May 26-31 in Manitoba History: Brandon is born, the Republic dies and we dig a big hole !
5/28/2007 at 9:09 PM
May 30, 1811 - The HBC grant Lord Selkirk 70 million acres (300 000 km2) of land along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers for the sum of 10 shillings. He called the land Assiniboia and agreed to settle it. After natural disasters and problems with the First Nations communities the land would revert back to the HBC in 1836.
May 31 1868 - In Portage La Prairie Thomas Spence declares "The Republic of Manitoba" with himself as President. With vague boundaries that cover most of the west Spence has his new subjects swear an oath of allegiance: "… in what turned out to be the downfall of both the Republic and Thomas Spence, a plan for taxation of its citizens. When Spence attempted to collect the taxes he had assessed, he met with resistance from subjects who claimed that the taxes were actually being used to purchase beer and whisky for the President and his friends. When Spence attempted to arrest and try these individuals for treason to the Republic, a brawl ensued, shots were fired, and Spence was physically ejected from the makeshift courthouse. Shortly thereafter, both President Spence and the short-lived Republic of Manitoba faded away. (from glenbow.org/exhibits)"
May 27, 1882 - The Winnipeg Electric Street Railway Co. was incorporated.
May 30, 1882 - The City of Brandon was officially incorporated.
May 28 1884 Alexander Kennedy Isbister dies. Explorer, writer, educator and philanthropist.
May 31, 1906 - The Pinawa hydro generating station (the first in Manitoba) was officially opened. Built by the Winnipeg Electric Railway Co. it began delivering power June 9.
May 27 and 28, 1928 - The Winnipeg Flying Club officially opened an air field in the RM of St. James. Premier John Bracken addressed the crowd of 7000 spectators at the new Stevenson Aerodrome, named in honour of the noted Manitoba aviator and pioneer bush pilot, Captain Fred J. Stevenson.
May 28, 1934 - Dionne quintuplets are born to Elzire and Oliva Dionne in Callander.
May 29, 1942 - The Choristers, a Winnipeg chamber choir, began weekly broadcasts on the CBC. In 1952, the program's name became Sunday Chorale, and continued until 1969.
May 29, 1953 -- Winnipeg Electric Company is taken over by the crown corporation The Greater Winnipeg Transit to make it a city wide public transit system.
May 31, 1954 CBWT (CBC Channel 6), the prairies' first television station, begins broadcasting in Winnipeg.
May 28, 1962 - Manitoba signs a $63.2 million agreement with the Feds to build the Greater
Winnipeg Floodway. At the time it was the second largest earth-moving project in the world after the Panama Canal.
May 28 1970 directors of the Hudson's Bay Company vote to transfer the head office of the company to Winnipeg.
May 28 1979 - Frank Frederickson dies.
Born in Winnipeg in 1895 Frank played pro hockey in Manitoba from 1920-31. He was captain of the Winnipeg Falcons who won the Allan Cup in 1919 and captained the Falcons to the first Olympic Hockey Championship in 1920. Frank was elected to Hockey's Hall of Fame in 1958. He passed away in Toronto, May 28, 1979.
http://internationalhockeylegends.blogspot.com/2007/05/frank-frederickson.html
May 27, 2000 - Maurice "Rocket" Richard dies.