Selkirk, Manitoba

For other uses, see Selkirk (disambiguation).

City of Selkirk
Nickname(s): Catfish Capital of the World
City of Selkirk Location of Selkirk in Manitoba
Coordinates: 50°08′37″N 96°53′02″W / 50.14361°N 96.88389°W / 50.14361; -96.88389Coordinates: 50°08′37″N 96°53′02″W / 50.14361°N 96.88389°W / 50.14361; -96.88389
Country	Canada
Province	Manitoba
Region	Interlake
Established	June 5, 1882
Government
– City Mayor	Larry Johansson
– Governing Body	Selkirk City Council
– MP	James Bezan
– MLA	Gregory Dewar
Area
– Land	24.71 km2 (9.884 sq mi)
Elevation	225 m (738 ft)
Population (2006 Census[1])
– Total	9,515
Time zone	CST (UTC−6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC−5)
Postal code	R1A
Area code(s)	204
NTS Map	062I02
GNBC Code	GAYRY
Website	[1]

Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River, near (50°08′37″N 96°53′02″W / 50.14361°N 96.88389°W / 50.14361; -96.88389) . As of the 2006 census, Selkirk had a population of 9,515.

The mainstays of the local economy are tourism, a local steel mill, and a major mental health facility. A vertical lift bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city is connected to Winnipeg via Highway 9 and is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Like all places in Manitoba, Selkirk has telephone Area code 204, and the city has the postal code prefix R1A. The city mostly borders the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, except to the east, where it borders the Rural Municipality of St. Clements across the Red River.

The city was named in honour of Scotsman Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, who obtained the grant to first establish a colony in the Red River area.

History

Landing of the Selkirk Settlers, Red River, 1812

The present-day city is near the center of the 160,000 square mile (530,000 km²) area purchased by the Earl of Selkirk from the Hudson's Bay Company.^[2] The first settlers of the Red River Colony arrived in 1813. Although the settlers negotiated a treaty with the Salteaux Indians of the area, the commercial rivalry between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company gave rise to violent confrontations between the settlers and the trading companies. In recognition of the Earl's importance in bringing settlers to the region, the town was named Selkirk and incorporated in 1882.

Economy and tourism

The Keenora Museum

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre, the largest mental health facility in the province,^[3] is a major employer in the city. The Centre's surroundings are a park-like campus on the outskirts of the city.

Gerdau, owned by Gerdau S.A. of Porto Alegre, Brazil, operates a steel minimill in Selkirk. This steel mill ( known locally as MRM or "The Manitoba Rolling Mills") is also a major employer.

Chuck The Channel Cat

Selkirk is advertised as the Catfish Capital of the World, due to the large amounts of catfish in the nearby Red River. This nickname was part of an advertising campaign to entice American anglers, who travel to Manitoba to fish for trophy-sized catfish. Selkirk is also home to Chuck the Channel Cat, a fiberglass representation of a catfish that measures 25 feet (7.6 m) long. The name Chuck was chosen to honour local sport fisherman Chuck Norquay, who drowned while doing what he loved best — fishing in the Red River. After Chuck was built in 1986, the town council decided to place Chuck in front of Smitty's Restaurant on Main Street.

The Marine Museum of Manitoba, a collection of historical marine artifacts of Lake Winnipeg and the Red River area, is located in Selkirk. Selkirk is also the site of a Canadian Coast Guard base.

The Selkirk Fair and Rodeo is held annually to celebrate the area's agricultural history. It celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2008.^[4]

Selkirk has three community newspapers: The Selkirk Enterprise, The Selkirk Record, and The Selkirk Journal.

External videos
	Amphibious icebreaker in Selkirk
	Greg Selinger about 3rd icebreaker

Amphibex excavator icebreakers were at work breaking up ice flows on the Red River in 2009.^[5] Ice breakers and backhoes were to be strategically placed along the Red River Floodway, which might have needed to be opened before the ice was fully melted. Officials examined past ice jams and provided contingency plans if the Floodway jammed upstream of bridges or on tight corners.^[6]

Sports

Selkirk is home to the Selkirk Steelers ice hockey team who play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. They play at the Selkirk Recreation Complex. Selkirk is also home to the Selkirk Fishermen Junior B hockey team who play in the Keystone Junior Hockey League. The Selkirk Rivermen Hockey Club plays in the SIHL.

