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Lower Fort Gary was built by the Hudson Bay Company as a fur trading post. It was on the Red River. Fur trading was important because many people earned their living in it. Furs were very valuable.

Manitoba has its own tartan. Each color has its own significance. The dark red squares represent Lord Selkirk, founder of the Red River Settlement (Winnipeg). The dark green lines represent the men and the women of many races who have enriched the life of the province. The golden line represents grain and other agricultural products.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know Lord Selkirk. The first group of Red River settlers left Scotland in the summer of 1811. Their land had been taken away from them and used for sheep and farming. They came to the Red River Settlement in order to get land. They were led by Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk, and were called the Selkirk Settlers.

If you are not from Manitoba you don't know ...about the buffalo. Long before the coming of the European settlers, the grass lands of Manitoba were home to the Plains Indians, native people of Canada. Their main source of food was the buffalo that roamed in huge herds over the plains. The Indians hunted the buffalo on horseback, sometimes stampeding the herd over the cliffs. A food called "pemmican" was made from dried buffalo meat. It served the Indians well on long trips or over the long winter. later, explorers and settlers used it as well. The buffalo is the symbol of Manitoba and it's found on the province's coat of arms.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know... about Louis Riel. Louis Riel was a Metis who was born in the Red River Settlement and was educated in Montreal. In October 1869, under his leadership, he claimed rights for the Metis then in Saskatchewan in 1885 Louis Riel led the Metis to a rebellion, then later, he was hanged for the rebellion.

If you are not from Manitoba you don't know ... about Seven Oaks. The Selkirk settlers were having trouble with food. There was a law that you should not take food out of their land. The Metis disobeyed the law. In June 1816, the Governor, Robert Semple, and some British settlers went to meet some Metis and what turned out to be a simple talk turned into a gun fight. At the end the Selkirk Settlers ran north down the Red River. The Scots lived in great hardship in the woods. That place was called Seven Oaks because there were seven oak trees trees there.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know about... The Golden Boy. The Golden Boy is a four metre figure. It is probably Manitoba best known symbol. He faces the North. The Golden Boy is a runner like the messengers in Greek mythology. He carries a sheaf of golden grain in his left arm while his right hand holds high a torch, calling youth to enter the race. The top of his torch is 77 metres 255 feet above the ground and before the more recent construction of high rise buildings it was the highest point in the city.

The flag of the province of Manitoba is mostly red and includes the original coat of arms (the bison and the cross of St. George) and the British Union flag in the top corner. This flag was given approval by Queen Elizabeth in October 1985 and officially announced on May 12th.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know ... that Manitoba is the second largest producer of nickel. Gold was discovered in Flin Flon by man named Tom Creighter in 1915. Mining is a very important part of Manitoba's Industry.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know .... about Churchill. The world's largest denning area for polar bears lies south of Churchill. Churchill is called "Polar Bear Capital of the World" because of the large number of polar bears that live in the area. Bears often wander into town in search of food in the garbage dumps. Sometimes they wander right into the town itself. Some bears have mauled or killed town people.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know...about livestock farming. In the picture is a field of grass and it has a lot of animals on the field like horses and sheep that came from the United States. In the olden days livestock farming had no trains so the animals had to be led overland by foot. Manitoba farmers raise only livestock. The Manitoba farmers use vehicles for their business of farming. They need to share their equipment with their neighbors. Manitoba's north stands quiet and have more room for more livestock farmers.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know about ...Manitoba's wheat farms. Manitoba's wheat is its most important crop. One third of the province's farmland is part of the region known as "the bread basket of the world". The crops grown in Manitoba are barley, oats, flax, and canola. In the Red River Valley, farms grow mustard, faba beans, field peas and sunflowers.

There was lots of wheat to harvest and the wheat was all they harvested in Manitoba. They didn't have great machines to harvest the wheat. When the harvest trains came, they carried thousands of people who came from The Maritimes and Quebec to harvest the grain. There were also girls who would be teachers on the trains. And they also got drunk and destroyed the houses, and the trains. They got into lots of fights on their way out.

Buffalo were used to make, horns, spoons, cups, and clubs. The ribs made sleds and runners. They used their fat to make pemmican. The bones made knives and scrapers. The teeth were used to make necklaces. They used their hides to make their clothing, covers, blankets and moccasins. The blood and the intestines were used for food.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know... Churchill is at the mouth of Churchill River on Hudson Bay at Manitoba's only ocean port. Back in the Olden Days, the port was used to ship fur to Europe. Nowadays huge grain elevators load ocean ships with wheat.

The main business in Canada was the fur trade. It started in 1600 -1800. The aboriginal people traded with the English and French. They traded mink, beavers, muskrats, martins and other pelts. The furs were valuable because they were water proof. The picture show the furs wrapped in bales for sale.

The Great Gray Owl is Manitoba's bird. It is one of the largest owls in North America. It inhabits fir, pine and spruce forests. The Great Gray Owl is active by day and night. They feed on voles, shrews, squirrels, moles, bats, mice, hares and weasels. The owl hunts in meadows moors, forest glades and clearings. While perched in a tree it looks for prey, turning its head 180 degrees in either direction to get an all around view with its keen eye sight.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know...about the Prairie Dog Central. Each summer the special steam driven train called, "The Prairie Dog Central" travels from Winnipeg to Gross Isle. On the way to Gross Isle you can see a lot of golden wheat fields. In the past on special occasions The Prairie Dog Central took tourists to Churchill to see beluga whales and if they're lucky they would see a polar bear or two.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know... about polar bears. The denning area for polar bears lies south of Churchill. A polar bear eats meat like seals. They live on ice flows. They are excellent swimmers. Polar bears often wander close to town garbage dumps in search of food. They are in danger because to many people hunt up there.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know...Manitoba's shield was granted under King Edward VII in 1905. At the centre of the arms in the original shield featuring the cross of St. Gorge, a golden helmet is signaling Manitoba's co-sovereign status in confederation. The Beaver is a national symbol of Canada holding Manitoba's emblem. The shield supports are a unicorn and a horse. They stand on top of water, grain fields and forests. The seven provincial flowers at the center represent one people of diverse origins.

If you're not from Manitoba you don't know ... about the Great Lakes of Manitoba. When the ice age was finished all the snow melted and turned into the great lake named Agassiz. It was Manitoba's great Lake. From this came the three Great Lakes of Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipegosis, and Lake Manitoba (plus thousands of smaller ones). They are the remains of that huge glacial lake. The two largest rivers in the province are the Churchill and Nelson. They drain all these bodies of water into Hudson Bay.