GIMLI HERITAGE WALKING TOURS – Short Tour Text and Audio
Approximately 40 Minutes
- Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre and Historic Lighthouse
1 Centre Street.
The Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre is the place to explore Gimli’s maritime history and discover everything that there is to see and enjoy in our community, today. Housed in the former B.C. Packers fish processing ice house, the centre showcases Lake Winnipeg’s natural history and the legacy of the commercial fishery. You’ll find a full-size 1940s Whitefish boat and artifacts and stories about the fishing families that have worked on the lake for more than a century. Enjoy a recently added ten-metre long mural that depicts all the components of the Lake Winnipeg watershed. Stepping outside, you’ll find Gimli’s historic lighthouse and the busy harbour shared by both commercial Fishers and recreational boaters. It is the largest inland harbour between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia.
2. Gimli Seawall Gallery
The Pier and Harbour.
Every summer thousands of visitors come to Gimli to stroll on our historic pier. It’s a favourite place for anglers to try their luck and for others to enjoy the gallery of more than 35 paintings created by the Gimli Art Club and showcased on the concrete breakwater. Since 1997 volunteers from the club have crafted and carefully maintained these paintings, keeping them in top shape in spite of the sun, wind, rain and snow. These artworks depict the community’s long history – its Icelandic, Ukrainian and Indigenous roots and the stories surrounding farming, the community’s former military base, the fishery and the colourful story of the freight boats that were once a common sight on the lake.
3. ‘Bill’s Hill’ and the Buried York Boat
Follow the footpath south.
The hill overlooking the harbour was created in 2000, from materials dredged from the lake during an expansion of the marine facility. Affectionally nicknamed ‘Bill’s Hill’ after then-mayor William Barlow, the Harbour Park hill now provides an expansive view of Gimli’s waterfront and it has become a favourite spot for outdoor weddings. A feature on the south side of this grassy knoll is a series of stones that form the outline of a York Boat – a vessel commonly used in the fur trade. In 2000 a replica York Boat was buried at the site along with some artifacts, as part of an art installation. From the York Boat, a footpath along the shoreline leads visitors south and west to Gimli’s Viking Park.
4. New Iceland Plaque
Continue south and west on path.
An historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque on the south side of the Harbour Park commemorates the founding of New Iceland. In 1875, Icelandic settlers began arriving in the Gimli area and settled on a large tract of land set aside for them by the federal government. The newcomers overcame great hardships in the wilderness land on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg and worked hard to preserve their language and culture. For a time, the Icelandic Reserve was essentially self-
governed, until it was absorbed into the province of Manitoba. Today, Canada is home to thousands of the settlers’ descendants who are determined to maintain their culture and close ties with Iceland.
5. Viking Park and Statue
At the south end of Second Avenue.
Gimli’s Icelandic heritage is celebrated at the Viking Park and Statue. In 1967 – Canada’s centennial year – the Gimli Chamber of Commerce organized the construction of a 4.6 metre fibreglass Viking statue. Since then it has become an important local landmark; visited, photographed and enjoyed by thousands. The statue was designed by Gissur Eliasson of the University of Manitoba, constructed by sculptor George Barone at a cost of $15,000 and unveiled by then-President of Iceland Asgeir Asgeirsson. In August 2017 the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, with the support of other community groups, completed the beautifully landscaped Viking Park that now surrounds the statue. Gardens, pathways, benches and plaques honour Gimli’s families and its many visitors, its long history, and its connection to Iceland. A landscaped boardwalk connects the Viking Park to First Avenue.
6. New Iceland Heritage Museum
94 First Avenue (in the Waterfront Centre).
The New Iceland Heritage Museum (NIHM) greets visitors from around the world year round, seven days a week, at its main location in the Waterfront Centre on First Avenue, across the street from the harbour. Through the presentation of dynamic, permanent multi-media exhibits, temporary and travelling displays, and through a variety of workshops, lectures and programs, the museum provides an opportunity to learn about the unique history and development of New Iceland. Approximately 15,000 visitors explore the museum and its special gift shop every year. The NIHM has been designated as a Manitoba Signature Museum by the Province of Manitoba. This designation is aimed at selected museums that showcase unique collections and significantly enhance heritage tourism.
7. T33 Jet and Cenotaph
On the boulevard south of Centre Street.
Another Gimli landmark can be found on the First Avenue boulevard south of Centre Street. A cenotaph acknowledges the sacrifices made by the community and its families during two world wars and the Korean conflict. Gimli and the surrounding municipality played a significant role during World War II, when an air force training base was constructed west of town as part of the Allies’ Commonwealth Air Training Plan. During the Cold War the base was used to train jet fighter pilots. The T33 Silver Star jet, on a pedestal next to the cenotaph, was part of the air force’s training fleet. It was rebuilt after its pilot ran into trouble and bailed out, leaving the jet to crash into the North American Lumber yard in 1969. No one was injured. Gimli’s air force base was closed in the early ‘70s and the land and buildings turned over to the
municipality. The T33 jet was presented to Gimli, in honour of the air force’s long relationship with the community.
8. H.P. Tergesen General Store
82 First Avenue at the Intersection with Centre Street.
The Tergesen Store at the corner of First Avenue and Centre Street is the oldest family-run commercial venture in Manitoba and an excellent example of a rural community store. Opened for business as a general store in 1899 by Hans Pjeter Tergesen, it has been operated by successive generations of the family, who have adapted it to keep up with changing times. The past and the present meet here. The exterior is clad with faux-stone, pressed-tin siding, while inside antique fixtures, archival photographs of Gimli and artifacts create a hip, vintage atmosphere. An eclectic mix of fashions, jewelry, novelties and an excellent book store draw customers to the store from Winnipeg and beyond. For many, a stop at the Tergesen store has become a traditional part of a visit to Gimli.
9. Gimli Unitarian Church
72 Second Avenue.
Construction of the Gimli Unitarian Church was completed in 1905. It was built by volunteers at a cost of $1,428 and became the mother church for the Unitarian movement in Western Canada. With its tall slender tower trimmed with wooden detailing, a facade enlivened by a pointed arch entrance and windows highlighted with wooden tracery, it is a fine example of this kind of construction. In recent years it has been renovated and vinyl siding applied to the exterior. Over the years, the Unitarian Church has also served as a Village of Gimli town office and a courthouse. Today, it is used as a church, a theatre and a meeting hall. The building has been designated by the municipality as a heritage site.
10. Gimli Public School
62 Second Avenue.
The Gimli Public School was built in 1915 by an Icelandic Community determined to provide the best opportunities for its children, despite limited resources. It is a sturdy unadorned brick structure with limestone sills, large windows and high ceilings. Classrooms have attractive pressed-tin ceilings while the floors are solid maple. The building was designed by local resident Halldor Sigurdson and included the latest in health and safety innovations. Over the decades many of the students from this
school have gone on to become leaders in government, public administration, education and the arts. The building is no longer used as a school, but it is still a vibrant part of the community, housing government offices including those of the R.M. of Gimli. The attic is said to be home to Icelandic Huldufolk (hidden people). Climb the spiral staircase, be very quiet, and you might hear them. The Gimli Public school is a municipally designated heritage site.
After visiting the school, to complete the short tour turn east and walk down Goldfield Drive to the beach. Turn right and follow the pathway and boardwalk south to the pier and the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. A public washroom is next to the path and close to the pier. Many stores, restaurants and other services can be found on Centre Street and on First Avenue.