A major sporting event Selkirk hosted was the 2007 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships (as co-host with Manitoba's provincial capital, Winnipeg). Canada defeated the rival United States team 5–1 on April 10 in the MTS Centre of Winnipeg. In 2009, Selkirk played host to the 2009 Telus Cup with the Winnipeg Thrashers as the host team. The winners were the Notre Dame Hounds who shut out the Calgary Buffaloes 4–0.

Selkirk is also home to the independent Steeltown Pro Wrestling promotion.

Demographics

Selkirk had a population of 9,515 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 2.4% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Selkirk was $42,502, which is below the Manitoba provincial average of $47,875.^[7]

See also

Places

• Selkirk—Red River former federal electoral district
• Selkirk Water Aerodrome
• Selkirk Airport
• Red River Trails
• Fort Gibraltar fur-trading post destroyed by early Selkirk settlers
• Fort Maurepas (Canada) fur trading post built 1734 near the present town

People

Sports

• Terry Ball hockey player
• Rich Chernomaz hockey player
• Paul Goodman (ice hockey) hockey player
• Alfie Michaud Hockey player (goaltender)
• Harry Oliver (ice hockey) hockey player
• Bullet Joe Simpson Soldier, hockey player and coach who was flag bearer for Canada at 1932 Olympics
• Jimmy Skinner hockey coach
• Neil Wilkinson hockey player
• Andrew Murray hockey player

Politicians

• Duane Nicol, City Councillor 2002–Present
• David Bjornson, Member of Parliament 1988-1993
• Gregory Dewar Manitoba provincial politician
• Ron Fewchuk Member of Parliament 1993-1997
• Ed Helwer member of the Manitoba legislature 1988-2003
• Hugh McFadyen, Manitoba politician, MLA
• Howard Pawley, MLA Selkirk 1969-1988;Premier of Manitoba 1981-1988
• Sam Uskiw Manitoba politician, born in East Selkirk

General

• Ellen Reid Keyboard player for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies.
• Trevor Boris comedian
• Robert Atkinson Davis businessman and politician, supported running the railway through Winnipeg instead of Selkirk
• The Farrell Bros. rockabilly (music) group
• John Tanner (narrator) explorer, guide, worked for the Selkirk colony
• Paul Thorlakson Soldier, surgeon, Order of Canada, co-founder of the Winnipeg Clinic
• Kevin Patterson doctor, writer, grew up in Selkirk
• Sherisse Stevens singer and entertainer
• Canadian Scots people of Scots ancestry living in Canada
• Michael Rowe Canadian author and journalist, attended St. John's Cathedral Boy's School in Selkirk 1977-1981

References

1. ^ "Census 2006, Selkirk - City". Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. 2007-03-13. http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/imagelib/csd/4613047/census2006.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-02. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ City of selkirk Web site - History retrieved August 4, 2008^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Selkirk Mental Health Centre. - Province of Manitoba.
4. ^ History. - Selkirk Fair and Rodeo.
5. ^ Ice Hammer Discovery Channel. Accessed: 8 January 2011.
6. ^ Skerritt, Jen (2009-04-04). "Flood fight ramps up as Red’s crest approaches". Winnipeg Press. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/floodwatch/Flood-fight-ramps-up-as-Reds-crest-approaches-42480297.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
7. ^ "Selkirk, Manitoba - Detailed City Profile". http://census2006.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=4613047&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Selkirk&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2009-09-10. 

External links

• The Selkirk Enterprise Community News Paper
• Selkirk & District Community Foundation website
• The Selkirk Fire Department Website
• The City of Selkirk website
• Selkirk Gospel Chapel website
• The Triple S Fair and Rodeo website
• Selkirk Journal Newspaper
• Map of Selkirk at Statcan