Soldiers benefited greatly from the work of the Canadian Red Cross Society.

In the early 1940s, my father would come home from whitefish fishing in the north basin of Lake Winnipeg in early August. Before he was to go to Albert’s Point to fall fish, we would enjoy what passed for a family vacation in those days. He would load my mother, my brother Robert, my Uncle Ed and me into our 1940 Pontiac Coupe and we would head for a marvellous adventure at Winnipeg Beach, 10 miles away.  

The trip had a two-fold purpose: while mother took us country bumpkins on the rides, father and Uncle Ed would lift a cold one at the local hotel since The Como Hotel in Gimli, with its men’s only beer parlour, had burned down on New Year’s Day (see the Como Hotel story link below). On the way back to Gimli, we drove north down Prospect Avenue. As we came to Boundary Creek, I saw what appeared to be a giant cottage. Situated at the mouth of the creek, with a bay on one side and the lake on the other, the building looked like it was sitting out in the lake. “What’s that?” I asked. “It is a club that used to be the Red Cross Convalescent Home.” Oh. “What’s a club? Why were Veterans there?” The questions were endless and of course not always answered fast enough. Crossing Boundary Creek, Father interrupted my questions with, “You are now passing over the border”. On the south side of the creek is the northern border of Manitoba when it was called the ‘postage stamp’ province. The north side is what was called the Icelandic Preserve.

Over the years I was to go back many times to the wondrous boardwalk of Winnipeg Beach. I enjoyed riding on the roller coaster and dodgem cars and taking the Moonlight train to Winnipeg after a Saturday night dance at the magnificent dance hall that was built in 1924. I never did get that building out of my mind. So when I came across the postcard of the Winnipeg Beach Red Cross Convalescent Home, I remembered it as the ‘Club’ that I saw out in the Lake and decided to learn more about its history. I am deeply indebted to Robert Gourgon of the Red Cross, summer resident Garth Teel, local resident Ray Olson, The Manitoba Archives and of course Dale Barbour’s book “Winnipeg Beach”. 

The late 1890s saw people of Canada, and Winnipeg in particular, wanting some affordable leisure time. The CPR was well aware of the success of Sunnyside Beach in Toronto and other similar resorts, so in 1901, with the encouragement of lake captain and entrepreneur William Robinson, they purchased land fronting on a magnificent sand beach on Lake Winnipeg. Then they pushed their railroad the 30 miles north from Selkirk and set about building a summer resort. They were wildly successful. It was affordable and very profitable. People could come for the day or week and a community sprang up to look after the renters. Around 1908 a large private club was built at the mouth of Boundary Creek. The spot appears to have been chosen for its privacy. It was close to a beach, a dock and a marina, and was backed by a park so no neighbours could locate close. The members only club resembled a large screened in cottage and was very popular as a recreation spot

In 1915, the Red Cross took over the recreation building to use it as a convalescent home for war weary soldiers. The convalescent idea came from the British who realized the desperate need to help soldiers recover from the horrors of trench warfare. There were approximately 42 beds, and the soldiers would come by train and stay usually one week in July and August. They would row small boats where the marina now is, walk, lawn bowl, go to the movies, play golf or just sun bathe. The service men who came, benefited greatly from the work of the Red Cross. The locals also opened up their arms to the soldiers and area farmers supplied fresh produce and meats. This one week vacation of good food, recreation and sun had a huge positive effect on the soldiers. But as the number of personnel involved in the Great War grew, more facilities were needed. In the mid-20s, the Federal Government approved $500,000 for the building of Deer Lodge Veteran’s hospital in Winnipeg. This spelled the end of the Winnipeg Beach facility. Local interests bought the property back, and in 1936 the facility reopened as the Aquatic Club. It was to last until the mid-60s when it and the roller coaster and attractions were torn down. 

The majesty of the building perched on the shore of the Lake, the peace that it brought to so many soldiers and the memories of the magical summer playground, earn The Winnipeg Beach Red Cross Convalescent Home its place in the annals of the passing parade.

Ken Kristjanson

December 2015

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