Winnipeg's most familiar landmarks. The Lyric Theatre is a large outdoor stage located next to the Pavilion. Opened in 1999, it carries on the tradition of

bandshell In theatre, a shell (also known as an acoustical shell, choral shell or bandshell) is a curved, hard surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience. Often shells are designed to be removable, either rolling away on wheels or lifting into ...

entertainment near the Pavilion that started in the 1920s.

Zoo

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is at the western end of the park just north of the main parking area, and is home to over 300 animal species. It initially opened in July 1908.

Foot bridge

The first foot bridge across the Assiniboine River was built in 1908 when the Park had initially opened. However, in later years it was determined that a wider and safer bridge would be needed. A second bridge, connecting the district of St. James (at Overdale St.) with Assiniboine Park, is an active transportation/pedestrian bridge, and officially opened in May 1932 by Winnipeg mayor

Ralph Webb Colonel Ralph Humphreys Webb (August 30, 1886 – June 1, 1945) was a soldier and politician based in Manitoba, Canada. A monarchist, he served as the 31st Mayor of Winnipeg from 1925 to 1927 and again from 1930 to 1934, and also served in ...

. A small (2-hectare) portion of the park lies north of the Assiniboine River, and together with the footbridge, provides access to the main body of the park from

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canadian English, CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is ...

Children's Nature and Adventure Playground

Opened in May 2011 as part of the Park's redevelopment, a Children's Nature and Adventure Playground was built as a children's play area. It is located adjacent to the Pavilion and cost $6 million. The play area features a kid-size doorway, although adult throughway is also provided. The relocated

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...

statue is inside the Nature Playground area.

Other

Adjacent to Roblin Boulevard, the last steam locomotive to run scheduled service in Canada, CNR 6043, Class U-1-d, 4-8-2, is on permanent display courtesy of the

Winnipeg Railway Museum The Winnipeg Railway Museum was a railway museum located on tracks 1 and 2 within the Via Rail-operated Union Station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Volunteers from the Midwestern Rail Association Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1975, ...

. A

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

railway named ''Assiniboine Park Railroad'' operates in one section of the park, which features a working steam locomotive made by

Crown Metal Products Crown Metal Products was a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock based in Wyano, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Ken Williams in 1946 and initially sold pot cleaners and then electric fence wires and other products. In 1959, the compan ...

. Toward the north of the park, and just to one side of the pedestrian footbridge from Portage Avenue is the serpentine duck pond. Originally a fenced area, in the 2010s the duck pond was upgraded with new plants and benches. Although called a duck pond, it is more common to find

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North ...

swimming there. The park also includes picnic areas.

Sports

The park offers playgrounds, a bicycle path, baseball and cricket fields with three cricket pitches (upper and lower grounds) and a clubhouse on site. The park is the Manitoba Cricket League's premier facility for hosting club cricket. The

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

Fitness Trail, dedicated to the Canadian humanitarian's memory, is designed for disabled and non-disabled individuals alike. Assiniboine Park is wheelchair-accessible.

Assiniboine Park Riparian Forest Project

The Assiniboine Park Riparian Forest Project purposes to help the

riparian forest A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...

recover from heavy use and enhance the recreational trail experience. The ongoing riverbank restoration project, begun in 2006, continues each summer. The project concerns the strip of forest along the

within Assiniboine Park, a well-known and much-loved recreational area just east of the footbridge on the south side of

. Over many years, the forest has suffered a loss of vegetation due to flooding, invasive plant species that replace native species, and trampling from recreational activities such as hiking and biking. Generations of heavy usage has resulted in the creation of an extensive trail network, soil compaction and large areas of bare ground. Restoration is underway in the forest through careful planning, cooperation from trail-users and efforts such as

tree planting Tree planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purposes. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture and from the lower-cost but slower and les ...

, invasive species removal and creating a main trail. The project's aim is that by reducing the impact of recreation in the forest, this natural area will still be around for generations to enjoy 100 years from now.

Gallery

File:Assiniboine Park Winnipeg Manitoba.JPG, Assiniboine River File:Sculpture garden in assiniboine park winnipeg manitoba canada 1 (3).JPG,

Sculpture Garden in Assiniboine Park File:Tulip Festival in assiniboine park winnipeg manitoba canada 1 (6).JPG, Tulip Festival 2009 in Sculpture Garden, Assiniboine Park File:Sculpture garden in assiniboine park winnipeg manitoba canada 1 (7).JPG, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Assiniboine Park File:Sculpture garden in assiniboine park winnipeg manitoba canada 1 (4).JPG, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Assiniboine Park File:Assiniboine Park pavilion.jpg, The Assiniboine Park Pavilion as seen from the south. File:Assiniboine park kiddie train.jpg, Assiniboine Park miniature train

References

External links

Assiniboine Park
(official website) {{Manitoba parks Parks in Winnipeg Tourist attractions in Winnipeg Cricket grounds in Canada Sports venues in Winnipeg Venues of the 1999 Pan American Games 1904 establishments in Manitoba Botanical gardens in Canada Buildings and structures in Winnipeg Tuxedo, Winnipeg